Corn fiber oil its preparation and use
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture
InventorsRobert A. Moreau, Kevin B. Hicks, Robert J. Nicolosi, Robert A. Norton
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Abstract
An oil extractable from corn fiber contains ferulate esters, in particular sitostanyl ester, which has been shown to have cholesterol-lowering activity. The oil is extracted by a novel process which includes a grinding step carried out before extraction with an effective organic solvent such as hexane. The corn fiber oil may be combined with an ingestible and/or edible carrier for administration as a dietary supplement for cholesterol-lowering purposes.
Claims16
An oil extracted from corn fiber, wherein said corn fiber is the fiber fraction separated from the corn kernel during a wet-milling, and said corn fiber oil comprises ferulate esters.
A composition comprising oil extracted from corn fiber and an ingestible carrier, wherein said corn fiber is the fiber fraction separated from the corn kernel during a wet-milling.
A method of preparing corn fiber oil, said method comprising
- a) separating corn fiber from corn kernels by a wet milling process,
- b) drying the corn fiber,
- c) grinding the corn fiber,
- d) extracting oil from the ground corn fiber by means selected from the group consisting of an organic solvent and supercritical fluid extraction, and
- e) separating the extracted corn fiber oil from the organic solvent.
A method of lowering blood cholesterol, said method comprising administering a composition comprising oil extracted from corn fiber and an ingestible carrier in an amount effective for lowering said cholesterol.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.