Amorphous Oxidized Glutathione Drying Process

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for producing oxidized glutathione crystals, such as freeze-drying and spray-drying, face issues like poor impurity selectivity, high energy consumption, and stability problems, while crystal forms like octahydrate and monohydrate suffer from non-uniform water content, slow crystal growth, and poor purification capabilities.

Innovation Solution

A process involving the drying of oxidized glutathione hexahydrate crystals at temperatures between 40 to 90°C, specifically using cooling and solvent addition to precipitate crystals, followed by drying to achieve a non-crystalline amorphism with controlled X-ray diffraction peaks, enhancing stability and industrial handling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If freeze-drying is used to produce oxidized glutathione powder, then the product can be obtained in powder form, but impurity selectivity is poor and energy consumption is high

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimpurity selectivityVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the physical state parameter from crystalline to amorphous by controlling the drying process. The oxidized glutathione is dried at a temperature of 40 to 90°C to obtain amorphous powder, which resolves the contradiction by achieving good impurity selectivity without the high energy consumption of freeze-drying

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention utilizes phase transition from crystalline to amorphous state during the drying process. By controlling the drying temperature and conditions, the oxidized glutathione transitions to an amorphous state, which provides both good impurity selectivity and reduced energy consumption compared to freeze-drying

Inventive Principle:
Principle #36Phase transitions

2Productivity

If spray-drying is used to obtain oxidized glutathione powder, then the product can be obtained quickly, but impurities increase due to thermal contact

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction speedVSAvoidpurity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the drying temperature parameter from high temperature (spray-drying) to moderate temperature (40-90°C). This temperature optimization allows the oxidized glutathione to be dried efficiently while minimizing thermal contact that would increase impurities, thus resolving the contradiction between production speed and purity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If crystal of oxidized glutathione octahydrate is produced, then the crystal can be obtained, but water content is non-uniform and stability is poor

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovestabilityVSAvoidwater content uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the water content parameter by controlling the drying process to remove excess water. By drying at 40-90°C, the oxidized glutathione is converted from hydrated crystal form to amorphous powder with uniform and controlled water content, resolving the contradiction between stability and water content uniformity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts excess water from the oxidized glutathione crystal structure during the drying process. By removing the non-uniform water content from the octahydrate crystal, the product is converted to amorphous powder with improved stability and uniform water content

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Ease of manufacture

If crystal of oxidized glutathione monohydrate is produced, then the crystal can be obtained, but crystal separation capability is poor and purification ability is poor

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecrystal separation capabilityVSAvoidpurification ability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the physical form parameter from crystalline to amorphous. The amorphous powder form produced by drying at 40-90°C exhibits excellent crystal separation capability and purification ability, resolving the contradiction by eliminating the needle-like crystal structure that causes poor separation and purification

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The process produces a stable non-crystalline amorphism of oxidized glutathione suitable for use in health aids, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, with improved stability and ease of industrial application, overcoming previous methods' limitations in impurity selectivity and energy efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

a process in which an aqueous solution or yeast extract solution containing oxidized glutathione obtained by a fermentation process, enzymatic process or the like is used as a starting material, and in the aqueous solution or yeast extract solution, the reduced glutathione is converted into the oxidized glutathione to obtain a solution of oxidized glutathione

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCrystallisation: Crystallisation

Implementation Method 2

a process for producing a crystal of oxidized glutathione monohydrate by adding alcohol and the like dropwise to an aqueous solution containing oxidized glutathione

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPrecipitation: Precipitation

Implementation Method 3

drying a crystal of oxidized glutathione hexahydrate at a temperature of 40 to 90°C

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectEvaporation: Evaporation

Implementation Method 4

the crystal of oxidized glutathione hexahydrate is obtained by cooling an aqueous solution containing oxidized glutathione to 15°C or lower to precipitate a crystal of oxidized glutathione hexahydrate

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDesorption: Desorption

Data Source

PatentEP2562180B1Non-crystalline oxidized glutathione and production method therefor
Publication Date: 2018.03.07 KYOWA HAKKO BIO CO LTD

AI summary

A non-crystalline amorphism of oxidized glulathione is produced by drying a crystal of oxidized glutathione hexahydrate at a temperature of 40 to 90°C.