Patent ID: 8007840

Claim:
A process for producing a mixture of at least four alkadienamides, each of which is defined according to the structure: wherein R represents C 1 -C 2 n-alkyl; R 1 is 2-methyl-1-propyl and R 2 is hydrogen, or R 1 and R 2 taken together is a moiety having the formula —(CH 2 ) n —, wherein n is 5, the process comprising the steps of: i. milling a dried fruit of Piper longum Linn to form a milled Piper longum Linn powder having an average particle size in the range of from about 300 to about 800 microns; ii. providing an extractor equipped with a porous extractor plate; iii. placing a portion of the milled Piper longum Linn powder on the porous extractor plate; iv. contacting the thus-supported milled Piper longum Linn powder with a first quantity of a circulating polar solvent at a temperature in the range of from about 30 to about 50° C. for a period of time of from about 10 to about 20 hours with a first solvent to solid weight ratio being from about 2.75:1 to about 3.25:1, thereby forming a first extract and an initially-extracted milled Piper longum Linn powder; v. removing the first extract from the extractor; vi. contacting the initially-extracted milled Piper longum Linn powder with a second quantity of the circulating polar solvent at a temperature in the range of from about 30 to about 50° C. for a period of time of from about 10 to about 20 hours with a second solvent to solid weight ratio being from about 1.75:1 to about 2.25:1, thereby forming a second extract and a doubly-extracted milled Piper longum Linn powder; vii. removing the second extract from the extractor; viii. contacting the doubly-extracted milled Piper longum Linn powder with a third quantity of the circulating polar solvent at a temperature in the range of from about 30 to about 50° C. for a period of time of from about 10 to about 20 hours with a third solvent to solid weight ratio being from about 0.75:1 to about 1.25:1, thereby forming a third extract and a triply-extracted milled Piper longum Linn powder; ix. removing the third extract from the extractor; x(a). combining the first extract, the second extract, and the third extract to form a combined extract; and xi(a). subjecting the combined extract from step x(a) to a unit operation of evaporation to form a concentrated extract of the mixture.