Super critical fluid extraction and fractionation of bran extraction materials

• US 20090110792A1
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MOR Supercritical, LLC
• Original Assignee: MOR Technology, LLC
• Inventors: Marentis, Rodger T., DeLine, Kenneth E., Fetherston, Daniel, Claycamp, Daniel L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,747,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/481
• CPC Class Codes: A23D 9/04 Working-up
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 7/115 Cereal fibre products, e.g. bran, husk

Abstract

Generally, a bran processing system for the supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of bran extraction material from bran and fractionation of the bran extraction material. Specifically, a bran processing system for the isolation of a bran extraction material fraction enriched in ferulate-phytosterol esters or oryzanol.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A method of processing an amount of bran, comprising the steps of:

a. providing an amount of bran;

b. fluidicly engaging an amount of supercritical carbon dioxide with said amount of bran in a bran extraction zone, wherein said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide has a temperature in a range of about 80°

C. and about 130°

C., and wherein said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide has a pressure in a range of about 7,000 psi and about 14,000 psi; and

c. extracting an amount of bran extraction material from said amount of bran into said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide having said temperature in said range of about 80°

C. and about 130°

C. and said pressure in said range of about 7,000 psi and about 14,000 psi.

25. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 24, further comprising the step of establishing a ratio of said supercritical carbon dioxide fluidicly engaged with said amount of said amount of bran in said bran extraction zone having a range of about 2:

1 (wt/wt) to about 10;

1 (wt/wt).

26. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 25, further comprising the step of establishing a period of time having a range of about ten minutes and about 30 minutes in which said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide having said ratio in said range of about 2:

1 (wt/wt) to about 10;

1 (wt/wt) fluidicly engages said amount of bran inside said extraction zone.

27. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 24, further comprising the step of selecting said temperature within said range of about 80°

C. and about 130°

C. from the group of temperature ranges consisting of;

about 80° and

about 130°

, about 80°

C. and about 125°

centigrade, about 80°

C. and about 120°

C., about 80°

C. and about 115°

C., about 80°

C. and about 110°

C., about 80°

C. and 105°

C., about 80°

C. and about 100°

C., about 80°

C. and about 95°

C., about 80°

C. and about 90°

C., about 80°

C. and about 85°

C., about 85°

C. and about 130°

C., about 85°

C. and about 125°

C., about 85°

C. and about 120°

C., about 85°

C. and about 115°

C., about 85°

C. and about 110°

C., about 85°

C. and 105°

C., about 85°

C. and about 100°

C., about 85°

C. and about 95°

C., about 85°

C. and about 90°

C., about 90°

C. and about 130°

C., about 90°

C. and about 125°

C., about 90°

C. and about 120°

C., about 90°

C. and about 115°

C., about 90°

C. and about 110°

C., about 80°

C. and 105°

C., about 90°

C. and about 100°

C., and about 90°

C. and about 95°

C.

28. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 24, further comprising the step of selecting said pressure in said range of about 7,000 psi and about 14,000 psi from the group of pressure ranges consisting of:

about 7,000 psi and about 14,000 psi, about 7,500 psi and about 14,000 psi, about 8,000 psi and about 14,000 psi, about 8,500 psi and about 14,000 psi, about 9,000 psi and about 14,000 psi, about 9,500 psi and about 14,000 psi, about 10,000 psi and about 14,000 psi, about 10,500 psi and about 14,000 psi, about 11,000 psi and about 14,000 psi, about 11,500 psi and about 14,000 psi, about 12,000 psi and about 14,000 psi, about 12,500 psi and about 14,000 psi, about 13,000 psi and about 14,000 psi;

about 13,500 psi and about 14,000 psi;

about 7,000 psi and about 13,500 psi, about 7,000 psi and about 13,000 psi, about 7,000 psi and about 12,500 psi, about 7,000 psi and about 12,500 psi, about 7,000 psi and about 12,000 psi, about 7,000 psi and about 11,500 psi, about 7,000 psi and about 11,000 psi, about 7,000 psi and about 10,500 psi, about 7,000 psi and about 10,000 psi, about 7,000 psi and about 9,500 psi, about 7,000 psi and about 9,000, about 7,000 psi and about 8,500, about 7,000 psi and about 8,000, and about 7,000 psi and about 7,500.

29. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 25, further comprising the step of selecting said ratio in a range of about 2:

1 to about 10;

1 (wt/wt) from the group of ratios in the ranges consisting of;

about 2;

1 (wt/wt) to about 10;

1 (wt/wt), about 2;

1 (wt/wt) to about 9;

1 (wt/wt), about 2;

1 (wt/wt) to about 8;

1 (wt/wt), about 2;

1 (wt/wt) to about 7;

1 (wt/wt), about 2;

1 (wt/wt) to about 6;

1 (wt/wt), about 2;

1 (wt/wt) to about 5;

1 (wt/wt), about 2;

1 (wt/wt) to about 4;

1 (wt/wt), and about 2;

1 (wt/wt) to about 3;

1 (wt/wt).

30. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 26, further comprising the step of selecting said period of time from the group consisting of:

about ten minutes to about 30 minutes, about ten minutes to about 25 minutes, about ten minutes to about 20 minutes, about ten minutes to about 15 minutes, about 10 minutes.

31. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 26, further comprising the step of providing a heat source which generates an amount of heat sufficient to maintain said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide at a temperature in said range of about 80°

C. and about 130°

C. during fluidic engagement with said amount of bran located inside said bran extraction zone.

32. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 31, further comprising the step of providing a pressure generator coupled to said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide which maintains said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide at said pressure in said range of about 7,000 psi and about 14,000 psi during fluidic engagement with said amount of corn germ located inside said bran extraction zone.

33. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 32, further comprising the steps of:

a) adjusting said temperature of said heat source to maintain said temperature in said range of about 80°

C. and about 130°

C. during fluidic engagement with said amount of bran located inside said bran extraction zone; and

b) adjusting said pressure of said pressure generator to maintain said pressure in said range of 7,000 psi and about 14,000 psi during fluidic engagement with said amount of bran located inside said bran extraction zone.

34. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 33, further comprising the step of adjusting said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide fluidicly engaged to said amount of bran inside said extraction zone in said ratio in said range of about 2:

1 to about 10;

1 (wt/wt) to extract said amount of bran extraction material in a period of time in a range of about ten minutes and about 30 minutes.

35. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 26, wherein said step of providing an amount of bran comprises the step of providing an amount of rice bran.

36. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 26, wherein said step of providing an amount of bran comprises the step of providing an amount of corn bran.

37. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 24, further comprising the step of transferring said amount of bran extraction material in said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide to a first bran extraction material separation zone.

38. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 37, further comprising the step of establishing said first bran extraction material separation zone at a temperature in the range of about 60°

C. and about 110°

C. and a pressure in the range of about 200 bar to 400 bar to achieve a density of said supercritical carbon dioxide of about 0.5 g/mL and about 0.9 g/mL to separate an orizinol fraction from said amount bran extraction material in said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide.

39. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 37, further comprising the step of adjusting said density of said supercritical carbon dioxide within said range of about 0.5 g/mL and about 0.9 g/mL to generate in said first fraction an amount of oryzanol of about 90% and about 100% of a total amount of oryzanol in said bran extraction material in said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide.

40. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 37, further comprising the step of adjusting said density of said supercritical carbon dioxide within said range of about 0.5 g/mL and about 0.9 g/mL to generate an amount of oryzanol in said first fraction of about 90% and about 100% of a total amount of oryzanol in said bran extraction material in said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide in an amount of triglycerides in a range of about 10% (wt/wt) and about 15% (wt/wt).

41. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 37, further comprising the step of establishing a second bran extraction material separation zone which receives said bran extraction material in said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide having said first fraction separated in said first bran extraction material separation zone.

42. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 41, further comprising the step of establishing said second bran extraction material separation zone at a temperature in the range of about 60°

C. and about 100°

C. and a pressure in the range of about 150 bar to 300 bar to achieve a density of said supercritical carbon dioxide of about 0.3 g/mL and about 0.8 g/mL to separate a triglyceride fraction from said amount bran extraction material in said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide.

43. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 42, further comprising the step of establishing a third bran extraction material separation zone which receives said bran extraction material in said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide having said first fraction separated in said first bran extraction material separation zone and said second fraction separated in said second bran extraction material separation zone.

44. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 43, further comprising the step of establishing said third bran extraction material separation zone at a temperature in the range of about 40°

C. and about 70°

C. and a pressure in the range of about 75 bar to 100 bar to achieve a density of said supercritical carbon dioxide of about 0.10 g/mL and about 0.30 g/mL to separate a free fatty acid fraction from said amount bran oil in said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide.

45. The method of processing an amount of bran as described in claim 44, further comprising the step of providing a carbon dioxide recycle assembly which receives said amount of supercritical carbon dioxide from said third bran oil separation zone, and wherein said carbon dioxide recycle assembly condenses said amount of super critical carbon for delivery to said bran extraction zone.