Method for obtaining apolar and polar extracts of curcuma and applications thereof

A process for preparing a composition for oral administration, the composition comprising an apolar extract and a polar extract from Curcuma longa rhizome, wherein said apolar extract has a curcuminoids purity above 90%, and said polar extract is a hygoscopic solid residue that is substantially free of curcuminoids, both of which extracts act in vivo as agents for capturing free radicals in human blood, the process consisting essentially of

• subjecting ground rhizomes of Curcuma longa having a particle size of 0.1 to 1 mm to supercritical extraction,
• at a pressure of 100 to about 250 bar and a temperature of 30 to about 55° C.,
• with a solvent of CO2-modified ethanol, to obtain an oleoresin;
• and extracting said ethanol from said oleoresin with CO2 at 280 bars and 50° C. to obtain said apolar extract having;
• preparing said polar extract by a process selected from the group of processes consisting of
• a first process comprising the steps of subjecting said polar extract by subjecting a powder of Curcuma longa rhizomes by maceration in water for about 24 hours at a temperature between 50 and 70° C., to obtain an extraction mixture;
• filtering the extraction mixture to obtain a filtrate and evaporating the water from the filtrate to obtain the polar extract;
• a second process comprising the steps of subjecting a rhizome powder of Curcuma longa rhizomes to a continuous extraction with an organic solvent in a proportion rhizome powder:organic solvent of 1:7 weight/volume, for 48 hours, in a stationary system, until obtaining a reaction mixture comprising the extract,
• filtering the reaction mixture to obtain a first filtrate, evaporating the organic solvent from the first filtrate at reduced pressure until obtaining a dry first residue comprising a first oleoresin of brown color,
• dissolving said oleoresin in hot ethyl acetate, in a proportion of 50% w/w to obtain a solution, letting said solution cool down to room temperature for 24 hours until obtaining an orange-colored precipitate,
• separating the precipitate by filtration to obtain a second filtrate, drying said second filtrate at reduced pressure until obtaining a second residue comprising a second oleoresin of a darker brown color than said first oleoresin and curcuminoid content of 20 to 25%;
• recrystallizing said second residue in ethyl acetate at 50% w/w to obtain the solid apolar extract having a curcuminoids purity above 90%, thereby obtaining an apolar extract from Curcuma longa rhizome;
• and
• mixing the polar and the apolar extracts.