Methods for extracting active ingredients, methods for preparing active ingredients, disinfectants, deodorizers, fragrances, cosmetics, insect repellents, and nutritional supplements.

Abstract

To provide methods of extracting active ingredients that enable the efficient extraction of active ingredients from plants, to provide methods of adjusting active ingredients, and to provide eradication agents, deodorants, fragrances, cosmetics, pest repellents, and dietary supplements.SOLUTION: Provided is a method of extracting liquid active ingredients that extracts liquid active ingredients from a plant, comprising: a mixing step 10 of mixing a plant and water by a predetermined mixer 2; a crushing step 20 of crushing the plant mixed with water; an extraction step 30 of extracting the liquid active ingredients from the crushed plant; and a dehydration step 40 of dehydrating the active ingredients of the extracted liquid. The dehydration step 40 is performed under negative pressure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a method for extracting an active ingredient, a method for adjusting an active ingredient, a disinfectant, a deodorant, a fragrance, a cosmetic, a pest repellent, and a dietary supplement.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, active ingredients such as oils (essential oils) and extracts extracted from plants have been widely used. For example, the oil (essential oil) contained in the active ingredient extracted from grapefruit seeds (grapefruit seed extract, hereinafter sometimes referred to as GSE) is also said to be a natural antibiotic, and its effect is prominent compared to essential oils extracted from other plants. Already, various GSE products exist in the market, and their purposes of use include disinfection for avoiding microbial infection. Different from alcohol and chlorine-based disinfectants, GSE is characterized in that it does not use chemical components, is harmless to humans and livestock, and has no volatility, so its disinfecting power persists.

[0003] Regarding such technology related to GSE, for example, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be referred to.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, depending on the extraction method and the purification method, the effect and cost of GSE differ greatly. That is, if the cost is high, no matter how harmless it is to humans and livestock and how persistent it is, it cannot be popularized.

[0006] For example, the typical method for producing GSE involves crushing grapefruit seeds, squeezing out the liquid, filtering it to remove impurities, and then heating it to evaporate the water and concentrate it (heat concentration) (simple extraction).

[0007] However, grapefruit seeds have a low absolute water content, and their carrier effect for the oil (GSE) extracted at the same time is weak. For this reason, a method is often used in which organic solvents such as alcohol are mixed in, the grapefruit seeds are dissolved in the alcohol, crushed, extracted, and then the alcohol is evaporated (solvent extraction).

[0008] However, both simple extraction and solvent extraction methods currently in use have their own problems.

[0009] In other words, in the case of simple extraction, the amount extracted is too small, resulting in significant loss of raw materials. Furthermore, in heat concentration, low temperatures are used to prevent the destruction of essential oils, but this is time-inefficient and the level of dehydration is quite low. As a result, the purity of the final essential oil is low, and the time and effort involved leads to high essential oil costs.

[0010] Furthermore, while solvent extraction allows for efficient extraction of essential oils, the final solvent removal process is not complete, leaving trace amounts of solvent behind. To further increase the purity of the essential oils, heating is used to remove water and solvents, but heating above 80°C is avoided to prevent the destruction of GSE, making this method inefficient.

[0011] Furthermore, solvent extraction presents the problem of being difficult to use in halal-compliant regions due to the residual solvent.

[0012] Unlike solvents and chlorine-based disinfectants, essential oils extracted from GSE are harmless to humans and animals, environmentally friendly, and have the advantage of being non-volatile and retaining their effectiveness even in organic environments, resulting in long-lasting effects.

[0013] Therefore, by providing more efficient extraction and purification methods, we can reduce costs and offer disinfectants that can be used in a variety of situations, thereby suppressing the risk of microbial infection and contributing to society.

[0014] The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and aims to provide a method for extracting active ingredients, a method for preparing active ingredients, and a disinfectant, deodorant, fragrance, cosmetic, insect repellent, and nutritional supplement that can efficiently extract active ingredients from plants. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] To achieve the above objective, the method for extracting an active ingredient according to the present invention is a method for extracting an active ingredient from a plant, characterized in that the active ingredient is extracted from the plant via water. The extraction of the active ingredient can be carried out under negative pressure. The extraction of the active ingredient can be carried out by purifying it by removing foreign matter from the active ingredient. To achieve the above objective, the method for preparing the active ingredient according to the present invention is characterized by adjusting the pH of the active ingredient extracted by the above-described method for extracting the active ingredient to a predetermined value. To achieve the above objective, the method for preparing the active ingredient according to the present invention is characterized by emulsifying the active ingredient extracted by the above-described method for extracting the active ingredient. To achieve the above objective, the method for preparing an active ingredient according to the present invention is characterized by irradiating the active ingredient extracted by the above-described method for extracting an active ingredient with ultrasound. By irradiating with the aforementioned ultrasound, the surfactant component contained in the active ingredient can be emulsified. The plant-derived surfactant component can be added to the active ingredient. To achieve the above objective, the disinfectant according to the present invention is characterized by containing an active ingredient prepared by the above-described method for preparing the active ingredient. To achieve the above objective, the deodorant according to the present invention is characterized by containing an active ingredient prepared by the above-described method for preparing the active ingredient. To achieve the above objective, the fragrance according to the present invention is characterized by containing an active ingredient prepared by the above-described method for preparing the active ingredient. To achieve the above objective, the cosmetic product according to the present invention is characterized by containing an active ingredient prepared by the above-described method for preparing the active ingredient. To achieve the above objective, the insect repellent according to the present invention is characterized by containing an active ingredient prepared by the above-described method for preparing the active ingredient. To achieve the above objective, the nutritional supplement according to the present invention is characterized by containing an active ingredient prepared by the above-described method for preparing the active ingredient. To achieve the above objective, the method for extracting an active ingredient according to the present invention is a method for extracting an active ingredient from a plant, characterized by comprising a mixing step of mixing the plant with water, and an extraction step of extracting the active ingredient from the plant mixed with water.

[0016] According to the present invention, since the process involves mixing the plant with water and extracting the active ingredient from the plant mixed with water, the water content during extraction is increased, the carrier effect is enhanced, and the active ingredient can be extracted from the plant more efficiently.

[0017] If the process includes a dehydration step to remove the active ingredient, the active ingredient can be concentrated.

[0018] The dehydration step can be carried out by evaporating the water.

[0019] If the evaporation of water in the dewatering process is carried out under negative pressure, the boiling point of water can be lowered, allowing the evaporation of water to be performed at a lower temperature, thereby reducing the decomposition and destruction of the active ingredients due to temperature.

[0020] It can include a purification step of removing foreign substances from the active ingredient and purifying it. The plant can be selected from plants with a residual pesticide content of a predetermined value or less, for example.

[0021] In order to achieve the above object, a method for adjusting an active ingredient according to the present invention is characterized by including a pH adjustment step of adjusting the pH of the active ingredient extracted by the above-described active ingredient extraction method so as to be a predetermined value. According to the present invention, since the above pH adjustment step is included, the extracted active ingredient can be controlled and adjusted by pH.

[0022] In order to achieve the above object, a method for adjusting an active ingredient according to the present invention is characterized by including a treatment step of performing an emulsification treatment on the active ingredient extracted by the above-described active ingredient extraction method. According to the present invention, since the above treatment step is included, even when the active ingredient contains oil and moisture, the active ingredient can be uniformly dispersed by performing an emulsification treatment. In order to achieve the above object, a method for adjusting an active ingredient according to the present invention is characterized by including a treatment step of irradiating ultrasonic waves to the active ingredient extracted by the above-described active ingredient extraction method and performing treatment. <00,00100>That is, by irradiating the ultrasonic waves in the treatment step, an emulsification treatment of the surfactant component contained in the active ingredient can be performed.

[0023] In order to achieve the above object, a disinfectant according to the present invention is characterized by containing the active ingredient adjusted by the above-described method for adjusting an active ingredient. In order to achieve the above object, a deodorant according to the present invention is characterized by containing the active ingredient adjusted by the above-described method for adjusting an active ingredient.

[0024] In order to achieve the above object, a fragrance according to the present invention is characterized by containing the active ingredient adjusted by the above-described method for adjusting an active ingredient. To achieve the above objective, the cosmetic product according to the present invention is characterized by containing an active ingredient prepared by the above-described method for preparing the active ingredient.

[0025] To achieve the above objective, the insect repellent according to the present invention is characterized by containing a liquid active ingredient prepared by the above-described method for preparing the active ingredient. To achieve the above objective, the nutritional supplement according to the present invention is characterized by containing an active ingredient prepared by the above-described method for preparing the active ingredient. [Effects of the Invention]

[0026] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently extract active ingredients from plants. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0027] [Figure 1] This figure shows an extraction system for carrying out an extraction method for the active ingredient according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart illustrating the method for extracting active ingredients using an extraction system. [Figure 3] This figure shows a preparation system for carrying out a method for preparing the active ingredient according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart illustrating the method for adjusting the active ingredients using the adjustment system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0028] [Method for extracting active ingredients] The method for extracting the active ingredient according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an extraction system for realizing the method for extracting the active ingredient according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Referring to Figure 1, the extraction system 1 comprises a mixer 2, a crusher 3, a first pressure filter 4, a dewaterer 5, a stirrer 6, a heater 7, and a second pressure filter 8. By operating these devices, an extraction method can be carried out in which liquid active ingredients (liquid active ingredients may hereafter simply be referred to as active ingredients) are extracted from plants via water (water extraction). That is, as shown in Figure 2, the extraction method for liquid active ingredients in this embodiment includes a mixing step 10, a crushing step 20, an extraction step 30, a dewatering step 40, and a purification step 50, and water extraction of liquid active ingredients can be performed.

[0030] In other words, the mixing step 10 is the process of putting plants and water into a mixer (mixer) 2 and operating the mixer 2 to mix them. A crusher 3 is provided inside the mixer 2. The crusher 3 has a configuration in which cutting blades are provided on a rotating shaft. The crusher 3 can be a pin mill, grow mill (grinder), hammer mill, shark mill, crusher, cutter mixer, rotary cutter, etc. In other words, the mixer 2 is equipped with a crusher 3 in combination, and by rotating the rotating shaft of the crusher 3, the plants can be crushed while mixing them with water. The mixing step 10 includes a crushing step 20 in which the plants mixed with water are crushed.

[0031] Here, the plants mixed in mixer 2 may include, for example, grapefruit or grapefruit seeds. In addition to grapefruit, the plants may also include cypress, tea leaves, bamboo, ginger, wasabi, mushrooms, roses, algae, olives, etc., or their fruits and seeds. In particular, the oil (essential oil) contained in the active ingredient of the liquid extracted from grapefruit seeds (GSE, GSE may hereafter be referred to as "extract containing oil (essential oil) extracted from grapefruit seeds" or "grapefruit seed extract") has very strong antibacterial properties and is a more preferred embodiment.

[0032] Furthermore, while the plant variety is not particularly important, it is preferable to select plants that have residual pesticide levels below a specified value. It is even preferable that the plant does not contain residual pesticides at all. In other words, pesticides are often concentrated in seeds, and if the wrong plant is selected, the extracted active ingredients may become unusable. Generally, plants from Asia are said to have high levels of residual pesticides, while those from South America are said to have low levels. Therefore, it is even more preferable to use plants from South America.

[0033] Furthermore, the water introduced (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "water") serves as a carrier in the mixing step 10 and the crushing step 20, and may include purified water filtered and purified by a predetermined filter, distilled water, ion-exchanged water, pure water, etc.

[0034] In the mixing step 10 and the crushing step 20, the weight ratio of the water to the plants can be 0.01 to 0.3, for example, when the plants are grapefruit seeds. Furthermore, the weight ratio of the water to the plants is preferably 0.03 to 0.25, and even more preferably 0.05 to 0.2, when the plants are grapefruit seeds.

[0035] The extraction step 30 is a step in which active liquid components are extracted from the plants crushed in the crushing step 20. The active liquid components extracted from the plants include vegetable oils (for example, grapefruit seed oil (essential oil)) and extracts.

[0036] In other words, in the extraction process 30, the plants crushed in the crushing process 20 are filtered under pressure using a pressure filter 4 such as a filter press to separate them into solid components and liquid active ingredients, and the liquid active ingredients can be extracted together with the water that has been added.

[0037] In the extraction step 30, filtration is performed using a sieve with a mesh size of 60 to 170 mesh, allowing the solid components to remain on the sieve and the liquid active ingredients to remain on the sieve. Furthermore, filtration is preferably performed using a sieve with a mesh size of 70 to 140 mesh, and even more preferably using a sieve with a mesh size of 80 to 120 mesh (and even more preferably 100 mesh).

[0038] The dehydration step 40 is a step in which the active ingredients of the liquid filtered by the pressure filter 4 are dehydrated using a dehydrator 5. The dehydration step 40 can be carried out by heating the extract containing the active ingredients of the liquid extracted in the extraction step 30, thereby evaporating the water contained in the extract.

[0039] In the dehydration process 40, the evaporation of water can be carried out under negative pressure conditions within the sealed dehydrator 5, or more specifically, under negative pressure conditions within the extract containing the active liquid components. The dehydrator 5 functions as a quasi-vacuum device capable of forming a quasi-vacuum.

[0040] In other words, more specifically, the pressure inside the dehydrator 5, and more specifically the pressure of the extract containing the active ingredient in the liquid, is preferably -70 to -120 kPa, when the plant is grapefruit seeds and the active ingredient in the liquid is an extract (GSE) containing oil (essential oil) extracted from grapefruit seeds, thereby creating a near-vacuum inside the dehydrator 5. Furthermore, more specifically, the pressure inside the dehydrator 5, and more specifically the pressure of the extract containing the active ingredient in the liquid, is preferably -80 to -110 kPa, and even more preferably -90 to -100 kPa.

[0041] Here, the dehydrator 5 is equipped with a stirrer 6 inside. That is, heating of the extract containing the active ingredients in liquid can be carried out while stirring the extract with the stirrer 6. The stirrer 6 has a configuration in which stirring blades are attached to a rotating shaft. Furthermore, when heating the extract containing the active ingredients in liquid, in the case of an extract (GSE) containing oil (essential oil) extracted from grapefruit seeds, the temperature inside the dehydrator 6 can be kept in the range of 30 to 50°C.

[0042] In other words, by creating a near-vacuum inside the dehydrator 5 as described above, the boiling point of water is lowered, allowing only water to be evaporated at a low temperature of 30-50°C. Plant extracts containing oil (essential oil) extracted from grapefruit seeds (GSE) are often organic, and their active ingredients decompose and are destroyed at temperatures of around 80°C. Therefore, separation and extraction at the normal boiling point of water, 100°C, is difficult. Since the boiling point of the oil (essential oil) contained in grapefruit seed extract (GSE) is higher than that of water, evaporating the water at a low temperature of 30-50°C as described above makes it possible to efficiently recover the oil (essential oil) components without destroying them.

[0043] The heating of the liquid extract containing the active ingredient can be performed by providing a heater 7 outside the dehydrator 5, and the heating can be performed indirectly via the dehydrator 5 using the heater 7.

[0044] The dewatering unit 5 is equipped with piping 5a, a check valve 5b, and a vacuum pump 5c. Piping 5a is for removing the water evaporated by heating from the dewatering unit 5 and is installed to communicate with the upper side of the dewatering unit 5. The check valve 5b is a valve that discharges the evaporated water in piping 5a to the outside and prevents outside air from flowing into piping 5a. The vacuum pump 5c is installed downstream of the check valve 5b and can continuously suck up the evaporated water while maintaining negative pressure and discharge it to the outside.

[0045] The purification process 50 is a process in which the extract containing the active ingredients in the degassed liquid is further filtered under pressure using a pressure filter 8 such as a filter press, thereby removing solid foreign matter from the extract containing the active ingredients and purifying the active ingredients in the liquid.

[0046] In the purification process 50, filtration is performed using a sieve with a mesh size of 270 to 400 mesh, so that the material on the surface of the sieve is considered foreign matter and the material below the sieve is considered the active ingredient of the purified liquid. Furthermore, it is preferable to perform filtration using a sieve with a mesh size of 325 to 400 mesh.

[0047] As explained above, according to the method for extracting active ingredients in this embodiment, more specifically, the active ingredients are extracted from plants mixed with water, which increases the water content during extraction and enhances the carrier effect, making it possible to efficiently extract the active ingredients from plants.

[0048] Furthermore, since the process includes a dehydration step to remove the active ingredient, the active ingredient can be concentrated.

[0049] Furthermore, since the evaporation of water in the dehydration process 30 is carried out under negative pressure, the boiling point of water can be lowered. In other words, the evaporation of water can be carried out at a lower temperature, which reduces the decomposition and destruction of active ingredients due to temperature.

[0050] [Method for adjusting the active ingredient] The method for preparing the active ingredient according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Figure 3 is a diagram showing a preparation system for realizing the method for preparing the active ingredient according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Referring to Figure 3, the adjustment system 100 has an emulsion tank 101 and a pH meter 102. These devices allow for the emulsification treatment of the active ingredient in the liquid extracted by the above-described method, while simultaneously adjusting its pH to a predetermined value. That is, the liquid active ingredient adjustment method of this embodiment includes a dilution step 110, an emulsification treatment step 120, and a pH adjustment step 130, as shown in Figure 4 (of course, the liquid active ingredient in this active ingredient adjustment method also includes the liquid active ingredient (GSE) extracted from grapefruit seeds, similar to the active ingredient extraction method described above).

[0052] In other words, the dilution step 110 is a step in which the active ingredients of the liquid extracted by the extraction method described above are further diluted by adding water and mixing. For example, when using oil (essential oil) extracted from plants as a disinfectant, it is diluted with water in a range of about 100 ppm to 3000 ppm depending on the area to be disinfected (hands, cutting boards, doorknobs, masks, vomit, space, etc.).

[0053] Here, the water may include purified water filtered and purified by a predetermined filter, distilled water, ion-exchanged water, pure water, etc., as in the extraction method described above.

[0054] The emulsification process 120 is a process in which the active ingredients of the liquid mixed with water added in the dilution process 110 are subjected to emulsification. In other words, the active ingredients of the extracted liquid often contain oil (essential oil), and simply adding water to dilute them results in poor dispersibility because the water and oil separate. For this reason, primary processing of the oil (essential oil) is required, followed by emulsification.

[0055] The emulsification treatment of the liquid active ingredient can be performed by irradiating the liquid active ingredient with ultrasound using an ultrasonic generator, thereby emulsifying the surfactant components contained in the active ingredient through ultrasonic diffusion (the ultrasonic generator is provided in the emulsification tank 101). In other words, while it would be easy to use synthetic surfactants for the emulsification treatment, at that point the concept of using natural products is lost, and safety issues arise. For this reason, in the dilution step 110 described above, the product of the present invention is diluted by adding water at a ratio of 2 to 10 times the weight of the extracted liquid active ingredient, and then ultrasonic stirring is performed by irradiating with ultrasound. The oil (essential oil) contained in the extracted active ingredient also contains some natural surfactant components from plants, and this primary processing using ultrasonic diffusion brings out the function of these surfactant components, making emulsification treatment with water possible.

[0056] Thus, the reason for imparting surfactant effects to active ingredients is to improve their dispersibility with the solvent (water) and, when applied to a subject (microorganisms, skin, food, insects, etc.), to cause the subject to lose surface tension and uniformly cover it. By causing the subject to lose surface tension, the effect on the subject (disinfection, insect repellent, beauty, internal absorption, etc.) can be maximized.

[0057] In addition, during the emulsification process 120, other plant-derived surfactant components may be further added to the active ingredient of the extracted liquid and then irradiated with ultrasound.

[0058] The pH adjustment step 130 is a process to adjust the pH of the active ingredients in the liquid emulsified in the emulsification step 120 to a predetermined value. In other words, the amount of water added in the dilution step 110 is determined by pH control because the oil content (essential oil) contained in the extracted active ingredients is a natural product, and therefore the quality of the essential oil (concentration of active ingredients) varies depending on the origin of the plant and the harvesting time. Active ingredients are often strongly acidic, and it can be judged that the higher the pH, the lower the concentration of active ingredients. Therefore, the dilution ratio of the water for primary processing is set to a minimum standard pH (for example, GSE has a pH of about 3), and water is added to dilute it to that standard value. By performing this work, it becomes possible to stabilize the quality (concentration of active ingredients, color) in the final secondary processing with a common dilution ratio according to the purpose (concentration for each application).

[0059] The active ingredients in the liquid prepared using the above preparation method can be used as disinfectants, deodorizers, fragrances, cosmetics, and nutritional supplements.

[0060] In other words, the present invention makes it possible to provide disinfectants, deodorizers, fragrances, cosmetics, insect repellents, and nutritional supplements containing the active ingredient of a liquid prepared by the above-described method for preparing the active ingredient of a liquid. As described above, because the active ingredient is given a surfactant effect, when the active ingredient comes into contact with a subject (microorganisms, skin, food, insects, etc.), it can cause the surface tension on the surface of the subject to be lost, uniformly covering the subject and causing it to lose its surface tension.

[0061] As described above, the method for preparing the active ingredient according to this embodiment includes the pH adjustment step 130, so that the extracted active ingredient can be controlled and adjusted by pH.

[0062] Furthermore, since the process includes an emulsification step 120 for emulsifying the active ingredients, even if the active ingredients contain oil and water, the emulsification process makes it possible to uniformly disperse the active ingredients.

[0063] As is clear from the above, the active ingredient extraction method according to this embodiment allows for the efficient extraction of active ingredients from various plants according to the purpose, providing environmentally friendly natural functional raw materials. In other words, the running costs during extraction are limited to the use of water and electricity, and the method minimizes electricity consumption. Conventionally, organic solvent extraction was generally considered efficient, but organic solvents are flammable, and safety cannot be guaranteed during continuous extraction. Furthermore, storage in the workplace requires management in accordance with laws regarding hazardous materials, but this extraction method minimizes such problems. The active ingredient extraction method and preparation method of this embodiment provide a method for efficiently performing water extraction while ensuring safety. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1: Extraction System 2: Mixer 3: Crusher 4: Pressurized filter 5: Dehydrator 5a: Piping 5b: Check valve 5c: Vacuum pump 6: Stirrer 7: Heater 8: Pressurized filter 10: Mixing process 20: Crushing process 30:Extraction process 40: Dehydration process 50: Purification process 100: Adjustment System 101: Emulsion tank 102:pH measuring device 110: Dilution process 120: Emulsification process 130:pH adjustment process

Claims

1. A method for extracting active ingredients from grapefruit seeds, A mixing step which includes a crushing step in which the grapefruit seeds and water are put into a mixer and crushed while being mixed, The mixing step, which includes the crushing step, separates the crushed grapefruit seeds from solid components and liquid active ingredients containing the oil and extract of the grapefruit seeds by filtering them under pressure using a pressure filter, and extracts the liquid active ingredients together with water in an extraction step. A dehydration step is performed by using a dehydrator to dehydrate the extract containing the active ingredients of the liquid obtained in the extraction step, A purification step is performed to purify the active ingredients of the liquid by further filtering the extract containing the active ingredients of the liquid that has been dehydrated in the dehydration step under pressure using a pressure filter, thereby removing solid foreign matter from the extract. Equipped with, In the mixing step, the weight ratio of the water to the seeds is set to 0.05 to 0.

2. The dewatering device is equipped with a stirrer, In the dehydration step, the extract of the active ingredient in the liquid is heated while being stirred, and the pressure is made negative. In order to create a negative pressure in the extract within the dehydrator, the pressure should be set to -90 to -100 kPa. Furthermore, the temperature achieved by heating under the negative pressure is set to a range of 30 to 50°C, which allows only the water to evaporate from the extract containing the active ingredients of the liquid without destroying the oil. A method for extracting an active ingredient characterized by the following.

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