Observations placeholder
Physico-chemical evaluation of bitter and non-bitter Aloe and their raw juice for human consumption
Identifier
020988
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Aloin, also known as Barbaloin, is a bitter, yellow-brown colored compound noted in the exudate of at least 68 Aloe species at levels from 0.1 to 6.6% of leaf dry weight (making between 3% and 35% of the total exudate) (Groom & Reynolds, 1987), and in another 17 species at indeterminate levels [Reynolds, 1995b].
It is used as a stimulant-laxative, treating constipation by inducing bowel movements. The compound is present in what is commonly referred to as the aloe latex that exudes from cells adjacent to the vascular bundles, found under the rind of the leaf and in between it and the gel.
When dried, it has been used as a bittering agent in commerce (alcoholic beverages) [21 CFR 172.510. Scientific names given include Aloe perryi, A. barbadensis (= A. vera), A. ferox, and hybrids of A. ferox with A. africana and A. spicata.].
Aloe is listed in federal regulations as a natural substance that may be “safely used in food” when used “in the minimum quantity required to produce their intended physical or technical effect and in accordance with all the principles of good manufacturing practice.” This food application should be limited to use in very small quantities as a flavoring in alcoholic beverages and may usually be identified only as a “natural flavor.”
A description of the experience
J Food Sci Technol. 2014 Nov;51(11):3488-93. doi: 10.1007/s13197-012-0878-6. Epub 2012 Oct 23.
Physico-chemical evaluation of bitter and non-bitter Aloe and their raw juice for human consumption.
Azam MM1, Kumar S2, Pancholy A2, Patidar M2.
- 1Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, 342003 Rajasthan India ; Crop Improvement section, Directorate of Rice Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, 500 030 AP India.
- 2Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, 342003 Rajasthan India.
Abstract
In addition to Aloe vera which is bitter in taste, a non-bitter Aloe is also found in arid part of Rajasthan. This non-bitter Aloe (NBA) is sporadically cultivated as vegetable and for health drink.
In spite of its cultivation and various uses, very little information is available about its detailed botanical parameters and chemical characters. This study aims to evaluate the physico-chemical characters of NBA through employing floral morphology, leaf characters and leaf gel and to compare them with those of A. vera.
Of eleven floral characters studied, eight characters of NBA were significantly different from that of A. vera. Most visible difference was observed in their reproductive shoots which are highly branched in NBA (5.21 inflorescence/shoot) as compared to A. vera (1.5 inflorescence/shoot).
NBA produces less leaf-biomass (-29.32 %) with less leaf-thickness (-31.44 %) but higher leaf length, width, and no. of spine/side by 17.56 %, 21.34 % and 16.11 %, respectively, with significant difference as compared to A. vera. But its polysaccharide content (0.259 %) is at par with that of A. vera.
The raw juice from the leaf of NBA has very low aloin content (4.1 ppm) compared to that from A. vera (427.3 ppm) making it a safer health drink compared to the one obtained from A. vera. Thus, NBA raw juice emerged as suitable alternative to A. vera juice for human consumption.
KEYWORDS:
Aloe vera; Aloin; Floral characters; Leaf morphology; Non-bitter Aloe
PMID:
26396351