Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Antigen – epitope – or other immunospecific immunoeffector – Conjugate or complex
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-22
2001-03-06
Lilling, Herbert J. (Department: 1651)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Antigen, epitope, or other immunospecific immunoeffector
Conjugate or complex
Reexamination Certificate
active
06197308
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a polyphenolic compound present in olive plants known as oleuropein. Particularly, the invention provides an olive extract containing oleuropein, substantially free of undesirable monophenolic compounds, and a method of obtaining the same.
REFERENCES
Aziz, N. H., et al.,
Microbios.
93(374):43 (1998);
de la Puerta, et al.,
R. Biochem. Pharmacol.
57(4):445 (1999);
Koutsoumanis, K., et al,
J. Appl. Microbiol.
84(6):981 (1998);
Tassou, C. C., et al.,
Lett. Appl. Microbiol.
20(2):120 (1995);
Tranter, H. S., et al.,
J. Appl. Bacterial
74(3):253 (1993);
Visioli, F., et al.,
Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.
247(1):60 (1998a);
Visioli, F., et al.,
Life Sci.
62(6):541 (1998b).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The olive tree and other members of the family Oleaceae have been documented as a source of medicinal substances since biblical times. Many researchers have studied the cocktail of phytogenic substances produced by the olive and other members of this family. One compound that has received particular attention from the research community is a glucoside known as oleuropein. A number of scientific studies have shown this compound to have certain anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial properties (Koutsoumanis; el al., 1998; Aziz, et al., 1998; Tranter, et al., 1993; Tassou, et al., 1995), anti-oxidant properties (de la Puerta, et al., 1999; Visiola, 1998a), and anti-inflammatory properties (Visioli, et al., 1998b). Interest in natural anti-oxidants is increasing because of the growing body of evidence indicating the involvement of oxygen-derived free radicals in several pathologic processes, such as cancer and atherosclerosis.
Not surprisingly, the market for oleuropein is quite substantial. Dietary supplements containing oleuropein are readily obtainable via mail-order catalogs and the internet. Currently, most of the oleuropein commercially available to consumers is derived from olive leaves. To date, the fruit of the olive plant, which is rich in oleuropein, has largely been ignored as a source of oleuropein due to certain problems associated with the production of olive oil, discussed below.
Conventionally, olive oil production involves crushing olives, including the pits, to produce a thick paste. During this procedure, the crushed olives are continuously washed with water, a process known as “malaxation.” The paste is then mechanically pressed to squeeze out the oil content. In addition to providing olive oil, the pressing also squeezes out the paste's water content. Such washing and pressing steps yield a considerable amount of water, referred to as “vegetation water.”
Both the pit and the pulp of olives are rich in water-soluble, phenolic compounds. Such compounds are extracted from olives during malaxation, according to their partition coefficients, and end up in the vegetation water. This explains why various polyphenolic compounds, such as oleuropein and its derivatives, produced in olive pulp, can be found in abundance in vegetation waters. Similarly, a number of monophenolic compounds, such as tyrosol and its derivatives, produced in olive pits, are also abundant in vegetation waters.
Oleuropein and its derivatives are readily degraded into breakdown products (e.g., upon exposure to air/oxygen, certain enzymes or bacteria) that are substantially non-polluting and non-toxic. Tyrosol and its derivatives, on the other hand, are substantially resistant to air/oxygen, bacterial and enzymatic degradation and are of a highly polluting nature. Unfortunately, current technology does not permit the isolation of oleuropein and its derivatives from such highly polluting monophenolic compounds in vegetation waters except through time-consuming and expensive separation processes. For these reasons, vegetation waters are currently treated as waste and are discarded without realizing their content of oleuropein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention provides a method of producing vegetation water from olives, the vegetation water containing oleuropein substantially free of monophenolic compounds from olive pits, comprising the steps of:
separating olive pits from olives to obtain a pitless olive pulp;
pressing the pitless olive pulp to obtain a liquid-phase mixture including water, oil, and olive pulp components;
separating the water component from the oil and olive pulp components of the liquid-phase mixture to obtain a water component substantially free of oil and olive pulp; and,
collecting the separated water component.
According to one related embodiment, moisture is removed from the separated water component to obtain an increased concentration of oleuropein.
According to another related embodiment, the separated water component is dried to obtain a powder containing oleuropein. The powder containing oleuropein may be encapsulated into a gelatin capsule.
Another aspect of the invention provides a composition, prepared according to the method of the invention, which comprises oleuropein substantially free of monophenolic compounds from olive pits.
A further aspect of the invention provides a method for obtaining oleuropein from olives, substantially free of monophenolic compounds from olive pits, which comprises the steps of:
separating olive pits from olives to obtain a pitless olive pulp;
extracting the pitless olive pulp with an aqueous or aqueous-alcoholic solvent to produce a crude mixture of polyphenolic compounds in the extract; and,
removing the solvent from the extract.
A related embodiment further includes the step of chromatographing the extract on a column; and collecting fractions from the column which contain oleuropein.
An additional aspect of the invention provides a dietary supplement comprising extract of olives containing oleuropein substantially free of monophenolic compounds from olive pits.
According to one related embodiment, the extract is an aqueous or aqueous-alcoholic extract. The extract may have a reduced moisture content to provide a concentrated liquid. Or, the extract may be dried to provide a powder. The extract may be in the form of a tablet, capsule, pill, or confection food additive.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4370274 (1983-01-01), Finch et al.
patent: 4452744 (1984-06-01), Finch et al.
patent: 4522119 (1985-06-01), Finch et al.
patent: 5714150 (1998-02-01), Nachman
patent: 581748 A1 (1994-02-01), None
patent: 2006904 (1989-05-01), None
patent: 01276576 (1997-11-01), None
patent: 01278025 (1997-12-01), None
patent: WO 97/28089 (1997-08-01), None
Computer Abstract FSTA 97(01):J0083 Limiroli et al “1H NMR study of phenolics in the vegetation water of three cultivars of Olea europaea” Journal of Agric. & Food Chem. (1996) 44 (8) 2040-2048, 1996.
Computer Abstract FSTA 2000(01):N0049 Servili et al “High Performance liquid chromatography evaluation of phenols in olive fruit, virgin olive oil, webetation waters, and pomace and 1D-and 2D-nmr charct” Jour of the Amer. Oil Chemists Soc. (1999) 76 (7).
Computer Abstract Energy 1992(16):116698 Amalfitano “Recovery and purification treatments of water coming from olive oil extraction processes” Energy innovation and the Agro-food industry Ed. Corte et al Conference: Mar. 21-23, 1990.
Aziz, N.H., et al., “Comparative antibacterial and antifungal effects of some phenolic compounds”Microbios93:43-54 (1998).
de la Puerta, et al., “Inhibition of Leukocyte 5-Lipoxygenase by Phenolics from Virgin Olive Oil”Biochemical Pharmacology57:445-449 (1999).
Koutsoumanis, K., et al., “Modelling the effectiveness of a natural anitmicrobial on Salmonella enteritidis as a function of concentration, temperature and pH, using conductance measurements”J. of Applied Microbiology84:981-987 (1998).
Tassou, C.C. and Nychas, G.J.E., “Inhibition of Salmonella enteritidis by oleuropein in broth and in a model food system”Letters in Applied Microbiology20:120-124 (1995).
Tranter, H.S., et al., “The effect of the olive phenolic compound, oleurop
Caglioti Luciano
Crea Roberto
CreAgri L.L.C.
Dehlinger Peter J.
Lilling Herbert J.
LandOfFree
Water-soluble extract from olives does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Water-soluble extract from olives, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Water-soluble extract from olives will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2484479