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ISSN: 2277-3754 ISO 9001:2008 Certified
International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT)
Volume 2, Issue 4, October 2012
155
Development and Performance Evaluation of Aloe
Vera Distiller from Materials Available Locally
in Nigeria
B.O. Akinnuli, Ajayi E.K. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Technology, P.M.B. 704, Akure, Nigeria
Abstract- In our community today particularly in
Nigeria, Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) has been found
very important for human consumption due to its
medicinal quality but its bitter taste, slimy and smelling
nature inhibit maximum direct consumption of the
plant. There is a need to extract its liquid only since the
pigment that resulted in its bitterness (aloin), slimy and
smelling nature are found in the residue of the Aloe
vera after its moisture content has been extracted. The
glass distillers available are costly, fragile and most
were developed for laboratory experiments not for
commercial purpose. Hence the need to promote
indigenous technology by designing and using local
material to fabricate equipment that is not fragile and
will be able to perform this function at low cost.
Equipment (distiller) was therefore designed and
fabricated using locally sourced materials capable of
removing distillate from aloe vera while still retaining
its beneficial constituents. The equipment contains the
following units: electric stove, heating chamber, heat
exchanger and its frame. Weighted chopped and
blended Aloe vera was heated differently to produce
distillate inside a clean and transparent container. The
distiller performance was tested and evaluated, and
found to produce an average distillate of531.62 ml from
1.0 kg of aloe vera when it went through heating
process for 35 minutes at 120 degree Celcius. The
distillate was found to be colorless, bitter free, requires
no refrigeration and needs no preservatives or additives
even the distillate was kept for over forty weeks and it
maintains its quality as if newly produced. The distillate
was tested to justify reasons for its extraction in the
Department of Chemistry, University of Lagos and
found having body building elements like calcium, iron,
and magnesium at consumable value recommended
internationally by World Health Organization (WHO).
Also, raw aloe vera gel (juice) was extracted by hand
squeezing method and tested in the same laboratory, the
result showed less calcium compared to the distillate
and also contain aloin which made it bitter. The
comparative effectives of this distiller to the imported
glass type are 84.4%. The production cost of this
equipment is N25, 600.00 which is $164.103 using
current exchange rate of N156 to 1$ US in Nigeria, the
cost of the imported one is N75, 350 which is $483.013
US Dollars; this gave cost reduction of 66.025%.
Keywords: Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis), Distiller,
Development, Local Materials, Performance
Evaluation.
I. INTRODUCTION
Aloe barbadensis is a stem less or very short
stemmed succulent plant growing up 80 – 100cm
tall spread and root sprouts. The leaves are
lanceolate, thick and fleshy, green to grey green
with serrated margin. The flowers are on a spike up
to 90cm tall, each flower pendulous with yellow
tubular corolla 2 -3cm long. The matured plant
seedlings from the root and detaches from the
plant. It is relatively easy to care for when
cultivated in frost – free climates. The species
require well drained sandy soil and moderate
sunlight. It contains a broad spectrum of free amino
acids, steroids, polysaccharides, saponins, lingnin,
anthraguisine acid and vitamins A, B, B2, B3, B6,
B12, C, E, folic acid and minerals such as calcium,
copper, iodine, iron. Aloe vera has been used
externally to treat various skin conditions such as
cuts and burns [1].
A similar study called „Georges Aloe Vera
liquid‟revealedthatAloe has been used for centuries
to help in maintaining a healthy digestive tract.
Evidence through different studies seems to
indicate that beneficial properties in the Aloe help
in allowing the body to maintain a healthy mucous
membrane system. For optimum results, drinking
56.7 g, (202) of „Georges Aloe Vera liquid‟ in the
morning before breakfast and 56.7 g in the evening
before bedtime was recommended by [2]. The Aloe
Vera Barbadensis Miller plant has over 200
beneficial components. Although it is believed that
mucopolysaccharides have beneficial elements, this
molecular chain is very large making it difficult for
the body to utilize. The complete
mucopolysaccharide chain is also the cause of rapid
spoilage and breakdown of the product; this is why
most other brands contain unhealthy preservatives.
We need to breakdown the mucopolysaccharide
chain and extract the sugars in order to eliminate
adding any preservatives and increase shelf life. A
distillate is a liquid that consists of pure
components of a plant in its most basic form. It is
unique in that a distillate is comprised of a low
molecular weight thereby enabling the body to
assimilate its components in the purest form at the
cellular level. This occurs both internally, and
ISSN: 2277-3754 ISO 9001:2008 Certified
International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT)
Volume 2, Issue 4, October 2012
156
through the skin‟ dermal layers, at a much higher
rate than would occur if the plant‟s components
were introduced in any other manner. Most people
begin to see results anywhere from two weeks to
one month. Remember, our bodies are continually
shedding cells. It is very important to continue with
the use even after you might have attained the
results you are looking for. Most Aloe Vera
products are slimy and have a very bitter taste. We
removed the chemical antagonists such as the
aloins and Anthraquinone that are mildly toxic. As
a result, our product has no adverse flavor. Georges
is fractionally distilled, meaning it is broken down
into various parts, with the undesirable elements
removed. It is then re-assembled. We know of
many consumers of George's Aloe who drink more
than 113.4 g (402) daily. To our knowledge, there
are no ill effects of drinking more than the
suggested "56.7 g twice daily", [2].
Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) is one of the
natures wonder plants and it has no adverse effects
[3]. A review of recent literature indicates that an
ingredient of Aloe has potent immunostimulatory
activity [4] that has implications for wound healing
and immunotherapy, perhaps providing greatest
efficacy in combination with drugs where
synergism could take place. And Aloe leaf pulp
extract showed hypoglycemic activity with type I
(Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Meslitus) diabetic rats
[5]. Diabetes Mellitus is a complex metabolic
disorder in which the pancreas produces
insufficient amounts of insulin, or in which
individual‟s system fail to respond appropriately to
insulin. In people with diabetes, glucose levels
build up in the blood and urine, causing excessive
urination, thirst, hunger, and problems with fat and
protein metabolism. The disease is ranked seventh
among the leading causes of death and third in
terms of its complications and is a major health
problem in developed and developing countries [6].
The number of diabetic patients is increasing
globally because of diverse changes in diets in all
cultures. It has been predicted that the number of
diabetic patients will double from 143 million in
1997 to about 300 million by 2025 largely because
of dietary intake and other lifestyle factors [6].
In the developing countries where majority of
diabetic patients cannot afford effective but
expensive drugs, the use of medicinal plants
becomes an alternative therapy. A wide range of
medicinal plants have been used by various
cultures to treat diabetes mellitus because of their
hypoglycaemic properties. Some of these medicinal
plants include unripe fruit of Carica papaya [7] and
Aloe barbadensis [8].According to [6]. Aloe vera
gel proved effective in the control of
dermatophytes causing skin diseases. The likely
according to them included the likelihood for Aloe
vera gel to work well under body temperature and
may be more fungicidal to pathogens on human
skin than on those causing yam rot. It could also be
that the gel does not have a fungicidal effect but a
fungistatic effective the growth of the pathogenic
fungi on the skin while the body immune system
destroys them thereby repairing the skin [9].
In the recent time, there is development of rapid
micro propagation method of Aloe Vera L [10] and
[11]. There is a lack of production of aloe leaf to
meet the industry demand [12]. So, it is necessary
to undertake large-scale cultivation of aloe. Natural
propagation of Aloe vera is primarily by means of
auxiliary shoots and it is rather a slow way of
multiplication to meet the growing demand [13].
Vitro technique offers a possibility to solve these
problems. Several reports have been noticed
reporting the rapid development in vitro
propagation of Aloe Vera [14], [15], [12] and [16].
Scientists obtained different results applying
different formulation of plant growth regulators.
The hormonal requirement for in vitro
differentiation differs for different genotypes [17],
[18] and [19].
The objective of this research after considering
the greater importance of Aloe vera to human
health are to: design, identify locally available
material, fabricate and test the performance of the
fabricated equipment as well as analyzing the
elements identified in the distillate to determine
their possibility of usefulness to human health.
This study will facilitate the production of a
health nurturing product which when used will
provide good health for human beings, create a
business opportunity for the jobless as source of
income, make cost of procuring the equipment
affordable by using locally sourced materials, bring
about longevity of the equipment by not being
fragile, and no doubt this benefits the society as it
reveals a different means of taking aloe vera with
no preservatives or additives. Because of the vast
importance of the distillate as it affects health, there
is a need to design and fabricate equipment
(distiller) for extracting the distillate for human
consumption. Also, it will contribute to knowledge
by enlighten the society another means of
consuming aloe vera as distillate and its
production.
II. METHODOLOGY
The Aloe vera distiller Fig.1 was developed at
the Department of Mechanical Engineering of The
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Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo
State in Nigeria used fresh Aloe vera leaves as raw
material to produce the liquid (distillate) obtained
from chopped and blended Aloe vera undergo
clinical and laboratory tests and yielded
appreciable results as obtained from the
Department of Chemistry, University of Lagos
using AAS (Atomic Absorbance
Spectrophotometry) and Essential Oil tests.
The distiller has a capacity of producing
of distillate from one kilogram of
Aloe Vera put into the heating chamber in
. The maximum temperature
attained in the heating chamber was measured to be
. The heating chamber containing the Aloe
vera sample was heated, the hot Aloe vera split into
vapor and residue. The hot vapour so emitted from
Aloe vera in gaseous state was passed through the
heat exchanger of the Aloe vera distiller (Fig. 1)
which converted the gaseous state into a liquid
state called distillate and left behind in the heating
chamber the solid part of the Aloe vera called the
residue.
Design Consideration
The design analysis of the various units; electric
stove, heating chamber, condenser and conveying
tube of the distiller are stated below:
(1) Design Consideration of Electric
Stove:-surface Area of the electric stoveis
676mm2, it‟s heating element is of 1500W with
240V while it‟s distillation period is 45 minutes
and the energy dissipated is 4050 J.
(2) Design Consideration of Heating
Chamber:- Circumference of the
Cylindrical chamber is 597.14mm, surface area
is 28,364.29mm2. The volume of the heating
chamber is 3,261,893.35mm3 while the lid for the
heating chamber has circumference of 565.71mm,
surface area of 25,457.14mm2 and volume of
509,142.86mm2.
Exit tube on the lid: It has circumference of
88mm, surface area of 1232mm2 and volume of
55,440mm.
(3) Design Analysis of Condenser:
Surface area is 57600 mm2 and volume is 13,824
mm3, The cold water inlet tube was designed to
have a circumference of 94.24mm, surface area of
707.14 mm2 and volume of 70714.29 mm2.
(4) Design Analysis of Conveying Tube:
Circumference is 100.57 mm, the surface
area is 804.57 mm2 and designed volume of
32987.43 mm3
Equipment Description
(1) Electric Stove: This is a heat source
capable of heating the material (Aloe vera) inside
the heating chamber indirectly.
(2) Heating Chamber: The heating chamber
is designed to contain the chopped aloe vera where
the heating of the material took place. There are
varieties of metals suitable to be used for this
purpose by considering the following properties:
heat conductivity, price, availability, durability,
reactivity and maintenance. Metals such as
stainless steel, cast iron, aluminum and copper are
good materials.Aluminium is preferred to others
because of its low cost and availability. Aluminum
is used in approximately 50% of all cookware
manufactured today because of its excellent heat
condition.
(3) Condenser: The condenser is a close
water bath designed to hold water for the cooling of
the steam inside the conveying tube that passes
through the condenser. The condenser is designed
to contain water inlet pipe and a discharge tap. The
condenser can be produced of mild steel but to
avoid corrosion aluminum has been used.
(4) Tap: A tap fastened to the lower level of
the condenser makes it possible to drain the
condensate when necessary. Since the water in the
condenser is not in constant circulation, the water
can be changed from time to time with the aid of
the tap importantly when getting warmed. There
are varieties of taps available in the market such as
pure water tap, single handle water tap, single lever
wash basin water tap, new cheap water tap, LED
tap, automatic water tap and brass water tap, the
brass water tap was used in this research due to it‟s
ability to withstands corrosion and low cost.
(5) Cold Water Inlet Tube: With the
provision of water inlet tube on the top of the
condenser, water is easily refilled into the
condenser. This is also made of aluminum based on
the reasons stated under heat chamber.
(6) Conveying Tube: The conveying tube is
designed to convey the steam from the heating
chamber through the exit hole on the lid. It is
designed to pass through the cooling chamber
where the change of state from steam to liquid will
take place and the distillate collected. A rubber
hose is used to connect the exit hose of the heating
chamber to the embedded pipe inside the condenser
while rubber hose is also used at the other end of
the conveying tube to pass out the dripping
distillate.
Fig 1: Units of distiller
Isometric Drawing of the Equipment
Fig. 2: Assembly Drawing of the Distiller Fig. 3: Condenser Frame
ISSN: 2277-3754 ISO 9001:2008 Certified
International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT)
Volume 2, Issue 4, October 2012
2
Fig. 4: Electric Stove Fig. 5: Condenser
Equipment Exploded Engineering Drawing
Fig.6: Heating Chamber and Electric Stove Fig.7: Condenser and its Frame
Production Cost of the Equipment The production cost of the equipment is as
summarized in table 1.Table 1: Summary of Production Cost
S/N Particular Naira
Value(N)
Dollar
Equivalent($)
1 Bought-out components
3,750 24.03846154
2 Cost of Materials 1,050 6.730769231
3 Machining Job Nil Nil
4 Non-Machining Job
20,800 133.33333
Total Cost 25,600 164.1025641
ISSN: 2277-3754 ISO 9001:2008 Certified
International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT)
Volume 2, Issue 4, October 2012
3
Note: The present conversion rate of 156 Naira per
dollar in Nigeria is hereby used.
III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The results of the distillate collected from the various samples of Aloe vera and a control test
of raw Aloe vera gel (extracted by squeezing)
obtained from the Department of Chemistry,
University of Lagos are as shown in tables 2 and 3,
which are tables for oil essential test and heavy
metal available respectively.
Table 2: Results of the Essential Oil Test
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International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT)
Volume 2, Issue 4, October 2012
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Table 3: Results of the Test of Heavy Metals
Components
Detected
Sample A
Quantity
(Mg/L)
Sample B
Quantity
(Mg/L)
Sample C
Quantity
(Mg/L)
Recommended
Daily Intake
Over Dosage
Cadmium (Cd) 0.003 ND ND 120 µg Doses larger than 200 µg are toxic and may cause concentration problems and fainting
Chromium (Cr) 0.009 ND ND 120 µg Doses larger than 200 µg are toxic and may cause concentration
problems and fainting
Zinc (Zn) 0.986 0.834 1.007 15 mg Doses larger than 25 mg may cause anemia and copper deficiency
Iron (Fe) 1.487 0.161 0.158 15 mg Doses larger than 20 mg may cause stomach upset, constipation and blackened stools
Copper (Cu) 0.011 0.071 0.048 2 mg As little as 10 mg of copper can have a toxic effect
Magnesium (Mg)
2.861 0.451 0.338 350 mg Doses larger than 400 mg may cause stomach problems and diarrhoea
Manganese (Mn)
0.846 0.062 0.236 5 mg Excess manganese may hinder iron adsorption
Calcium (Ca)
3.801 6.791 5.112 1000 mg Doses larger than 1500 mg may cause stomach problems for sensitive individuals
Sodium (Na) 0.186 0.791 0.737 2400 mg No information found
Potassium (K) 0.242 0.451 1.880 3500 mg Large doses may cause stomach upsets, intestinal problems or heart rhythm disorder
Lead (Pb) ND 0.009 ND Not detected in samples A and C but in small traces in B
Silver (Ag), Nickel (Ni) and Cadmium (Cd)
ND ND ND Not detected
Recommended Daily Intake Source: [20]
Sample A = Chopped Aloe vera Sample
Sample B = Blended Aloe vera Sample
Sample C = Squeezed raw Aloe vera gel Sample
ND: Not detected
The distiller has a capacity of producing
of distillate from one kilogram of
Aloe Vera put into the heating chamber
in . The maximum temperature
attained in the heating chamber was measured to be
.One of the major findings of this study is
an alternative means of consuming aloe vera in the
form of distillate as dietary supplement with the
undesirable element removed. The distillate
consists of pure components of the plant in its most
basic form. It is unique in that it comprised a low
molecular weight thereby enabling the body to
assimilate its components in the purest form at the
cellular level. This occurs at a much higher rate
than would occur if the plants components were
introduced in any other manner. The distillate is
bitter free unlike most aloe products which are
slimry and have a very bitter taste and the chemical
antagonists such as the aloins that are mildly toxic,
which can cause stomach cramping; diarrhea and
likely vomiting have been removed in this research.
As beneficial as polysaccharides of the aloe vera is,
also some portions of it cause rapid fermentation
and break down of the products, as a result of this,
there is need for preservatives to be added.
However, these negative portions of the
polysaccharides were removed in this study in
order to eliminate adding any preservative or
additive.
IV. CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATION
The development of aloe vera distiller for
producing distillate as dietary supplement was
successful. The laboratory tests conducted on the
distillate shown that it contains body building
elementslike calcium, iron, and magnesium at
ISSN: 2277-3754 ISO 9001:2008 Certified
International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT)
Volume 2, Issue 4, October 2012
5
consumable value recommended internationally
while the essential oil test revealed Phthalic acid
and 2-Cyclohexen-1-one as the active compounds
which are useful in making body perfume. The
study has positive impact in the health industry.
The outcome of the design is quite relevant in
small, medium and large scale industries
internationally by producing an alternative means
of Aloe vera in distillate for health treatments. The
distillate is colourless, bitter free, requires no
refrigeration and needs no preservatives or
additives even the distillate was kept for over forty
weeks and it maintains its quality as if newly
produced. Further laboratory tests can be conducted
on the distillate to justify the use. Heating process
should not exceed 35 minutes in this heating
chamber else, there will be dark brown smoke
coming out of the residue. This shows that the
residue is burning. If not avoided the dark brown
gas coming out may react with the collected
distillate by dissolving in it and form another
chemical compound which may affect the expected
results of this research negatively.
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