Aloe Vera Extract, Method of Producing Aloe Vera Extract, and Hyperglycemia Improving Agent

Abstract

The present invention provides: an Aloe vera extract that can be safely ingested, can be used as a material of food for preventing lifestyle diseases, contains an extremely low level of an anthraquinone (anthraquinone-based compound), and can be added to foods; and a method of producing the Aloe vera extract. A supercritical fluid extraction method can produce an Aloe vera extract containing a mixture that consists of a cyclolanostane compound and a lophenol compound in an amount of 1.0% by mass or more and having the following properties (1) and / or (2):(1) the mass mixing ratio of the cyclolanostane compound and lophenol compound is as follows:cyclolanostane compound: lophenol compound=6.3:2.7 to 5.1:4.9; and / or(2) the content of an anthraquinone-based compound is 0.001% by mass or less.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001]The present invention relates to an Aloe vera extract containing a mixture that consists of a cyclolanostane compound and a lophenol compound in an amount of 1.0% by mass or more, a method of producing the Aloe vera extract by a supercritical fluid extraction method, and a hyperglycemia improving agent containing, as an active ingredient, an Aloe vera extract containing a mixture that consists of a cyclolanostane compound and a lophenol compound in an amount of 1.0% by mass or more.BACKGROUND ART [0002]It is known that a worsened hyperglycemic state causes various diseases, and the state is referred to as diabetes. In Japan, it is said that there are more than sixteen millions of patients in the prediabetic state (so-called borderline patients), and in view of the current lifestyle habits, the number of the patients is expected to continue to increase in the future. In order to prevent development of diabetes caused by the hyperglycemic state, blood glucose lev...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0035]That is, there has not been known a technique for producing an Aloe vera extract without using an organic solvent, which is intended to be applied to foods and includes easily and efficiently separating phytosterols and anthraquinones in Aloe vera.

[0036]In view of the above-described objects, the inventors of the present invention have extensive studies to obtain a form (composition) of Aloe vera, which is suitable for exerting the activity sufficiently as a material of a functional food and for addition to foods. Moreover, the inventors of the present invention have used an Aloe vera squeezed liquid (or a dry powder thereof) as a material to carry out purification by a supercritical fluid extraction method, and as a result, they obtained an extract containing a cyclolanostane compound and a lophenol compound and having a composition broadly reflecting the mix ratio of phytosterols in natural Aloe vera, and found that the extract contains almost no anthraquinones and has an significant hyperglycemia improving effect, thus completing the present invention.

[0037]The present invention is intended to provide: an Aloe vera extract that can be safely ingested, can be used as a material of a food for preventing lifestyle diseases, contains an extremely low level of an anthraquinone, can be added to foods, and contains phytosterols (including a cyclolanostane compound and a lophenol compound); and a method of producing the Aloe vera extract.

[0073]An Aloe vera extract of the present invention is safe, has a significant hyperglycemia improving effect, and is applicable as a material of a functional food, in particular, a food for specified health use. Meanwhile, the content of an anthraquinone (anthraquinone-based compound) is low, so that the extract can be ingested as a food. In addition, an Aloe vera extract of the present invention does not contain a substance improper as an additive for foods such as an organic solvent, and therefore can be applied to all foods.

[0074]In addition, a production method provided by the present invention can provide a material suitable for development of a functional food using Aloe vera and promote application of Aloe vera to foods.

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, applicable forms of foods were considerably restricted because of physical problems.

Moreover, there was a problem that the contents of non-active ingredients of Aloe vera gel must be considered to determine the intake amount for ensuring its functionality.

Therefore, only those techniques have not solved a problem of providing a production method that includes efficiently extracting a target active ingredient without containing unwanted ingredients.

That is, there has not been known a technique for producing an Aloe vera extract without using an organic solvent, which is intended to be applied to foods and includes easily and efficiently separating phytosterols and anthraquinones in Aloe vera.

Images