Processing and production process for fresh eucommia ulmoides

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of traditional Chinese medicine processing, in particular to a fresh eucommia ulmoides processing production technology. The preparation method comprises the following steps: sweating fresh eucommia ulmoides; cleaning the sweated eucommia ulmoides; the cleaned eucommia ulmoides is pre-dried; the pre-dried eucommia ulmoides is cut; the cut eucommia ulmoides is dried; on the premise of all-factor investigation of fresh processing of the cortex medicinal materials, the technological process of traditional processing of the eucommia ulmoides is integrated and simplified in combination with industrial production and application evaluation, repeated operation of the technology is avoided, and stable and controllable quality of the fresh-cut eucommia ulmoides medicinal materials is guaranteed.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application relates to a fresh processing production process of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. BACKGROUND

[0002] The processing of medicinal materials in the production area and the processing of medicinal pieces are key links that affect the quality of medicinal materials. The quality and medicinal properties of medicinal materials cannot be formed without standardized processing in the production area. This link aims to remove non-medicinal parts and impurities, separate different medicinal parts, change the texture of medicinal materials, kill enzymes to preserve glycosides, reduce or eliminate the toxicity or side effects of drugs, and even produce new active ingredients. Only medicinal materials that have undergone standardized processing in the production area can maximize the needs of clinical prescription applications and industrial production. Investigations show that most fresh medicinal materials are processed into medicinal materials after being cleaned, dried, and other processes in the production area, and enter the circulation link. If they are to be used for clinical or industrial production, they still need to be further cleaned, softened, cut, and dried. During the secondary processing, there are inevitably some repeated production processes, which lead to complicated processes, not only causing waste of resources, but also possibly causing the secondary loss of medicinal ingredients, and increasing the risk of introducing other pollution. To solve the above problems, the state and provinces and cities have gradually opened up the fresh processing in the production area, and the provinces and cities have successively issued fresh processing varieties and approved pilot enterprises. The core of this strategy is to directly cut or preliminarily process according to the traditional method under the fresh state or the state of not being completely dried, which can not only avoid the subsequent repeated and complicated processing procedures, but also reduce the loss of medicinal ingredients to some extent, and is conducive to ensuring the quality and stability of medicinal materials and medicinal effects. At the same time, the fresh processing in the production area is also conducive to the storage and transportation of medicinal materials, and is conducive to reducing production costs and improving economic benefits such as production and circulation.

[0003] Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. is the dried bark of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. tastes sweet and is warm in nature, and is related to the liver and kidney channels, and has the effects of tonifying liver and kidney, strengthening bones and muscles, and preventing miscarriage. It is used for liver and kidney deficiency, soreness and pain of the waist and knees, weakness of muscles and bones, dizziness and blurred vision, and bleeding and restlessness during pregnancy. Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. is a traditional Chinese medicinal material with a history of nearly 2,000 years of application, has various pharmacological activities, and has a wide range of clinical applications, and has extremely important application value. According to the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. is stripped in April to June, the rough bark is scraped off, and is piled up for'sweating' until the inner bark is purple brown, and is dried. The completely dried Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. still needs to be further peeled, washed, cut, and dried to prepare traditional medicinal pieces. There are still the application habits of micro-boiling, sweating, drying, peeling, washing, cutting, and drying in the production area, and a unified processing technology standard has not been formed. The above processes not only increase labor costs and resource costs, but also easily affect the quality stability of traditional Chinese medicinal pieces, so it is necessary to simplify the process procedures of processing in the production area and processing, avoid repeated processing, and maximize the quality of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. and medicinal pieces. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a process for processing Eucommia ulmoides while it is fresh, so as to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: This invention provides a method for processing Eucommia ulmoides while it is still fresh, comprising the following steps: S1. Induce sweating in fresh Eucommia ulmoides; S2. Clean the Eucommia ulmoides after it has been induced to sweat. S3. Pre-dry the cleaned Eucommia ulmoides; S4. Cut the pre-dried Eucommia ulmoides; S5. Dry the cut Eucommia ulmoides; S6. Screen the dried Eucommia ulmoides to complete the fresh processing of Eucommia ulmoides.

[0006] Optionally, the method of inducing sweating includes: sealing and piling fresh Eucommia ulmoides to induce sweating until the inner bark of Eucommia ulmoides turns purplish-brown.

[0007] Optionally, the sweating period is 4 to 8 days.

[0008] Optionally, the purification method includes: scraping off the rough bark of the Eucommia ulmoides after it has been induced to sweat and washing it clean.

[0009] Optionally, the pre-drying temperature is ≤60℃; the water content of the pre-dried Eucommia ulmoides is 35~45%.

[0010] Optionally, the cutting process involves cutting the Eucommia ulmoides into chunks or shreds; the chunks are 8-12 mm in size; and the shreds are 2-10 mm in size.

[0011] Optionally, the drying temperature is ≤60℃; the water content of Eucommia ulmoides is ≤13%.

[0012] Optionally, the screening is to remove ash and debris from the dried Eucommia ulmoides.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: This invention uses fresh Eucommia ulmoides as the research object, focusing on its appearance and properties, and pinoresinol diglucoside (C 32 H 42 O 16 Using indicators such as processing steps, degree of sweating, sweating process, pre-drying temperature, cutting specifications, and drying process (drying method and drying temperature), the process of cutting Eucommia ulmoides while fresh was tested on a small scale and verified for industrial production, and a standard for the process of cutting Eucommia ulmoides while fresh was established. The process of traditional processing of Eucommia ulmoides was integrated and simplified, avoiding repetitive operations and ensuring the quality of Eucommia ulmoides raw materials and processed slices.

[0014] Based on a comprehensive consideration of all factors in the processing of fresh bark medicinal materials, and combined with an evaluation of industrial production applications, this invention integrates and simplifies the traditional processing flow of Eucommia ulmoides, avoids repetitive operations, and ensures the stable and controllable quality of freshly cut Eucommia ulmoides medicinal materials. Detailed Implementation

[0015] Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail. This detailed description should not be considered as a limitation of the present invention, but rather as a more detailed description of certain aspects, features, and embodiments of the present invention.

[0016] It should be understood that the terminology used in this invention is merely for describing particular embodiments and is not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, with respect to numerical ranges in this invention, it should be understood that each intermediate value between the upper and lower limits of the range is also specifically disclosed. Every smaller range between any stated value or intermediate value within a stated range, and any other stated value or intermediate value within said range, is also included in this invention. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may be independently included or excluded from the range.

[0017] Unless otherwise stated, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. While only preferred methods and materials have been described herein, any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein may be used in the implementation or testing of this invention. All references to this specification are incorporated by way of citation to disclose and describe methods and / or materials associated with those references. In the event of any conflict with any incorporated reference, the content of this specification shall prevail.

[0018] Various modifications and variations can be made to the specific embodiments described in this specification without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Other embodiments derived from this specification will also be obvious to those skilled in the art. This application specification and embodiments are merely exemplary.

[0019] The terms “include,” “including,” “have,” “contain,” etc., used in this article are all open-ended terms, meaning that they include but are not limited to.

[0020] All raw materials used in this invention can be obtained commercially or prepared using existing technologies.

[0021] This invention provides a method for processing Eucommia ulmoides while it is still fresh, comprising the following steps: S1. Induce sweating in fresh Eucommia ulmoides; S2. Clean the Eucommia ulmoides after it has been induced to sweat. S3. Pre-dry the cleaned Eucommia ulmoides; S4. Cut the pre-dried Eucommia ulmoides; S5. Dry the cut Eucommia ulmoides; S6. Screen the dried Eucommia ulmoides to complete the fresh processing of Eucommia ulmoides.

[0022] In this invention, the method of inducing sweating includes: sealing and piling fresh Eucommia ulmoides to induce sweating until the inner bark of Eucommia ulmoides turns purplish-brown, and then removing it.

[0023] In embodiments of the present invention, the method of sealing and stacking is indoor or outdoor plastic / tarpaulin sealing.

[0024] In this invention, the sweating period is 4 to 8 days.

[0025] In this invention, the cleaning method includes: scraping off the rough bark of the Eucommia ulmoides after sweating and washing it clean; the method of scraping off the rough bark is mechanical or manual, and in the embodiment of this invention, the rough bark is scraped off using an Eucommia ulmoides peeling machine.

[0026] In this invention, the pre-drying involves slightly drying the cleaned Eucommia ulmoides and then placing it in an oven or drying room for further drying.

[0027] In this invention, the pre-drying temperature is ≤60℃, preferably 60℃; the water content of the pre-dried Eucommia ulmoides is 35~45%.

[0028] In this invention, the cutting process involves cutting Eucommia ulmoides into blocks or shreds; the block size is 8-12mm; the shred size is 2-10mm; in an embodiment of this invention, the fine shreds are 2-3mm in size, and the wide shreds are 5-10mm in size.

[0029] In this invention, the drying process involves slightly drying the cut Eucommia ulmoides and then placing it in an oven or drying room for further drying.

[0030] In this invention, the drying temperature is ≤60℃, preferably 60℃; the water content of Eucommia ulmoides is ≤13%.

[0031] In this invention, the screening is to remove ash and debris from the dried Eucommia ulmoides, including medicinal debris and impurities.

[0032] The technical solutions provided by the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0033] Example 1 100kg of fresh Eucommia ulmoides from Quanjun Township, Jinzhai County, Anhui Province, is sealed indoors with plastic / tarpaulin and allowed to sweat for 7 days until the inner bark turns purplish-brown. The bark is then removed using an Eucommia ulmoides peeling machine and washed with clean water. The dried Eucommia ulmoides is then cut using a bark cutter with a blade set to 5mm. The cut Eucommia ulmoides is then dried at 60℃ until the moisture content reaches 9.5%. Afterward, the bark and impurities are sieved out, and the Eucommia ulmoides is packaged, labeled, and sealed.

[0034] Example 2 The only difference from Example 1 is that the fresh Eucommia ulmoides comes from Shuanghe Town, Jinzhai County, Anhui Province, and the cut Eucommia ulmoides is dried at 60°C until the moisture content is 9.0%.

[0035] Example 3 The only difference from Example 1 is that the fresh Eucommia ulmoides comes from Tiechong Township, Jinzhai County, Anhui Province, and the cut Eucommia ulmoides is dried at 60°C until the moisture content is 9.8%.

[0036] According to the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the appearance and properties of pinoresinol diglucoside (C) are used to determine its effectiveness. 32 H 42 O 16 Evaluation indicators such as these were used to comprehensively evaluate the Eucommia ulmoides processed in Examples 1-3. The results are shown in the table below. The properties of the three batches of samples from Examples 1-3 all met the requirements of the Eucommia ulmoides decoction pieces standard in the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The content of pinoresinol diglucoside ranged from 0.19% to 0.30%, all meeting the requirement of not less than 0.10% in the standard. The yield ranged from 36.1% to 42.8%, indicating that the process is suitable for industrial production.

[0037] Table 1 Test results of Examples 1-3

[0038] Example 4 Single-factor analysis The effects of processing steps, degree of sweating, sweating process, pre-drying temperature, cutting specifications, drying method, and drying temperature on freshly cut Eucommia ulmoides medicinal materials were investigated to optimize the fresh-cutting process. The characteristics of Eucommia ulmoides slices were described according to the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and the "Anhui Province Standards for Processing Traditional Chinese Medicine Slices" (2005 edition). The characteristics of the sliced ​​medicinal materials obtained from each experimental treatment, as well as the content of pinoresinol diglucoside, should meet the relevant requirements of the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

[0039] (1) Examination of different processing steps ① Take fresh Eucommia ulmoides, scrape off the rough bark, wash with clean water, cut into 5mm wide strips, and dry at 60℃.

[0040] ② Take fresh Eucommia ulmoides, pile it up to "sweat" until the inner bark turns purplish-brown, scrape off the rough bark, wash it with clean water, cut it into 5mm wide strips, and dry it at 60℃.

[0041] ③ Take fresh Eucommia bark, scrape off the rough bark, wash with clean water, pile it up to "sweat" until the inner bark turns purplish-brown, cut into 5mm wide strips, and dry at 60℃.

[0042] ④ Take fresh Eucommia bark, blanch it in boiling water for 3-5 minutes, pile it up to "sweat" until the inner skin turns purplish-brown, scrape off the rough skin, wash it with clean water, cut it into 5mm wide strips, and dry it at 60℃.

[0043] (2) Examination of different degrees of sweating ① Take fresh Eucommia bark, pile it up to "sweat" for 2-4 days, scrape off the rough bark, wash it with clean water, cut it into 5mm wide strips, and dry it at 60℃.

[0044] ② is prepared in the same way as ①, except that it is piled up to "sweat" for 4-8 days.

[0045] ③ The preparation method is the same as ①, except that it is piled up to "sweat" for 8-14 days.

[0046] ④ is prepared in the same way as ①, except that it is piled up to "sweat" for more than 14 days.

[0047] (3) Investigation of different sweating techniques ① Take fresh Eucommia ulmoides, pile it up with traditional straw, and let it "sweate" outdoors without sealing. Scrape off the rough skin, wash it with clean water, cut it into 5mm wide strips, and dry it at 60℃.

[0048] ② is prepared in the same way as ①, except that the "sweating" treatment is done by stacking straw in a traditional, unsealed indoor environment.

[0049] ③ The preparation method is the same as ①, except that the "sweating" treatment is: modified stacking and outdoor plastic / tarpaulin sealing.

[0050] ④ The preparation method is the same as ①, except that the "sweating" treatment is: modified stacking and indoor plastic / shed sealing.

[0051] ⑤ The preparation method is the same as ①, except that the "sweating" treatment is: modified indoor plastic / shed cloth / cotton wadding sealed sweating.

[0052] ⑥ The preparation method is the same as ①, except that the "sweating" treatment is: scalding for 2-3 minutes, traditionally piled with straw, and not sealed outdoors.

[0053] ⑦ is prepared in the same way as ①, except that the "sweating" treatment is: scalding for 2-3 minutes, and then sealing the room with plastic / shed cloth for sweating.

[0054] ⑧ The preparation method is the same as ①, except that the "sweating" treatment is: low temperature drying at 40℃ for 2 hours + sealed sweating with modified plastic / shed cloth.

[0055] (4) Investigation of different pre-drying degrees ① Take fresh Eucommia ulmoides, pile it up to "sweat" until the inner bark turns purplish-brown, scrape off the rough bark, wash it with clean water, dry it until the moisture content is 45% to 55% (about 50% dry), cut it into 5mm wide strips, and dry it at 60℃.

[0056] ② is prepared in the same way as ①, except that it is dried to a moisture content of 35% to 45% (about 60% dry).

[0057] ③ The preparation method is the same as ①, except that it is dried to a moisture content of 25% to 35% (about 70% dry).

[0058] (5) Examination of different cutting specifications ① Take fresh Eucommia ulmoides, pile it up to "sweat" until the inner skin turns purplish-brown, scrape off the rough skin, wash it with clean water, cut it into thin strips (2-3mm), and dry it at 60℃.

[0059] ② is prepared in the same way as ①, except that it is cut into wide strips (5-10mm).

[0060] ③ The preparation method is the same as ①, except that it is cut into pieces (8-12mm).

[0061] (6) Investigation of different drying methods ① Take fresh Eucommia bark, pile it up to "sweat" until the inner bark turns purplish-brown, scrape off the rough bark, wash it with clean water, cut it into 5mm wide strips, and dry it in a sunroom (30-50℃).

[0062] ② is prepared in the same way as ①, except that it is dried in a 60℃ forced-air drying oven.

[0063] ③ The preparation method is the same as ①, except that it is dried in an 80℃ forced-air drying oven.

[0064] (7) Investigation of different drying temperatures ① Take fresh Eucommia ulmoides, pile it up to "sweat" until the inner bark turns purplish-brown, scrape off the rough bark, wash it with clean water, cut it into 5mm wide strips, and dry it at 50℃.

[0065] ② is prepared in the same way as ①, except that it is dried at 60℃.

[0066] ③ The preparation method is the same as ①, except that it is dried at 70℃.

[0067] Results analysis: Single-factor analysis (Tables 2-8) shows that the suitable processing steps for Eucommia ulmoides are: sweating → peeling → washing → (pre-drying →) cutting → drying; the optimal sweating period is 4-8 days; different sweating processes can all reach the sweating endpoint, with improved stacking and indoor sealed sweating with plastic / cloth being the best; the pre-drying moisture content of 35%-45% (about 60% dry) is the most suitable and meets the requirements for industrial application; the cutting specifications can all meet the standard requirements, with the cut pieces (8-12mm) having the highest content; the drying method is oven drying, with the group with a temperature not exceeding 60℃ being the best.

[0068] Table 2. Examination of processing steps

[0069] Note: The 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia defines the characteristics of processed Eucommia ulmoides as follows: This product is in the form of small cubes or filaments. The outer surface is light brown or grayish-brown with obvious wrinkles. The inner surface is dark purple and smooth. The cross-section has fine, silvery-white, elastic rubber filaments connected together. It has a slight odor and a slightly bitter taste. (See Tables 3-9).

[0070] Table 3. Examination of the degree of sweating

[0071] Table 4. Investigation of sweating techniques

[0072] Table 5. Investigation of moisture content during pre-drying

[0073] Table 6. Examination of Cutting Specifications

[0074] Table 7. Investigation of drying methods

[0075] Table 8. Investigation of drying temperature

[0076] Example 5: Small-scale process determination and verification experiment Through single-factor analysis, the optimal fresh-cutting process was determined to be as follows: Take fresh Eucommia ulmoides, pile it up to "sweat" until the inner skin turns purplish-brown, scrape off the rough skin, wash it with clean water, let it dry slightly, dry it to 60-70% dryness, cut it into pieces or shreds, dry it at low temperature, and sift out the debris.

[0077] 15 kg of fresh Eucommia ulmoides was taken and divided into three parallel portions. Following the above-described fresh-while-fresh slicing process, wide strips were selected for small-scale testing. The results are shown in the table below. The properties and pinoresinol diglucoside content of the three batches of small-scale samples all met the standard requirements, indicating that the process is stable and feasible.

[0078] Table 9. Results of the small-scale test.

[0079] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for fresh processing of eucommia ulmoides, characterized in that, The method comprises the following steps: S1, sweating fresh eucommia ulmoides oliver; S2, cleaning the eucommia ulmoides oliver after sweating; S3, pre-drying the eucommia ulmoides oliver after cleaning; S4, cutting the eucommia ulmoides oliver after pre-drying; S5, drying the eucommia ulmoides oliver after cutting; S6, screening the eucommia ulmoides oliver after drying, and completing the fresh processing of the eucommia ulmoides oliver.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The sweating method comprises: sealing and stacking the fresh eucommia ulmoides oliver to sweat until the inner bark of the eucommia ulmoides oliver is purple brown.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The sweating time is 4-8 days.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The cleaning method comprises: scraping off the rough bark of the eucommia ulmoides oliver after sweating and cleaning.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The pre-drying temperature is ≤60℃; the water content of the eucommia ulmoides oliver after pre-drying is 35-45%.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, The cutting is cutting the eucommia ulmoides oliver into blocks or filaments; the size of the blocks is 8-12mm; the size of the filaments is 2-10mm.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The drying temperature is ≤60℃; the water content of the eucommia ulmoides oliver is ≤13%.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The screening is screening out the ash of the eucommia ulmoides oliver after drying.

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