Method for extracting extracts of the genus *Lysimachia* and its uses

Abstract

This invention provides a method for extracting and utilizing only the nutrients contained in seaweed. [Solution] A method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva*, comprising: an enzyme hydrolysis step of adding an enzyme and water to a *Ulva* material and performing hydrolysis to obtain an enzyme hydrolysate; a hot water treatment step of heat-treating the enzyme hydrolysate to obtain an extract from the enzyme hydrolysate; and a separation step of removing solid matter from the extract to obtain a *Ulva* extract, wherein the *Ulva* extract contains branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs).

Description

Technical Field

[0002]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for extracting an extract of the genus Undaria and its uses, and particularly to an extract of the genus Undaria containing branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and its use for producing a composition that promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria.

Background Art

[0002] Undaria is a commonly seen seaweed. In addition to being directly edible, there is also a record of being processed into a drink.

[0003] However, seaweed has a unique flavor and is not acceptable to everyone. Furthermore, when seawater is contaminated with heavy metals, the heavy metals accumulate in the seaweed and it may not be suitable for consumption. Therefore, a method for extracting and utilizing only the nutritional components contained in seaweed is required.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the present invention provides a method for extracting an extract of the genus Undaria and its uses so that the nutritional components can be extracted and utilized from the seaweed of the genus Undaria.

[0005] In order to solve the problems of the prior art, the present invention provides a method for extracting an extract of the genus Undaria, which includes an enzymatic hydrolysis treatment step of adding an enzyme and water to a material of the genus Undaria and performing a hydrolysis treatment to obtain an enzymatic hydrolysate, a hot water treatment step of performing a heat treatment on the enzymatic hydrolysate to obtain an extract from the enzymatic hydrolysate, and a separation step of removing solids from the extract to obtain an extract of the genus Undaria.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, a pre-treatment step of homogenizing the material of the genus Undaria is further included before the enzymatic hydrolysis treatment step.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva* is provided, characterized in that the weight ratio of the *Ulva* material to water in the enzymatic hydrolysis treatment step is 1:5 or more.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva* is provided, characterized in that, in the enzyme hydrolysis treatment step, the enzyme is 0.5% by weight or more of the total amount of the *Ulva* material, water, and enzyme.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva* is provided, characterized in that the enzymatic hydrolysis treatment step is performed at a temperature of 37°C to 50°C.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva* is provided, characterized in that the enzymatic hydrolysis treatment step is performed at a pH of 5 to 8.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva* is provided, characterized in that the hot water treatment step is performed for one hour or more.

[0012] One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva*, characterized in that the hot water treatment step is performed at a temperature of 90°C or higher.

[0013] One embodiment of the present invention provides an application for the *Ulva* genus extract, characterized in that the *Ulva* genus extract obtained by the extraction method for the *Ulva* genus extract is used in the production of a composition that promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The present invention allows for the extraction of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), including leucine, isoleucine, and valine, from the genus *Ulva*, and enables the use of this *Ulva* extract to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a flowchart illustrating the extraction method for *Ulva* genus extracts according to embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the present invention: a method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva*. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 and 2. This description is merely an example of one embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the embodiments of the present invention.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, a method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva* according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an enzyme hydrolysis step S1 in which an enzyme and water are added to a *Ulva* material and hydrolysis treatment is performed to obtain an enzyme hydrolysate, a hot water treatment step S2 in which the enzyme hydrolysate is heat-treated to obtain an extract from the enzyme hydrolysate, and a separation step S3 in which solid matter is removed from the extract to obtain an extract of the genus *Ulva*.

[0018] According to the method described above, the material of the genus *Ulva* is hydrolyzed with an enzyme, and the components to be extracted from *Ulva* (leucine, isoleucine, valine) are separated from other components by hydrolyzing them into monomers with the enzyme. The enzymatic hydrolysis process is stopped by hot water treatment, and the target components are separated from the solid components. Finally, the solid components are removed in separation step S3, and an extract of *Ulva* is obtained by mixing with water.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva* is further included in a pretreatment step to homogenize the *Ulva* material before the enzymatic hydrolysis treatment step.

[0020] According to the above method, by homogenizing the material of the genus Atsubanol before hydrolysis, the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis can be enhanced.

[0021] According to the extraction method of the extract of the genus Atsubanol in one embodiment of the present invention, the weight ratio of the material of the genus Atsubanol to water is 1:5 to 1:10.

[0022] According to the extraction method of the extract of the genus Atsubanol in one embodiment of the present invention, in the enzymatic hydrolysis treatment step, the enzyme is 0.5% by weight or more of the total of the material of the genus Atsubanol, the water, and the enzyme.

[0023] According to the above method, in the enzymatic hydrolysis treatment step, the ratio of the enzyme, water, and the material of the genus Atsubanol can be controlled within a range where the reaction easily occurs.

[0024] According to the extraction method of the extract of the genus Atsubanol in one embodiment of the present invention, in the enzymatic hydrolysis treatment step, the hydrolysis treatment is carried out at 37°C to 50°C.

[0025] According to the extraction method of the extract of the genus Atsubanol in one embodiment of the present invention, in the enzymatic hydrolysis treatment step, the hydrolysis treatment is carried out at pH 5 to pH 8.

[0026] According to the above method, in the enzymatic hydrolysis treatment step, the environmental conditions can be controlled within a range where the reaction easily occurs.

[0027] According to the extraction method of the extract of the genus Atsubanol in one embodiment of the present invention, in the hot water treatment step, the heat treatment is carried out for 1 to 4 hours.

[0028] According to the extraction method of the extract of the genus Atsubanol in one embodiment of the present invention, in the hot water treatment step, the heat treatment is carried out at 90°C or higher.

[0029] According to the above method, in the hot water treatment step, the environmental conditions can be controlled within a range where the reaction easily occurs.

[0030] Based on one embodiment of the present invention's method for extracting *Ulva* extracts, components of *Ulva* were extracted: After a pretreatment step to homogenize the *Ulva* material, water was added so that the weight ratio of the *Ulva* material to water was 1:5 to 1:10. Proteolytic enzyme was added to the total weight of the *Ulva* material, water, and enzyme, and an enzymatic hydrolysis treatment was carried out in an environment of pH 7 and 50°C. A hot water treatment step was then carried out at 90°C for 1 to 4 hours, and the content of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), including leucine, isoleucine, and valine, in the product was analyzed. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0031] [Table 1]

[0032] As can be seen from Table 1, according to the technical means of the present invention, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) including leucine, isoleucine, and valine can be obtained compared to hydrolysis treatment without the use of enzymes.

[0033] The applicant scaled up the extraction method of the present invention and performed molecular weight distribution analysis. Using a 20-liter reaction tank, the weight ratio of the *Ulva* material to water was adjusted to 1:7, 0.5% (w / w) of Hengzhou-Flavorzyme was added as an enzyme, and enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out at 37°C and pH 6.49-6.87 for 2 hours, followed by a hot water treatment process at 90°C for 1 hour. The experiment was repeated three times to obtain three extracts, and the relative molecular weight of the extracts was analyzed.

[0034] The results showed that the molecular weights of the extracts obtained from the samples in the first experiment were 71.7 kDa and 5.0 kDa, those from the samples in the second experiment were 73.3 kDa and 3.5 kDa, and those from the samples in the third experiment were 68.8 kDa and 4.6 kDa. The molecular weights of the three extracts were approximately the same.

[0035] In the case of using the Atsubanori extract of the present invention in the production of a composition that promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria, the Atsubanori extract is obtained by the aforementioned method for extracting Atsubanori extract.

[0036] The applicant further conducted microbial culture experiments using the *Bifidobacterium* extract obtained by the extraction method of the present invention. The *Bifidobacterium* extract was added to the culture medium at a concentration of 1%, and four indicator bacteria—*Bifidobacterium breve*, *Lactobacillus reuteri*, *Clostrodium perfringens*, and *Bacteroides fragilis*—were inoculated. After anaerobic incubation at 37°C for 16 hours, the bacterial count was measured. No other components were added to the culture medium in the control group. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0037] [Table 2]

[0038] As can be seen from Table 2, the extract of the genus *Ulva* obtained by the extraction method of the present invention has the effect of promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria.

[0039] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed above, these do not limit the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the claims of the present invention should be interpreted broadly to include such changes and modifications. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0040] S1 Enzyme hydrolysis process S2 Hot water treatment process S3 separation process S4 Preparation process

Claims

1. An enzymatic hydrolysis process involves adding enzymes and water to a material of the genus *Atsubanori* and performing hydrolysis to obtain an enzymatic hydrolysate. A hot water treatment step in which the enzyme hydrolysate is heat-treated to obtain an extract from the enzyme hydrolysate, and A separation step to obtain an extract of the genus *Ulva* by removing solid matter from the aforementioned extract. A method for extracting an extract of the genus *Uriaria*, characterized by containing [specific ingredient / component].

2. The method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva* according to claim 1, further comprising a pretreatment step of homogenizing the *Ulva* material before the enzymatic hydrolysis treatment step.

3. The method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva* according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the enzyme hydrolysis treatment step, the weight ratio of the *Ulva* genus material to water is 1:5 or more.

4. The method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva* according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the enzyme hydrolysis step, the enzyme is 0.5% by weight or more of the total amount of the *Ulva* material, the water, and the enzyme.

5. The method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva* according to claim 1, characterized in that the enzymatic hydrolysis treatment step is performed at 37°C to 50°C.

6. The method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva* according to claim 1, characterized in that the enzymatic hydrolysis treatment step is performed at a pH of 5 to 8.

7. The method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva* according to claim 1, characterized in that the hot water treatment step is performed for one hour or more.

8. The method for extracting an extract of the genus *Ulva* according to claim 1, characterized in that the hot water treatment step is performed at a temperature of 90°C or higher.

9. Uses of the *Atsubanori* genus extract, The use of the *Ulva* extract, characterized in that the *Ulva* extract obtained by the extraction method for *Ulva* extract described in claim 1 is used in the production of a composition that promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria, and the *Ulva* extract contains branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs).

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