<![CDATA[Background: Aloe vera is widely used in food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical products. However, its utilization is limited by undesirable sensory characteristics, such as bitterness, excessive mucilage, and an unpleasant aroma, which reduce consumer acceptance. Pretreatment through soaking is commonly applied to improve these characteristics. Purpose: This study aimed to compare the sensory properties of aloe vera gel soaked in lime water and rice-washing water as alternative pretreatment media, with a focus on key sensory attributes related to consumer preference. Method: The study employed an experimental sensory evaluation design using a hedonic test. Fresh aloe vera gel was prepared and soaked in two different media: lime water and rice-washing water. Sensory evaluation was conducted by panelists using a five-point hedonic scale to assess color, aroma, taste, texture, and overall acceptance. The collected data were summarized as mean scores and analyzed using paired statistical comparison to evaluate differences between the two treatments. Result: The results demonstrated that both soaking treatments produced a comparable sensory profile. Color scores were identical for both treatments. Aroma and taste scores showed only minor numerical differences, suggesting a comparable level of sensory perception. Texture exhibited the largest difference. Overall sensory acceptance showed similar results between the two treatments. Overall hedonic scores indicated that aloe vera soaked in rice washing water achieved sensory acceptance comparable to lime water. These findings suggest that rice washing water was effective in reducing undesirable sensory characteristics, such as excessive mucilage and bitterness to an acceptance level.]]>
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