Recovery of total Phenolic and Flavonoid Compounds from Aloe Benbadensis Miller (Aloe Vera) using ultrasound-rosisted extraction (UAE)

Aloe barbadensis Miller (Aloe vera) is useful for its health, beauty, medicinal and skin care attributes due to its biologically active components. The application of mercury in cosmetics was preventable since Aloe vera were used as an active ingredient. Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) has been recognised as modern extraction technique for the phyto-pharmaceutical extraction industry for a wide range of herbal extracts. UAE is known to be an environmentally green extraction method. This study had three objectives, namely, (1) to extract the active components from aloe vera using ultrasound-assisted extraction with different type of solvents, different sonication time and different duty cycles; (2) to determine the presence of carbohydrates, steroids, tannins, anthraquinones and alkaloid from Aloe barbadensis Miller gel extract using phytochemical screening; (3) to analyze the concentration of total phenolic and flavonoid compounds in Aloe barbadensis Miller gel extract using UV-Vis spectroscopy. Ethanol and distilled water were used as solvents. The extraction was performed for 20, 40 and 60 minutes and were repeated at different duty cycles which were 25, 50 and 75%. The presence of carbohydrates, steroids, tannins, anthraquinones and alkaloid in aloe vera gel were investigated using phytochemical test. The concentrations of total phenolic and flavonoid compounds in aloe vera gel were determined using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The total phenolic compound of the extract was determined by using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and gallic acid as standard. The total flavonoid compound was determined by using aluminium chloride colorimetric method and used quercetin as standard. The highest concentrations of total phenolic and flavonoid content in aloe vera gel was obtained using ethanol as solvent, 40 minutes of sonication time and 50% of duty cycle at 50°C. The concentrations of total phenolic and flavonoid compounds were 11.414 mg/mL and 6.760 mg/mL, respectively. FTIR analysis identified frequency peak of each functional group. The wavelength was examined at range 640.81 cm-1 to 3318.64 cm-1, and there were 8 functional compounds found. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) confirmed the efficiency of UAE technique. It recommends that UAE of aloe vera is substantially feasible extraction method in the future modernized and commercialized manufacture of this highly valuable plant.