Why Does Aloe Vera Gel Sometimes Turn Red?

Understanding Aloe Vera Gel Discoloration

Aloe vera gel has risen in popularity over recent years due to increased awareness of its many health and skin benefits. However, some report opening their aloe leaf or bottled gel to find an unusual red tint. What causes this phenomenon and is red-hued aloe still safe for use? Or does color change signify spoilage?

Common Aloe Vera Gel Colors

Fresh aloe gel naturally appears as a clear, thick, gooey substance. It has a high water composition giving it a 99%+ liquid ratio. Within the fleshy inner leaf lies a bitter yellow latex juice as well which has its own unique properties.

As the aloe leaf sits exposed to air, the gel may oxidize over time and take on a slightly darker yellow or orange cast without any issues. Certain supplements may also have color added which alters the original transparency of raw gel.

Less commonly, some complain of slicing into leaves only to see the normally translucent gel tinted a pink or red hue instead. Where does this reddish color originate and should it cause concern?

What Makes Aloe Vera Gel Turn Red?

Red discoloration in harvested aloe vera gel relates not to spoilage, but instead stems from the plant’s biology. Those bright red tones come from a rich concentration of protective phytochemicals naturally occurring in the leaves called anthraquinones.

These same anti-inflammatory anthraquinones provide many of aloe’s health benefits for digestion, immunity, diabetes, candida infections, oxidative stress, radiation side effects, and more. The vibrant red colors simply correspond to especially high amounts of these potent anthraquinones present.

In smaller quantities, these protective plant compounds do not impact the physical appearance of the gel. But leaves with copious concentrations tend to take on a warm reddish hue. Rather than cause for worry, it signals a particularly strong active ingredient content!

Key Nutrients in Aloe Vera Gel

Beyond its signature anthraquinones, aloe gel contains an array of beneficial plant nutrients supporting wellness in many ways. Becoming familiar with key compounds makes their appearance in certain colors or consistencies less concerning.

Healing Polysaccharides

Carbohydrate compounds called acemannan polysaccharides allow aloe gel to invigorate immune response, destroy viruses, eliminate infection, and reduce inflammation. These nutrients also accelerate wound closure and gastrointestinal healing.

Research confirms acemannan’s ability to regenerate tissue, trigger macrophage immune cell activation, and regulate cytokine inflammatory mediators. Taken internally or applied topically, these aloe polysaccharides display profound regenerative capacities.

Detoxifying Anthraquinones

As noted above, red pigments in aloe result from a dense anthraquinone content. Found primarily within the plant’s yellow sap, these bitter latex compounds exhibit powerful cleansing effects inside the body.

Aloe anthraquinones act as stimulant laxatives to support healthy digestion and bowel elimination. Studies also show they help curb candida overgrowth, prevent disease-causing inflammation, and neutralize damaging free radical reactions. Their vibrant ruby colors indicate an exceptionally high anthraquinone level.

Balancing Phytosterols

Abundant fatty plant sterols lend aloe’s ability to reduce harmful forms of cholesterol associated with heart disease risk. These phytosterols also curb lipid peroxidation and free radical activity behind aging.

Research notes that aloe gel decreases production and absorption of cholesterol while accelerating clearance of triglycerides from the bloodstream. For those facing hypertension, obesity, metabolic syndrome or diabetes, aloe’s phytosterols offer balancing cardiovascular protection.

Soothing Vitamins

Aloe vera leaves house stores of beneficial nutrients like vitamins A (beta-carotene), vitamin C, vitamin E, B12, choline, and folic acid. Many provide antioxidant effects combatting inflammation underlying chronic disease processes.

These vitamins aid skin health and accelerate healing from cuts, burns, or oxidative damage when applied topically too. The more opaque or color-saturated the gel appears, the richer its vitamin content may be.

What Causes Aloe to Spoil?

While color variation falls within the norm for aloe gel, certain changes do suggest spoilage or deterioration over time. Understanding what provokes spoilage provides insight to properly store and maximize freshness.

Oxidation

Exposure to light and air incites oxidation of the gel’s beneficial compounds. Signs of oxidation appear in the form of yellow, brown, grey, or beige discoloration. Bad odors, increased bitterness, and liquid separation also accompany oxidized decline.

For best quality and nutritional value, aloe gel requires refrigerator storage in an airtight container protected from light. Some also recommend adding lemon juice or vitamin C to help preserve maximum freshness and delay deterioration.

Contamination

Like any fresh plant material, aloe leaves risk contamination from environmental yeasts, molds, and bacteria. Signs include foul offensive odors, visible mold fuzz, and abnormal liquefaction or gelling.

Practice care harvesting outermost clean leaves and seal cut surfaces to reduce chance of microbes entering subdermal gel before extracting it. Refrigeration inhibits further spread once opened, but contaminated gel should not be ingested.

Added Ingredients

Commercially prepared bottled aloe gels often include added natural flavors, citric acid, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate and other preservatives. Over time these additive substances can break down or ferment.

While these bottled products enjoy excellent shelf stability beforehand, customers should still refrigerate after opening. Cloudiness, strong odors, increased carbonation, or leakage signal that preservative processes no longer maintain freshness.

Determining if Aloe Vera Gel Has Gone Bad

With so many beneficial phytonutrients, aloe offers a highly perishable botanical requiring some care to retain maximum quality. But what are definitive signs that your batch of aloe vera gel has actually spoiled and necessitates discarding?

Key Signs of Spoilage

If you see any of the below characteristics in opened aloe gel, it means fungi or unhealthy bacterial colonization has very likely occurred:

• - Offensive odors
• - Increased bitterness
• - Visible mold
• - Fizzing/bubbling
• - Slimy, ropy, or gelled consistency

Unchecked microbe growth poses risks for dysbiosis, infection, and inflammatory conditions. Thus consuming spoiled aloe becomes inadvisable. However, external usage on intact skin may remain beneficial for some if oxidation alone causes decline.

Signs Freshness Fades

In the absence of overt spoiling microbes, opened aloe may still slowly degrade in these ways:

• - Separating liquid from gel/pulp
• - Yellow, orange, or brown discoloration
• - Increasingly bitter taste
• - Flat or dull color intensity

Oxidative breakdown of nutrients means the gel loses efficacy over time though not necessarily safety for consumption. But fresher leaves or properly stored batches provide higher health value.

When In Doubt, Toss It Out!

With aloe’s growing popularity, most consumers enjoy ready access to fresh leaves or extracted gel options. Replacing batches becomes easy. When signs of decline appear but no obvious spoiling traits manifest, judgement calls apply to finished use.

Many reserve fading aloe for external applications still. But if any question exists on internal digestive safety, erring on the side of caution protects vulnerable microbiomes. Unless you see clear energetic healing responses from oxidized gel, obtaining fresh leaves or supplements makes sense!

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.