How is Aloe Vera powder made?

Aloe vera powder Aloe vera fillets are washed, placed in a humidity chamber at desired temperature and relative humidity followed by drying with hot air passing over the fillets.

Freeze drying and tray drying have also been reported and are described below.

The dried material is then ground to powder and packed.

How stable are the bioactive compounds in Aloe Vera?

The truth is that aloe is not that stable.

This is why the drying process is so critical to make sure the bioactive compounds in Aloe Vera are stable.

Temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius (or about 122 degrees Fahrenheit) will cause the bioactive compounds to break down.

Here are more studies that have evaluated aloe vera.

Does freeze drying preserve the bioactive compounds?

Yes. This is a common practice for creating concentrates from plant material.

In the case of Aloe Vera this works especially well because more than 99% of the gel is water.

Are there other ways to make aloe vera powder

Yes.  There have been techniques to use microwave assisted drying and some research suggests this is as effective to conventional or freeze drying.

Here is more research including clinical trials for plants and plant extracts on skin health.

This technique involves the removal of product moisture through microwave heating followed by complete drying using some conventional drying technique.

 

 

 

Reference:

Maan et al.  The therapeutic properties and applications of Aloe vera: A review.  Journal of Herbal Medicine. 2018

Jeremy Johnson, PharmD, PhD


Categories: Plant Medicine