Patent ID: 7892580
Filing Date: 2011-02-22
Classification: A61K,A61P

Abstract:
1. A process for producing a fucoxanthin-containing dietary supplement from Undaria pinnatifida , said process comprising: (a) providing freeze-dried flakes of (b) reducing the particle sizes of said flakes by converting them into a powder having a substantially homogeneous particle size; (c) forming a mixture by combining a quantity of said powder with an effective amount of a solvent capable of extracting fucoxanthin from said powder, whereby at least a portion of fucoxanthin contained in said powder is extracted into the solvent; (d) separating the solvent containing the extracted fucoxanthin from said mixture; (e) subjecting the fucoxanthin-containing solvent to a distillation under a reduced pressure to remove at least a portion of said solvent, thus forming a syrupy fucoxanthin-containing mass having a solids content of from about 10 to about 99% by weight; (f) combining said fucoxanthin containing mass with a sufficient amount of an organic non-polar solvent having a Polarity Index <6, wherein the organic non-polar solvent is able to substantially dissolve the mass and form a solvent solution containing said fucoxanthin, and whereupon the solvent solution is purified by filtering out any remaining insoluble material which does not go into said solvent solution and discarding said insoluble material from the solvent solution; (g) concentrating said solvent solution by removing substantially all of said solvent to produce a dried mass containing fucoxanthin; and (h) grinding and sifting the dried mass containing fucoxanthin to obtain particles measuring approximately 60-100 mesh in size, said particles containing at least 10% by weight of fucoxanthin.