Factors of a high-quality aloe vera:

1.     The land and climate of the crops

 

The aloe vera plant originates from Africa, meaning the best climate is the most like the African climate. Fuerteventura is located off the north-west coast of Africa in the Canary Islands, and this proximity enables Fuerteventura to produce one of the best aloes in the world, with an average temperature of 22 degrees Celsius.

Pure Aloe is located on the hill side of one of the oldest volcanoes in the Canaries. The Gairía volcano provides a rich mineral and nutrient base for our plants.

Another thing to consider is the importance that the producer owns their crops, meaning reduced transportation of the raw material, as well as avoiding having to barter for it, both of which inevitably leads to a lower quality product.

2.    The age of the plants used to make the product

The minimum age at which the aloe vera plant reaches the levels of nutrients considered beneficial to us is of 5 years. The principal value in our crops in that our plants are around 25 years old, which is a guarantee for quality. Our aloe is one of the best in the world, as the acemannan* levels are 2.951 mg/l, equating to 18% of acemannan, whereas the average is 5%.

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*Acemannan: Compound known to have immunostimulant, antiviral, antineoplastic and gastrointestinal properties.

3.     The type of cultivation (ecological or not, with or without pesticides)

An aloe vera is of the best quality if it comes from an ecological farm. For this, they need to meet environmental standards; avoiding the use of pesticides, which may affect the end product. It is extremely important to demand to see the C.R.A.E certificate, which is a code given to identify ecological cultivations. Ours is 3118P.

4.    The way of harvesting

We collect a maximum of 8 leaves from each plant to guarantee the quality of the aloe vera, with the highest levels of acemannan; and only once a year from the same plant.

In our case, we divide that plantation into 4 zones, deemed A, B, C and D. By separating the crop, we avoid over using the same plants whilst also avoiding the use of young plants which do not have the necessary levels of nutrients yet. What we call adult plants have a wide trunk.

5.     The time elapsed from the moment of cutting the leaves to being processed

Minimizing the time gap between cutting and processing is essential to ensure the freshness of the product. The Pure Aloe factory is mere meters away from the plantation. This means processing can commence in under 2 hours.

 

6.    Stabilising techniques no avoid the loss of active properties within the aloe vera

There are various ways of processing aloe vera to obtain a product. It must be noted that there is a difference between products made from aloe vera juice and those made from concentrate, which affects the quality of the product. For more information click here (link).

 
Bearing in mind these factors of quality, it is possible to make a well-informed decision when deciding on a brand. The secret behind our products is the application and development of these factors: The age of our plants, their location in Fuerteventura (ideal land and climate), the ecological farming and the nearby, careful and respectful processing of the aloe leaves.
Few producers have a plantation and fewer still have plants as old as ours. We apply the strategy of harvesting areas to not over bear the plants, resulting in the quality that characterizes us.