Plant growth regulator made from organically fermented aloe vera leaves

Abstract

To solve a problem that a large amount of peel of aloe vera leaves is left as residue after processing the leaves since it is necessary to remove the peel for making aloe vera leaves edible, where the peel amounts to about 50% in weight of the whole leaves, it has been considered difficult to fertilize the residue because the residue contains much barbaloin which is a bitterness component being an antibacterial component so that it is not suitable for animal feed, and it is less likely to rot even if it is buried in the soil.SOLUTION: The disclosure relates to a production method of performing facultative anaerobic fermentation by crushing peel of aloe vera leaves and adding saccharide or saccharide and a crude drug fermented aqueous solution. Through the crushing, barbaloin of the peel of aloe vera leaves starts being oxidized and is further oxidized through further facultative anaerobic fermentation. The barbaloin turns to a water-insoluble component named aloe emodin through the oxidization, a concentration of the barbaloin gets low, and the antibacterial effect is lowered, and the fermentation gets easy. As a result, the fermentation progresses, and a plant growth regulator made from organically fermented aloe vera leaves is obtained.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing an organic plant growth regulator fermented from Aloe vera leaf skins containing components of Aloe vera leaves by using the Aloe vera leaf skins as a raw material, adding sugar or a combination of sugar and a fermented herbal medicine aqueous solution, and carrying out facultative anaerobic fermentation. [Background technology]

[0002] A plant activator has been invented, which is made by adding a chelate compound selected from ethylenediamine acetate, triacetate amine salt, and polyphosphate to an aqueous solution of aloe with a concentration of 0.2 to 2%, in an amount of 30 to 70% based on the pure amount of aloe. It is known that this invention activates the soil with the aloe components and promotes plant growth (Patent Document 1).

[0003] It is also known that crushed aloe plants or squeezed aloe juice are fermented with yeast alone or in a two-stage process with lactic acid bacteria and yeast to destroy the cell walls of the aloe and extract the maximum amount of aloe components, and the yeast and lactic acid bacteria act to break down substances that cause a grassy smell, reduce bitterness, and produce a beverage containing large amounts of enzymes, nucleic acids, vitamins, and amino acids produced by the yeast and lactic acid bacteria during the fermentation process (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3534913 (paragraph numbers 0002 to 0012) [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 2804962 (paragraph numbers 0003 to 0007) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Aloe is a plant of the Aloe genus, and there are many different species. The structure of the leaves consists of an outer skin and a leaf pulp that stores a lot of water. The outer skin contains a large amount of bitter compounds, and this bitterness is caused by an antibacterial compound called barbaloin, which repels pests and pathogens. For this reason, no insecticides or pesticides are needed to cultivate aloe. When ingested by humans, barbaloin has stomachic, laxative and tonic effects. In Japan, Aloe medicines include the dried juice obtained from the leaves of Cape aloe, or hybrids of Cape aloe with Aloe africana and Aloe picata.

[0006] On the other hand, Aloe arborescens has been known in Japan for a long time as an edible species. When Aloe arborescens is eaten, the outer skin and mesophyll of the leaves are eaten at the same time. Therefore, in this case, the bitter component barbaloin is also consumed at the same time.

[0007] The Aloe genus that is used worldwide for food is Aloe vera. In Japan, it is often used as an ingredient in yogurt and other products. However, when eating Aloe vera leaves, in most countries, with the exception of a few, only the leaf flesh is used, with the outer skin removed. In Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare prohibits the outer skin of Aloe vera leaves from being used for food.

[0008] In other words, in order to make aloe vera leaves edible, the outer skin must be removed, but since the outer skin accounts for about 50% of the weight of the entire leaf, a large amount of the outer skin is generated as residue during processing. However, the residue contains a lot of barbaloin, an antibacterial and bitter component, so it is not suitable for animal feed, and even if buried in the soil, it does not rot easily, so it was thought that it would not be easy to turn it into fertilizer.

[0009] In the United States, where the aloe vera industry is thriving, barbaloin was extracted from the removed aloe vera husks and used as a raw material for over-the-counter medicines until 2002, but this has since been discontinued due to measures taken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. There have also been attempts to extract oil from the husks and to turn them into bio-coke, but no effective method for utilizing the husks that are continuously generated in large quantities has been proposed.

[0010] In Japan, there is a proposal to spray unfermented aloe extract together with chemical chelating agents, but this is not suitable for modern times because it does not take into consideration the burden of chemicals on the soil. A method has been proposed to ferment aloe to make it easier to drink, but since aloe vera rind cannot be used as food according to regulations of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, even if it is fermented, this is not a proposal for an effective use of aloe vera rind.

[0011] The present invention provides a method for effectively utilizing aloe vera skin that has not been proposed anywhere in Japan or anywhere else in the world. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The inventor has invented a manufacturing method in which crushed aloe vera leaf skin is used as a raw material, sugar or sugar and a fermented herbal medicine aqueous solution are added, and the mixture is placed in a fermentation vessel for facultative anaerobic fermentation. Crushing causes the barbaloin in the aloe vera leaf skin to oxidize, and further oxidation progresses through facultative anaerobic fermentation. Through oxidation, barbaloin becomes a water-insoluble component called aloe emodin, which reduces its concentration, reduces its antibacterial effect, and makes fermentation easier. As a result, fermentation progresses, and the resulting product becomes an organic plant growth regulator made from aloe vera leaf skin, which contains short-chain fatty acids, various free amino acids, vitamins, nucleic acids, and minerals contained in aloe vera leaves, such as calcium, chromium, copper, selenium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium, and zinc. Short-chain fatty acids promote rooting and root elongation in plants. Effect of the Invention

[0013] A large amount of residue from Aloe vera leaves can be made into an organic plant growth regulator, i.e. fertilizer, by a simple method called fermentation. The components obtained by fermentation promote root formation and root elongation, so that the components contained in the Aloe vera leaf skin can be absorbed by the plant without the use of chemical chelating agents. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] The following are examples. 1. Crushing the outer skin of aloe vera leaves. Crushing makes oxidation easier. Barbaloin, which is a bitter and antibacterial component, becomes a water-insoluble component called aloe-emodin through oxidation, and its concentration decreases, making it easier to ferment.

[0015] Since the fermentation is carried out by the endophytic fungus of the aloe vera leaf skin, there is no need to add any particular fungus or yeast for the purpose of fermentation. The reason for adding sugar is to promote the facultative anaerobic fermentation by the endophytic fungus of the aloe vera leaf skin.

[0016] In addition, the aloe vera leaf rind can be dried for 7 to 10 days after crushing, reducing its weight to about one-tenth of that of the fresh leaf, making it easier to handle.

[0017] 2. Facultative anaerobic fermentation: Place water, crushed aloe vera leaf skin, and sugar or sugar and fermented herbal medicine solution in a fermentation vessel. The preferred fermentation temperature is room temperature, and the fermentation period is 60 days.

[0018] The fermented herbal medicine solution is Alm Green manufactured by OKI Co., Ltd. It is made by soaking 12 kinds of herbal medicines and ordinary medicines listed in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia, namely licorice, jujube, unripe orange peel, angelica, szechuan cucumber, ginger, kudzu root, Scutellaria root, rhubarb, sorrel, Phellodendron bark, and pepper in a certain amount of water and fermenting it in a sealed container for more than two years.

[0019] The pH of this fermented aqueous solution of herbal medicines drops to around 4 due to fermentation over a long period of sealed extraction, and a thin film is produced in the upper layer of the liquid, stabilizing the pH. It has been discovered that the liquid contains short-chain fatty acids, acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid, fermented by the indoleacetic acid-producing Pichia yeast, a facultative anaerobic bacterium that is an endophytic bacterium of the constituent herbal medicines.

[0020] The reason for adding the herbal fermentation solution is that it lowers the pH to 5 or less, making it difficult for mold to grow and preventing putrefactive bacteria from growing, thus preventing spoilage and promoting facultative anaerobic fermentation. This is necessary when the fermentation vessel is placed under high temperature and humidity.

[0021] In addition, the short-chain fatty acids produced by facultative anaerobic fermentation promote root formation and root elongation in plants.

[0022] 3. Filtration of fermented product After fermentation, the fermented product is filtered to obtain a liquid organic plant growth regulator. The solid matter can also be used as organic fertilizer. (Production example)

[0023] The following are examples of production. A. 200 grams of crushed aloe vera leaf skin was added to 20 liters of water, and facultative anaerobic fermentation was carried out in a fermentation vessel after adding molasses. The initial pH was 7.05, but after 60 days it dropped to pH 3.71. B. 150 grams of crushed aloe vera leaf skin was added to 20 liters of water, and facultative anaerobic fermentation was carried out in a fermentation vessel after adding molasses.

[0024] The initial pH was 4.64, but after 60 days it had dropped to 4.34. C. 100 grams of crushed and dried aloe vera rind was used as the raw material in 20 liters of water, to which molasses and a fermented herbal medicine solution (pH 4.64) were added, and facultative anaerobic fermentation was carried out in a fermentation vessel. The initial pH was 4.64, but after 60 days it had dropped to 4.40. It was found that fermentation had progressed in all of A, B and C. EXAMPLES

[0025] In Example 1, liquids A, B, and C were used that were diluted 300 times, 500 times, and 1000 times, respectively. Pure water was used as a control.

[0026] The details of the rooting test of Komatsuna seeds, which is Example 1, are explained below. The test seeds used were 14 seeds of early-harvested Komatsuna from Tohoku Co., Ltd., and the rooting equipment used was a seed growth bag seed pack from Fujidaira Kogyo Co., Ltd. The diluted liquid and pure water were poured into the seed pack once, at the amount of 30 milliliters specified by the manufacturer. They were then placed in a warmer set at 22°C and observed over time.

[0027] The experiment started on November 17, 2023, and the root length was measured on November 27 of the same year. Germination of all seeds was confirmed by visual inspection. The root length was measured only for the exposed part below the seed on the test germination paper.

[0028] As can be seen from Table 1 below, A, B, and C have longer root lengths than pure water, clearly demonstrating the root growth promoting effect. Also, compared to pure water, the standard deviation of the root length is smaller for all of them, so it can be judged that there is little variation and root growth is promoted.

[0029] [Table 1]

[0030] In Example 2, liquids obtained by diluting B and C by 300 times, 500 times, and 1000 times were used. Pure water was used as a control.

[0031] The details of the spinach rooting test, which is Example 2, are explained below. The test seeds used were 14 seeds of Bansho Yamato from Tohoku Co., Ltd., and the rooting equipment used was a seed pack made by Fujidaira Kogyo Co., Ltd. The diluted liquid and pure water were poured into the seed pack once, at the volume of 30 milliliters specified by the manufacturer. They were then placed in a warmer set at 22°C and observed over time.

[0032] The experiment started on November 21, 2023, and the root length was measured on December 2 of the same year. Germination was confirmed visually. The root length was measured only for the part exposed from the bottom of the test germination paper where the seeds were placed.

[0033] [Table 2]

[0034] As can be seen from Table 2 above, germination was observed in 300-fold and 500-fold dilutions of A and total dilution of B, which were greater than that in pure water, demonstrating the effect of promoting germination and root growth.

Claims

1. A method for producing an organic plant growth regulator fermented with aloe vera leaf skin, which comprises crushing the aloe vera leaf skin as a raw material, adding sugar and carrying out facultative anaerobic fermentation to produce an aloe vera leaf skin component.

2. A method for producing an organic plant growth regulator fermented with aloe vera leaf skin, which is characterized by using crushed aloe vera leaf skin as a raw material, adding sugar and a fermented herbal medicine aqueous solution, and carrying out facultative anaerobic fermentation, and containing components of aloe vera leaf skin.

3. A method for producing an organic plant growth regulator fermented with aloe vera leaf skin, which is characterized by comprising crushing and drying the aloe vera leaf skin as a raw material, adding sugar and a fermented herbal medicine aqueous solution, and carrying out facultative anaerobic fermentation, thereby containing components of aloe vera leaf skin.

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