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I suppose this question can be extrapolated to food in general, but it is the case that I would like to know if there are any methods that would help me to keep the aloe gel fresh, i.e. avoiding it to rot.

I mostly squeeze the gel and pour it into a small jar. So far I have tried the following methods, being some of them obvious, but would appreciate corroboration anyway:

  • Sterilize the container and the tools, e.g. boiling or steaming.
  • Keep it in the fridge.
  • Stir with C and E vitamin powder to avoid oxidation.

I know little about chemistry, but have heard about pasteurization and some other methods that I couldn't afford at home so, even if you mention those, I will be mainly interested in homemade methods.

PS: I am forced to choose the tags for the post but I am not sure if they are the ones that best suit the question. Please, let me know if I should change them.

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  • $\begingroup$ Freezing should work, but why don't you just use it right off the plant? $\endgroup$
    – jeremy
    Mar 30, 2013 at 19:05
  • $\begingroup$ @Nile Yes I could freeze it in chunks... I don't use it right off the plant because I cannot harvest every day. And it would be inconvenient to process it every day aswell, e.g. leave the cut-off leaves into an upright position for a day to let the resin drain out, stir in the blender, etc. $\endgroup$
    – clapas
    Mar 31, 2013 at 10:38
  • $\begingroup$ Just read about some more preservatives: rosemary extract, borax powder, baking soda, citric acid... What do you think? $\endgroup$
    – clapas
    Mar 31, 2013 at 10:48
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    $\begingroup$ It also depends on what you want to use the gel for. If you want to eat it, I really wouldn't advise using borax powder or baking soda... :P $\endgroup$
    – kaliaden
    Apr 2, 2013 at 3:34
  • $\begingroup$ I see @kaliaden, thanks for the advise. I forgot to mention that I read honey is a good preservative for eating purposes, probably safer than borax powder. $\endgroup$
    – clapas
    Apr 2, 2013 at 8:26

3 Answers 3

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I suffer from chronic back pain and have tried just about everything on the market.Now I grow and harvest my own Aloe Vera gel, put the gel in a 50ml roll-on bottle 1/2 full with gel, a 1/2 tsp vitamin C powder and 10 drops vitamin E oil then add 98.9% DMSO by syringe 10ml at a time till the strength is good enough for me. I personally use 25ml DMSO with the Aloe gel for remarkable pain relief

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  • $\begingroup$ Thank you for your answer. Does it help with your back pain? $\endgroup$
    – clapas
    Sep 4, 2015 at 10:49
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    $\begingroup$ @clapas Be advised, that anything that is dissolved in DMSO will enter your body through your skin. You need to be very, very clean and careful. Consider that when choosing packaging, too, because DMSO dissolves quite a lot, especially rubbers and plastics. This answer is probably not mentioning the potential dangers of the used substances enough. $\endgroup$
    – Martin - マーチン ♦
    Sep 4, 2015 at 13:49
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High concentrations of ethanol might work well if you just want to put it on skin. Ethanol should be safe, it's the main ingredient in those hand sanitizers.

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Blend only gel, then freeze in ice cube trays: slip tray into a large freezer bag and expel air. Use a tie to seal the bag. When frozen place cubes in an air tight container and return to freezer. Very cooling for the skin and put a cube in filtered water to drink. Don't ad anything to it (except a squeese of fresh lemon juice to drink). Don't use ANY chemical/ethanol/crap....borax/DMSO WTF!

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  • $\begingroup$ Lemon juice is just a mix of chemicals. I think you're providing contradictory advice here... $\endgroup$
    – Zhe
    Dec 2, 2016 at 1:50

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