Aloe exudate: characterization by reversed phase HPLC and headspace GC-MS.

From the leaves of aloe, a succulent plant, a dried exudate commonly called aloe can be obtained, which is used as a natural drug for its cathartic effect and is widely employed as a bittering agent in alcoholic beverages. This investigation provides a tentative characterization of several commercial aloe exudates carried out both by reversed phase HPLC and by headspace GC-MS analysis. By means of HPLC the derivatives were evaluated, and by GC-MS the volatile fraction was investigated. Qualitative and quantitative differences among the constituents in various samples of different origins were found. In particular, these were evident in the HPLC profile of Kenya aloe and an Aloe barbadensis sample, which exuded a high content of isoaloeresin D and aloins, whereas GC-MS analysis showed the presence of anisole exclusively in Kenya aloe samples. Moreover, the results obtained by means of the latter technique suggested a reason for the prevailing use of Mosselbay and Port Elizabeth aloes in bitter spirits formulation.

[1]  H. Nakazawa,et al.  Liquid chromatographic determination of barbaloin (aloin) in foods. , 1985, Journal - Association of Official Analytical Chemists.

[2]  G. Speranza,et al.  Isolation and chemical characterization of a new constituent of Cape Aloe having the 1,1-diphenylethane skeleton , 1994 .

[3]  T. Reynolds.  CHEMOTAXONOMY OF ALOE TURKANENSIS AND ALOE SCABRIFOLIA FROM KENYA , 1996 .

[4]  T. Shibamoto,et al.  Aroma chemicals isolated and identified from leaves of Aloe arborescens Mill. Var. Natalensis Berger. , 1999, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[5]  P. Gramatica,et al.  Aloe revisited the structure of aloeresin A , 1982 .

[6]  L. J. Haynes,et al.  605. The aloins. Part I. The structure of barbaloin , 1956 .

[7]  P. Gramatica,et al.  Aloenin B, a new diglucosylated 6-phenyl-2-pyrone from Kenya aloe , 1986 .

[8]  G. F. Smith,et al.  Geographical variation in the major compounds of Aloe ferox leaf exudate. , 1995, Planta medica.

[9]  R. Barcarolo,et al.  Alysis of the volatile constituents of food by headspace GC‐MS with reversal of the carrier gas flow during sampling , 1992 .

[10]  T. Reynolds.  A chromatographic examination of some old samples of drug aloes , 1994 .

[11]  H. Rauwald,et al.  High-performance liquid chromatographic separation and determination of diastereomeric anthrone-C-glucosyls in Cape aloes , 1993 .

[12]  P. Bogoni,et al.  High-performance liquid chromatographic profiles of aloe constituents and determination of aloin in beverages, with reference to the EEC regulation for flavouring substances. , 1995, Journal of chromatography. A.

[13]  E. Dagne.  Review of the chemistry of aloes of Africa , 1996 .

[14]  D. Holdsworth,et al.  C-Glycosyl compounds. Part VI. Aloesin, a C-glucosylchromone from Aloe sp. , 1970 .

[15]  Alvaro Viljoen,et al.  Chemistry of Aloe Species , 2000 .

[16]  N. Okamura,et al.  High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of phenolic compounds in Aloe species , 1996 .