Aloe vera in Canarias protected. The Aloe vera is a houseplant that is known worldwide for its use in the pharmaceutical industry, which is why it was nicknamed the ‘miracle plant’.
A new project of the Technological Institute for Renewable Energies (ITER), directed by the Tenerife island government and in which the University of La Laguna (ULL) is collaborating, is the ALEOCAN project. The research should provide for the authenticity and geographical origin of Aloe vera, which is grown in the Canary Islands. In order to certify the Aloe vera for traceability, a study is being launched that will take 36 months and cost €474,694.
Scientific Point of View
The ALOECAN project is part of a series of studies on the traceability of various agricultural products developed by the ITER Research Centre over the past five years. The ultimate goal of the research is not only to protect agricultural and horticultural products from origin fraud, but also to help producers share information about the product and inform consumers about the correct location where the plant was grown.
This will allow Aloe vera, which is grown in the Canary Islands and has an excellent reputation, to be distinguished from similar plants raised elsewhere on the planet but lacking the properties and quality of their Canarian counterparts. A certified quality guarantee will indicate the distinction from a scientific point of view.
Growing Conditions
The government is responsible for guaranteeing the authenticity of the products entering the market and this is the first step towards the designation of origin for Canary Aloe vera which is of a very high quality.
According to data released by the Canarian government, fraud involving Aloe vera and its by-products currently amounts to €21 million. This is just the tip of the iceberg. In India, Indonesia, the Caribbean and Mexico, the plant is also grown, albeit not under the same qualitative conditions.
The National Association of Aloe Entrepreneurs (ASOCIALOE) states that the total Spanish production of Aloe vera is about 24,000 tonnes, grown on about 500 hectares of land, of which 105 hectares are in Canarias. Andalusia and Levant are areas with good growing conditions for the plant.
Fingerprints
For these reasons, the geographical traceability of aloe vera and its numerous co-products is vital to the economy in the Canary Islands. It is appropriate to establish valid scientific protocols that assign the geographical origin – Canarias – to the cultivated aloe and its derived products. Similar to a Denominación de Origen (DO) that Canarian wines and olive oil are affixed.
The high quality is the result of a privileged climate and volcanic soil rich in minerals, making the Canary Islands the place of choice for growing this plant.
This project will evaluate the natural strontium isotopes and specific organic compounds in Aloe Vera plants as fingerprints of the plants grown in the Canary Islands and, of course, of the derived products.
Active Ingredients
The growing demand for safe, high-quality agricultural products in Europe has promoted the development of strict control laws to certify their authenticity and geographical origin to protect producers and consumers from potential fraud.
One such product is the miracle plant Aloe vera, which consists of more than 200 active ingredients, including vitamins, minerals, anthraquinones, polysaccharides, and many more elements that are good for the body and life.
More trivia can be read [HERE].
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Aloe Vera in Canarias protected ©
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