Pressurized Hot Water Extraction of Lutein and Zeaxanthin
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for extracting lutein and zeaxanthin from corn products are limited by the need for chemical processing and are not scalable for industrial applications, with Soxhlet extraction being primarily suited for benchtop use and requiring solvents like ethanol or ethyl acetate.
Innovation Solution
The use of Pressurized Hot Water Extraction (PHWE) with water as the solvent, which changes the solvent's properties at high pressures and temperatures, allowing for the extraction of lutein and zeaxanthin from wet and dried distiller's grains, eliminating the need for chemical processing and enabling scalability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional solvent extraction methods (Soxhlet extraction) are used to extract lutein and zeaxanthin from corn products, then extraction efficiency can be achieved, but the process is not scalable for industrial applications and requires chemical solvents like ethanol or ethyl acetate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by using pressurized hot water extraction instead of conventional solvent extraction. The key parameter changes include using water as the solvent (changing from organic solvents), applying high pressure (up to 3000 psi), and using elevated temperatures (up to 200°C). These parameter changes enable the extraction process to be both efficient and scalable for industrial applications, directly resolving the technical contradiction between extraction efficiency and industrial scalability
2Ease of manufacture
If water is used as the extraction solvent at standard conditions, then the process would be simple and safe, but water cannot effectively extract lutein and zeaxanthin due to polarity differences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by changing the physical parameters of water through pressurization and heating. By applying high pressure (up to 3000 psi) and elevated temperatures (up to 200°C), water's solvent properties are fundamentally altered, enabling it to extract non-polar compounds like lutein and zeaxanthin effectively. This maintains the simplicity and safety of using water while achieving reliable extraction effectiveness
3Reliability
If high pressure and temperature are applied to change water solvent properties, then extraction effectiveness improves, but process complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transitions of water under pressure and temperature to achieve effective extraction. By heating water to elevated temperatures and maintaining high pressure, water enters a superheated liquid state with enhanced solvent properties. This phase transition approach enables effective extraction of carotenoids while the system can be designed with standardized pressure vessels and heating equipment, managing the complexity through well-understood thermodynamic principles
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
PHWE effectively extracts lutein and zeaxanthin into solvents that would be unfavorable at standard conditions, making the process more operable at an industrial scale and providing bioavailable forms of these carotenoids without the need for additional chemical processing.
Implementation Method 1
Pressurized Hot Water Extraction (PHWE) is a technique used to perform extractions of key compounds from plant matter. Mixing biomass and solvent in a pressurized vessel and submerging it in a high-temperature sand bath allows the extraction of desired compounds with solvents which would otherwise be incompatible.
Implementation Method 2
Use of water at a high pressure and temperature—in the sub-critical region—decreases the dielectric constant of water and allows less polar compounds to solubilize.
Implementation Method 3
extraction can be conducted from about room temperature to 200 C, and high pressure (from about 4 to 20 MPa) as the rise in temperature increases the solubility of analytes as well as mass transfer, and lowers the viscosity of the solvents.
Implementation Method 4
the rise in temperature increases the solubility of analytes as well as mass transfer
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides for a method scalable extraction of carotenoids, such as lutein and zeaxanthin from corn products utilizing pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) which uses high pressures and temperatures to change solvent properties of water and force unlikely extractions of desired products.