Patent ID: 8716533
Filing Date: 2014-05-06
Classification: A23L,A61K,A61P,A61Q,C07C,C09B

Abstract:
1. A method for isolating xanthophylls from a xanthophyll ester source, comprising the steps of: (a) dissolving or suspending the xanthophyll ester source in isopropyl alcohol and water at a temperature of about 40-90° C. to form a free-flowing mixture; (b) hydrolyzing the mixture from step (a) with an aqueous saponifying agent; (c) cooling the saponified mixture at a rate of about at about 2-15° C. hour to about ambient temperature and allowing the mixture to sit for at least 5 hours to 24 days; (d) recovering precipitated xanthophylls; (e) optionally, washing the precipitated xanthophylls until a desired purity level is reached; (f) optionally, drying the precipitated xanthophylls from step (d) or step (e) to eliminate residual solvent and water; (g) optionally, allowing residual liquid from which the precipitated xanthophylls have been removed in step (d) to stand for at least 1 day to 24 days to form additional precipitated xanthophylls and recovering the additional precipitated xanthophylls; and (h) optionally, reheating the additional precipitated xanthophylis from step (g) to 40-90° C. in a solvent, then repeating steps (c)-(f), and recovering the precipitated xanthophylls.