Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Extract – body fluid – or cellular material of undetermined... – Derived from arthropod
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-23
2001-02-20
Marschel, Ardin H. (Department: 1631)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Extract, body fluid, or cellular material of undetermined...
Derived from arthropod
C424S076200, C424S076900
Reexamination Certificate
active
06190703
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a subliming propolis solid composition, a process for the preparation thereof and an atmosphere-ameliorating agent. More specifically, it relates to a propolis solid composition which has a subliming function, stably gives an excellent sense of fragrance and is useful as an atmosphere-ameliorating agent, a process for the effective preparation thereof, and an atmosphere-ameliorating agent containing the same.
PRIOR ART OF THE INVENTION
Propolis which has been known as a natural antimicrobial substance or a health-improving substance is a composition containing secondary metabolites typified by flavonoids and phenols produced by phanerogams such as aspen and pine trees and collected by arthropods such as honeybees in wax and salivary juice which are produced by the arthropods. When it is attempted to use it for a food, it is too hard to eat. Generally, it is therefore converted to a liquid food prepared by an extraction method using ethyl alcohol or liquefied carbon dioxide gas, or an extract is mixed with water-soluble polysaccharide and the mixture is served as a solid food easily decomposable by salivary juice.
However, the basic principle of the above extraction method is a nonselective extraction using a good solvent, and a wax which is not considered to essentially serve as the antimicrobial function or the health-improving function is also co-extracted. The extract therefore contains a useless component, and its insolubility in water is strengthened so that it is brought into a hard-to-eat state and is unstable in an aqueous solution. There is therefore a problem that even when it is employed for daily use articles, generally, the use thereof is inevitably extremely limited.
In the field of foods, there is employed a method in which water-soluble components alone are extracted by bringing a propolis mass into contact with water, to prepare an edible food product. However, the above method is not at all satisfactory as far as its performances are concerned, since no oil-soluble active components can be extracted and since the amount of water-soluble components that are extracted is small.
Under these circumstances, as a method for satisfying both the component extraction performance and edibility, the present inventor proposed a propolis food composition and a process for the preparation thereof according to a so-called micelle extraction method utilizing a hydrophilic micelle solution formed by the use of a polyol-fatty acid ester surfactant (JP-B-4-66544). The above method not only permits the preparation of an edible propolis food, but also permits the preparation of a liquid propolis food containing useful water-soluble and oil-soluble components but not containing useless wax components according to a separated and selective extraction mechanism.
However, a characteristic odor is strengthened in the above propolis extract, and it is difficult to use the extract for daily use articles which are inevitably in contact with the atmosphere.
As a propolis solid composition, a candy prepared by sealing a propolis extract in a solid malt sugar having a low molecular weight and a tablet product prepared by impregnating a water-insoluble cellulose with a propolis extract are available. However, these propolis compositions are prepared from the above liquid propolis food on the basis of only an advantage that they are suitable for being carried with, and they have no subliming function. Their odor has an adverse effect, and when they are taken alone, they are not suitable for use in any fields other than foods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a propolis solid composition which has a subliming function, stably gives an excellent sense of fragrance and is useful as an atmosphere-ameliorating (air freshening) agent, a process for the effective production thereof, and an atmosphere-ameliorating (air freshening) agent containing the same.
For achieving the above object, the present inventor has made diligent studies, and as a result, has found the following. A solid composition containing a propolis mass and/or its extraction residue, water or a mixture of water with a specific water-soluble solvent, a surfactant and a hydrophilic polymer compound in a specific amount ratio has a subliming function in continuously dissipating, little by little, an active component derived from propolis as a natural antimicrobial and health-improving substance, stably gives an excellent sense of fragrance and is useful as an atmosphere-ameliorating agent. Further, the above propolis solid composition can be effectively prepared by homogeneously dispersing a propolis mass and/or an extraction residue thereof in a solution obtained by micelle-dissolving a surfactant in water or a mixture of water with a specific water-soluble solvent to obtain a dispersion, and adding and homogeneously mixing a hydrophilic polymer compound to and with the dispersion. On the basis of the above finding, the present invention has been completed.
According to the present invention, there is provided a subliming propolis solid composition containing (A) a propolis mass and/or an extraction residue thereof, (B) water alone or a mixture of water with a water-soluble solvent capable of forming a hydrogen bond with water, (C) a surfactant and (D) a hydrophilic polymer compound, the subliming propolis solid composition containing, per 100 parts by weight of total of the components (A) and (B), 0.01 to 25 parts by weight of the component (C) and 0.1 to 50 parts by weight of the component (D).
According to the present invention, further, there is provided an atmosphere-ameliorating agent containing the above subliming propolis solid composition.
Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a process for the preparation of a subliming propolis solid composition, which comprises micelle-dissolving (C) a surfactant in (B) water alone or a mixture of water with a water-soluble solvent capable of forming a hydrogen bond with water, to obtain a solution, mixing the solution with (A) a propolis mass and/or an extraction residue thereof so as to be brought into contact with each other, to form a dispersion, and then adding and homogeneously mixing (D) a hydrophilic polymer compound to/with the dispersion.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the present invention, the component (A) includes a propolis mass, an extraction residue obtained by subjecting a propolis mass to extraction according to various methods or a mixture of a propolis mass with a propolis extraction residue. The propolis mass is not specially limited, and it can be any propolis, e.g., originated in Brazil, U.S.A., Germany, China, or the like.
Further, the above propolis extraction residue is not specially limited, and a residue obtained by subjecting a propolis mass to extraction according to a known method can be used. Examples of the propolis extraction residue include a propolis residue obtained by subjecting a propolis mass to extraction with water, ethyl alcohol or liquefied carbon dioxide gas; and a propolis extraction residue having a surface on which part of a surfactant is adsorbed, which is obtained by bringing a system prepared by micelle-dissolving a polyol-fatty acid surfactant in a solvent having a plurality of OH groups and a propolis mass into contact with each other and removing uniformly dissolved soluble components according to the method disclosed in JP-B-4-66544.
In the present invention, as component (B), water alone or a mixture of water with a water-soluble solvent capable of forming a hydrogen bond with water is used. Examples of the water-soluble solvent capable of forming a hydrogen bond with water include alcohol-based solvents such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, glycerin, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monopropyl ether, ethylene glycol mo
Marschel Ardin H.
Moran Marjorie A.
Nixon & Vanderhye
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