The effects of types and concentrations of adsorbents on aloe vera gel opacity

Abstract

Aloe vera is one of the medicinal plants that are frequently used in the pharmaceutical industry, especially in cosmetic products. The type of Aloe vera that is commonly cultivated in Pontianak, Indonesia, is that of Aloe Chinensis Baker. The part of Aloe vera that is commonly used is its gel, which is an opaque mucilaginous gel. The objective of this research is to determine the effects of the addition of adsorbents on the Aloe vera gel opacity. Using Aloe vera as the main ingredient of aloe vera gel, gel is obtained by peeling off the green skin of the Aloe vera leaves that have been washed. A gel is then pureed and filtered to reduce dregs. The purified gel is added with adsorbents. This research employs two factorials, those are adsorbent types (Zeolite and Bentonite) and concentrations (0 %, 2.5 %, 5 %, 7.5 % and 10 %). The parameters used for analyses are refractive index, pH, Vitamin C content, density, and viscosity. Regression analyses are performed on the concentrations and yields. Results show that addition of Zeolite produces better clearance on Aloe vera gel than that of Bentonite, with the concentration of Zeolite at 2.5 %. The analyses further produce a refractive index of 1.332 for Zeolite treated gel. This value is close to the water refractive index of 1.3325.