Organic compounds -- part of the class 532-570 series – Organic compounds – Oxygen containing
Utility Patent
1999-10-20
2001-01-02
Shippen, Michael L. (Department: 1621)
Organic compounds -- part of the class 532-570 series
Organic compounds
Oxygen containing
Utility Patent
active
06169217
ABSTRACT:
The invention generally concerns extraction of xanthophylls. The invention more specifically concerns a method for extraction xanthophylls from various forms of corn, including raw corn as well as corn processing derived co-products.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Xanthophylls are oxygenated cartenoid compounds that are useful as yellow pigments that can be used in animal feeds and human food. Various plants and some animal products, e.g. egg yolks, are a source of xanthophylls. Corn gluten is often fed to chickens to impart a yellow color to the chickens which is preferred by consumers of chicken, especially those in the US market. Major producers of chicken have even been known to advertise the yellow hue of their chicken. The method of feeding corn gluten serves this purpose. It is preferable, though, to use extracted xanthophylls to produce consistent results.
Prior art methods have extracted xanthophylls from marigolds. One such method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,714 to Khachik. The specific xanthophyll, lutein, is extracted from saponified marigold oleoresin.
Extracted lutein is used currently in the health food market, and typically sold as a gel capsule. Some studies have linked lutein, and another xanthophyll, zeaxanthin, to prevention of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disorder that can cause blindness in humans. According to a 1994 study by Seddon et al. at Harvard University, the human body absorbs lutein and zeaxanthin from food directly into the human plasma and deposit in the macular and retina of the eyes. The body even metabolically transforms lutein into zeaxanthothin to be deposited in the macular region. The lutein extracted from marigolds has not, however, been approved by the FDA as a food additive. Marigolds, unlike corn, are not on the Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) list of the FDA. There have therefore been efforts to produce xanthophylls from products that are on the GRAS list.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,286 to Muralidhara describes a method for producing xanthophylls from corn gluten meal. Corn gluten meal is a product of corn wet milling. The process requires a saponification reaction. Its application is limited because of its requirement for wet milling as a precursor to produce the corn gluten required for the process.
Thus, there is a need for an improved method for producing xanthophylls from corn. That need is met or exceeded by the method of the present invention, which permits extraction of xanthophylls from raw corn as well as corn co-products such as corn gluten meal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The method of the invention uses raw corn, or a corn by-product as a source. The source is mixed with an alcohol to produce an alcohol-corn slurry. Centrifugation or filtration produces a clear filtrate from the alcohol-corn slurry. A membrane filtration step is then used to separate purified xanthophylls.
REFERENCES:
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Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
Greer Burns & Crain Ltd.
Shippen Michael L.
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