Phytochemical and Nutrient Composition of Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis miller) in an Agro-climatic Condition of Mizoram, India

Background: Aloe vera has been used by mankind for thousands of years in folk medicine for its therapeutic properties. The rich phytochemistry of Aloe vera has revealed great potential for improving the performance of livestock and poultry. Mizoram lies in the Indo-Myanmar sub-tropical forest region and is a biodiversity hotspot with many endemic species. The well-heeled biodiversity provides enormous assets and sustainable contribution of medicinal plants and thus leads to frequent use of plants as medicine. Moreover, it was reported that the nutrient composition of the plant depends on the soil quality of the locality. Therefore, the study was carried out to evaluate the phytochemical and nutrient composition of Aloe vera in an agro-climatic condition of Mizoram. Methods: The physical characteristics of fresh Aloe vera leaf i.e. length, width, thickness, apparent volume, leaf weight, gel weight and percent gel recovery were evaluated by using standard protocols. The nutrient composition of Aloe vera leaf powder i.e. moisture, crude protein, ether extract, crude fibre, carbohydrate, total ash, energy level and minerals i.e. calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, selenium, magnesium and chromium contents were estimated by using standard methods. The extract of each powdered part of Aloe vera plants was used for phytochemical tests and to identify the constituents, standard procedures were carried out. Result: The physical characteristics of fresh Aloe vera leaf i.e. length, width, thickness, apparent volume, leaf weight, gel weight and percent gel recovery were 562.72±6.32 mm, 83.55±4.46 mm, 25.33±4.05 mm, 298.44±7.32 cm3, 340.28±6.32 g, 180.23±9.39 g, 55.66±1.07%, respectively. The nutrient composition of Aloe vera leaf powder i.e. moisture, crude protein, ether extract, crude fibre, carbohydrate, total ash, the energy level was 91.12%, 8.75%, 2.4%, 16.8%, 52.0%,12.5%, 238 kcal, respectively and minerals i.e. calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, selenium, magnesium and chromium content was 2532.0, 870.1, 41.8, 0.57, 40.1, 8310.0 and 4.5 ppm, respectively. Aqueous and ethanol extraction of Aloe vera confirmed the presence of steroids, alkaloids, glycosides, carbohydrates, tannins and tarpenoid. In conclusion, the physical properties of Aloe vera revealed that the weight of the Aloe vera correlates with the gel portion irrespective of the leaf volume. Apart from therapeutic uses of Aloe vera, it can also use for the synthesis of complex chemical substances.