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US 7,875,751 B2Granted
Method for the purification of carotenoids from plant extracts and the products so obtained
AssigneeAllied Biotech, Inc.
InventorsChia-Line Chuang, Hsin-Ke Li, Chong-Nan Chuang
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Abstract
A novel process for the preparation of highly purified carotenoids from plant extracts, especially the marigold flower extracts, is disclosed. The process includes the formation, isolation and purification of carotenoids, primarily lutein and zeaxanthin, at lower temperatures with the use of at least a polar solvent and at least a non-polar solvent. The highly purified carotenoids so obtained are useful for human consumption, such as nutritional supplements and pharmaceuticals.
Claims27
A method for the purification of carotenoids from plant extracts, comprising the steps of:
- (a) Saponifying a carotenoids-containing plant extract in a saponification solution containing at least one polar solvent and at least one nonpolar solvent at a reaction temperature which ranges from 10° C. to 65° C.;
- (b) Isolating the saponification reaction products containing carotnoids to obtain carotenoids crystals;
- and
- (c) Purifying the crystals by at least one method selected from the group consisting of heating, freezing and vacuum processing to obtain highly purified carotenoids.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.