Sugar Cane Extract Purification via Ethanol Precipitation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current sugar cane-derived extracts are ineffective due to high bitterness and dark color, making them unpalatable and difficult to incorporate into foods and beverages, and the instability of by-products like bagasse and mill mud results in waste, limiting their use in health applications.
Innovation Solution
A process involving mixing sugar cane products with ethanol to form an extraction mixture, allowing a precipitate to form, removing it, and then removing ethanol to produce a supernatant with increased polyphenol and flavonoid content, reduced color, and decreased bitterness, which can be used as a functional food or pharmaceutical ingredient.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional extraction methods are used to obtain sugar cane extracts, then the extracts contain high levels of polyphenols and flavonoids, but the extracts exhibit high bitterness and dark color making them unpalatable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies extraction principles by using ethanol to selectively extract polyphenols and flavonoids from sugar cane by-products, then separating these compounds from the mother liquor. The extracted compounds are further purified through concentration and drying processes, effectively taking out the beneficial compounds while leaving behind the bitter and colored impurities in the waste stream.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating a purified extract product with concentrated polyphenols and flavonoids that is free from the bitter taste and dark color of the original by-products. The extraction process produces a localized purified substance that can be applied specifically to food and beverage products without introducing the harmful sensory properties of the source material.
2Adaptability or versatility
If sugar cane by-products like bagasse and mill mud are used for extraction, then the source material is readily available, but the instability and waste nature of these by-products limits their effective use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by transforming waste by-products into valuable extracted compounds that can be used in food and beverage applications. The process converts the unstable waste material into a stable, purified extract that serves its own purpose as a functional ingredient, eliminating the need for external stabilization measures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by altering the physical and chemical state of the by-products through ethanol extraction, concentration, and drying processes. These parameter changes transform the unstable, wet by-products into a stable, concentrated extract with controlled composition and properties suitable for commercial application.
3Quantity of substance
If large quantities of conventional extracts are added to foods and beverages, then the desired health benefits are achieved, but the bitterness and color significantly affect palatability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies extraction by isolating the beneficial polyphenols and flavonoids from the bitter and colored matrix of the original by-products. This separation allows the active compounds to be used in smaller quantities without carrying over the sensory defects of the source material, improving palatability while maintaining health benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies composite materials by creating a purified extract composition that combines polyphenols and flavonoids in a stable matrix free from the problematic components of the original by-products. This composite extract provides the desired health functionality without the adverse sensory properties.
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 results in a sugar cane extract with enhanced polyphenol and flavonoid content that can be used in smaller quantities without affecting palatability or color, offering broader applications in foods, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals, and providing benefits like reduced glycaemic index and anti-inflammatory activity.
Implementation Method 1
mixing a sugar cane derived product with ethanol to produce an extraction mixture
Implementation Method 2
allowing a precipitate to form in the extraction mixture; removing the precipitate from the extraction mixture to obtain a supernatant
Implementation Method 3
removing ethanol from the supernatant to produce the extract derived from sugar cane
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a process for producing an extract derived from sugar cane, the process comprising:i) mixing a sugar cane derived product with ethanol to produce an extraction mixture comprising at least about 50% v/v ethanol;ii) allowing a precipitate to form in the extraction mixture;iii) removing the precipitate from the extraction mixture to obtain a supernatant; andiv) removing ethanol from the supernatant to produce the extract derived from sugar cane.The present invention further relates to extracts produced according to the process of the invention. The invention also relates to the use of such extracts in a method of lowering the available calorific value of a food or beverage, in treating or preventing disease, and as a nutritional supplement, dietary supplement, sports nutrition product, food coating or pharmaceutical product.