Egg-Yolk Phospholipid Purification via Modified Acetone Solvent

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for purifying egg-yolk phospholipids to reduce cholesterol content are inefficient, requiring repeated acetone treatments, which are time-consuming and costly, and often result in low yields or insufficient cholesterol reduction.

Innovation Solution

A method involving treatment with water- and alcohol-containing acetone, with an acetone content of 80 vol% or more and an alcohol content of 0.3 to 3 vol%, repeated twice or more under controlled temperature conditions, effectively reduces cholesterol content to 1.5% or less in the purified egg-yolk phospholipid composition.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If treatment with pure acetone is used to purify egg-yolk phospholipid composition, then neutral lipid content is reduced sufficiently, but cholesterol removal efficiency is low requiring repeated treatments

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveneutral lipid contentVSAvoidcholesterol removal efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the chemical composition parameters of the purification solvent by adding small amounts of water (0.1-10 vol%) and alcohol (0.1-10 vol%, preferably 0.3-3 vol%) to acetone. This parameter modification transforms the solvent's properties to simultaneously achieve high neutral lipid removal efficiency and high cholesterol removal efficiency in a single treatment, resolving the contradiction between neutral lipid purification and cholesterol removal productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If repeated acetone treatment is performed to reduce cholesterol content, then cholesterol level decreases, but time and cost increase and yield decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecholesterol contentVSAvoidpurification time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

By modifying the acetone solvent parameters (adding water and alcohol), the invention achieves high cholesterol removal efficiency in a single treatment step, reducing the purification process from multiple repeated treatments to one treatment, thereby significantly reducing time loss while maintaining low cholesterol content.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

Water and alcohol act as intermediary substances added to acetone, modifying the solvent's properties to enhance its ability to remove cholesterol while maintaining its ability to remove neutral lipids, enabling single-step purification that replaces multiple repeated treatments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Manufacturing precision

If silica gel treatment is used to reduce cholesterol content, then cholesterol level decreases, but additional purification steps are required increasing time and cost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecholesterol contentVSAvoidpurification process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the solvent parameters from pure acetone to water- and alcohol-containing acetone, which fundamentally alters the purification mechanism to achieve high cholesterol removal efficiency through simple treatment without requiring complex silica gel chromatography equipment or additional purification steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts and removes the need for complex silica gel treatment by using modified acetone solvent that can directly remove cholesterol through dissolution and separation, simplifying the device requirements and process complexity while achieving the same purification goal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Manufacturing precision

If multiple repeated acetone treatments are performed to achieve low cholesterol content, then cholesterol level decreases, but production yield decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecholesterol contentVSAvoidphospholipid yield
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

By optimizing the solvent parameters (water content 0.1-10 vol%, alcohol content 0.1-10 vol%), the invention achieves high cholesterol removal in a single treatment, minimizing the number of repeated treatments needed and thereby reducing phospholipid loss that occurs during multiple treatment cycles, thus improving overall yield.

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

This method achieves a significant reduction in cholesterol content while maintaining high phospholipid and neutral phospholipid levels, improving the efficiency and yield of the purification process, making the purified egg-yolk phospholipid composition suitable for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food applications.

Implementation Method 1

When an egg-yolk phospholipid composition extracted from egg yolk is mixed with acetone, an egg-yolk phospholipid which is poorly soluble in acetone precipitates. The egg-yolk phospholipid can be purified by removing acetone having dissolved therein impurities such as a neutral lipid.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDifferential solubility: Solvation

Implementation Method 2

an egg-yolk phospholipid which is poorly soluble in acetone precipitates

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPrecipitation: Precipitation

Implementation Method 3

carrying out treatment with a water- and alcohol-containing acetone having an acetone content of 80 vol% or more and an alcohol content of 0.3 to 3 vol% in purification of an egg-yolk phospholipid composition

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTemperature-controlled extraction: Liquid-Liquid Extraction

Data Source

PatentEP2502928B1Process for production of purified egg-yolk phospholipid composition, and pharmaceutical composition, cosmetic composition or food composition comprising purified egg-yolk phospholipid composition produced by the process
Publication Date: 2017.11.08 Q P CORP

AI summary

Provided are a method for producing a purified egg-yolk phospholipid composition, including producing a purified egg-yolk phospholipid composition whose cholesterol content can be reduced effectively, and a pharmaceutical composition, a cosmetic composition, or a food composition including the purified egg-yolk phospholipid composition obtained by the method. Specifically, provided is a method for producing a purified egg-yolk phospholipid composition which has a phospholipid content of 80% or more and a neutral phospholipid content of 60% or more, the method including carrying out treatment with a water- and alcohol-containing acetone having an acetone content of 80 vol% or more in purification of an egg-yolk phospholipid composition.