The German Safety Risk Assessment Agency highlights potential health hazards for consumers in connection with the consumption of certain Aloe preparations.
BfR, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, has evaluated whole-leaf Aloe preparations as unsuitable for use in food and food supplement preparations. Indeed, the outer layers of the leaves of this plant reveal the presence of anthranoids, suspected of genotoxicity and carcinogenicity.
German researchers reveal a serious public health risk emerging in connection with the consumption of dietary supplements based on ‘whole-food’ preparations made from the leaves of the Aloe arborescens plant, which should therefore be strongly discouraged. (1)
BfR’s assessments exceed the guidelines of EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, where instead ingredients containing the unpeeled leaves of Aloe arborescens were classified as usable in ‘botanical’ food supplements.
Anthranoids in general should not be present in foods, as assessed by the BfR in an earlier opinion in 1996. In which consumers were warned about laxatives based on anthranoids, which are contained not only in Aloe, but also in Senna, Frangula and Rhubarb.
The recommendation for food manufacturers with leaves of plants of the genus Aloe is to always carefully remove the outer leaf layers in order to minimize contamination with these substances.
Conversely, preparations derived from the gel of Aloe leaves-obtained from the inner pulp alone, particularly from Aloebarbadensis or Aloe vera-are considered safe for food consumption, as they are free of anthranoids.
Andrea Piccoli and Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) BfR, opinion no. 032/2017
