Plant extraction using nonlinear vibration

• US 7,892,579 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2004
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peisheng Cao
• Original Assignee: Peisheng Cao
• Inventors: Cao, Peisheng
• Primary Examiner(s): LEITH, PATRICIA A
• Application Number:
  US10/580,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20070154571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,548 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 424/725
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 27/10 Natural spices, flavouring agents or condiments; Extracts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 27/11 obtained by solvent extraction
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 33/105 Plant extracts, their artificial duplicates or their derivatives
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 5/30 Physical treatment, e.g. electrical or magnetic means, wave energy or irradiation cooking A23L5/10
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 5/32 using phonon wave energy, e.g. sound or ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 11/0261 comprising vibrating mechanisms, e.g. mechanical, acoustical

Abstract

The invention discloses an extraction method and the apparatus thereof. The method according to the invention comprises the following steps: crushing and soaking the raw material, and then extracting, wherein the extracting step is carried out under a 18-33 kHz nonlinear vibration, using water as solvent, under 25-35 MPa pressure and at 0-50° C. temperature, thus obtaining a extract which contains the active components of the raw material. The method according to the invention also provides an apparatus for the nonlinear critical extraction. The applications of the method and apparatus according to the invention allow to extract the Chinese traditional medicines and plants at room temperature, thus not only ensuring the biological activity of the components in the medicines and plants, but achieving the substantial full-composition extraction of the Chinese traditional medicine and plants, as well as overcoming the disadvantages of the extract technology in the prior art which would destroy or partially extract the biological activities of partial components. Therefore, the method and apparatus of the invention can be widely used in the fields such as the Chinese traditional medicines, chemical engineering, food, etc.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a plant extract, comprising the steps of:

crushing and soaking a plant, and then extracting at least one of water-soluble substance and fat-soluble substance from the plant using water as a solvent, wherein the extracting step is carried out under the simultaneous conditions of a 18-33 kHz nonlinear vibration, a pressure of 25-35 MPa and at a temperature of 0-50°

C., thus obtaining an extraction fluid.

2. The extraction method of claim 1, wherein the extraction temperature is 20°

C.-50°

C.

3. The extraction method of claim 1, wherein the extraction time is 1-3 hours.

4. The extraction method of claim 1, wherein the ratio of a plant to water solvent by weight is 1:

3-5.

5. The extraction method of claim 1, wherein said method further includes a step of packaging the said extraction fluid.

6. The extraction method of claim 1, wherein said method further includes the steps of concentrating and drying said extraction fluid.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of extraction is carried out in an extraction apparatus, wherein said extraction apparatus comprises:

an extracting can comprising a can body and a top lid, a sealing structure to seal the can body and the top lid, a water supply system and a pipeline connection to input water into the can body from the water-supply system and to output the extraction fluid;

said apparatus further comprising a high pressure pump, which is connected to the extracting can to maintain the pressure in the extracting can at 25-35 MPa;

said apparatus further comprising a raw material can and a nonlinear vibration apparatus to emit nonlinear vibration with a frequency in the range of 18 KHz-33 KHz, wherein the raw material can and nonlinear vibration apparatus are set inside the extracting can;

wherein said top lid is equipped with both a connecting hole to pass therethrough a conductive line for connecting said nonlinear vibration apparatus to an external electrical source and a vent hole connected to a seal valve;

said apparatus further comprising a material pump connected to the extracting can to output the extraction fluid.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said nonlinear vibration apparatus comprises a plurality of vibration apparatuses emitting nonlinear vibration, with the axes of the adjacent nonlinear vibration apparatus perpendicular in different surfaces with each other, wherein said nonlinear vibration apparatus has two proximate ends with outputting curve surface and a vibrating slice set between the two proximate ends, and an insulation layer set outside of the vibrating slice, and a conducting line connecting the vibrating slice with the external electrical source.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said raw material can is a cylindrical bracket enwrapped with a filter cloth bag, and the apparatus further comprises a hook set in the center of the bracket top to hang the nonlinear vibration apparatus.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said sealing structure is a collar and a seal washer between the can body and the top lid, wherein said can body is also comprises an external circulating pump to circulate fluid in the extracting can.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the extracting can is further equipped with an external temperature-controlling apparatus capable of maintaining the temperature in the range of 20°

C.-50°

C.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said temperature-controlling apparatus comprises a heating-and-warming layer.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein said water-supplying system has a water-processing machine and a water pump to input fluid into the extracting can.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said circulating pump is a magnetic circulating pump.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the sealing valve is further connected to an air compressor.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein said apparatus further comprises a concentrating system connected to the material fluid can.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said concentrating system comprises a supersonic atomization apparatus comprising an air-filtrating machine set on the top of said concentrating system, an atomization room, a gas-gathering room and gas-outputting fan set under the atomization room, wherein there is a plurality of supersonic generators set in the atomization room, and a fluid-inputting hole inputting the extraction fluid and fluid-outputting hole outputting the concentrated extraction fluid set on the side wall of the atomization room.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the plant is Angelica.