Many studies have proved that bioactive components of Aloe vera have an anti-inflammatory effect and support lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, helping to maintain normal sugar and cholesterol levels in blood and normal body weight. When aloe is applied externally, it accelerates the regeneration of the damaged skin. Aloe contains antioxidants, which may increase the shelf-life and nutritional value of food; therefore, it is widely used in cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industry. An antioxidant activity was shown for leaf’s skin, flowers and gel of aloe. In this work the future of A. vera as effective antioxidants is primarily discussed and expected trends are summarised. Furthermore, the bioactive components and the health-promoting effects of A. vera are investigated.

Legume starches were compared for physicochemical properties that may explain differences in functional properties. Field pea starch had higher amylose, greater swelling power and solubility, and lower pasting temperatures than pinto and navy bean starches. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that field pea starch had larger, more irregularly shaped granules and more broken large granules than pinto or navy starches. The most starch damage was observed for field pea. Pinto and navy bean starches had greater resistance to swelling at 60°C than field pea indicating a more strongly bonded micellar network. Higher cold paste viscosity was observed for navy bean and field pea.

High starch fraction (HSF) isolated from three legumes were extruded at different temperatures. Extruded products were evaluated for expansion, density, color and some functional properties. The highest value of expansion was noted for pinto bean, and the lowest for garbanzo, extruded at 132°C. Extrudates from HSF expanded significantly (P < 0.05) less than corn extrudates. Oil absorption capacity increased slightly with increasing temperature and values were lower for navy and garbanzo beans than for pinto HSF and corn. Oil emulsification capacity of. bean samples was about two times higher compared to corn. Water absorption index (WAI) of pinto and navy beans significantly increased (P < 0.05) from 110°C to 132°C.

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The aim of the study was to determine whether phenolic compounds in some varieties of buckwheat, winter and spring barley and peas can be used as factors which distinguish selected cultivars and varieties of plant material. It was observed that the content of total phenolics might be useful as a cultivar-distinguishing factor for all the plant materials analyzed, but it was a distinguishing factor for only some varieties. Individual cultivars and varieties were best distinguished by the content of syringic acid. The levels of syringic and vanillic acids were in reverse proportion to the total amount of phenolics soluble in methanol and a positive correlation between syringic and ferulic acid was observed. Moreover, the protein content of plant material was analyzed and a significant (p ≤ 0.05) correlation between this component and ferulic and vanillic acids was noted.