Process for preparing water extract of cinnamon

• US 8,329,232 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2010
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Tang-An Nutrition & Healthcare Products Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Beijing Tang-An Nutrition & Healthcare Products Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Cheng, Nanzheng, Luo, Long, Kong, Jiang
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCORMICK, MELENIE LEE
• Application Number:
  US12/952,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20120128803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 424/739
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 2236/331 using water, e.g. cold water, infusion, tea, steam distillation, decoction subcritical water extraction A61K2236/37
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 36/54 Lauraceae (Laurel family), e.g. cinnamon or sassafras
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 3/10 for hyperglycaemia, e.g. antidiabetics

Abstract

This invention relates to an improved process for preparing water extract of cinnamon in a large scale. The process comprises the steps of: (a) adding an aqueous solvent such as water to at least 5 kg of a cinnamon raw material at a water to material ratio of 1:1 to 100:1, (b) boiling the mixture of (a) for at least 5 minutes, (c) removing the solid debris from the mixture, (d) storing the liquid portion of the mixture at about −5 to 25° C., preferably 0-10° C., until a top layer of oil is formed and partitioned, (e) removing the top layer of oil, and (f) collecting the remaining liquid portion. The present process prepares a cinnamon water extract product with a minimal content of potentially toxic cinnamaldehyde and coumarin, while increasing the contents of the active ingredients of polyphenolic polymers for controlling blood glucose level.

Claims

1. A process for preparing cinnamon water extract, comprising the steps in the order of:

(a) adding an aqueous solvent to at least 10 Kg of a cinnamon raw material, wherein the ratio of the solvent to the material is 1;

1 to 100;

1 (w/w),

(b) boiling the mixture of (a) for at least 5 minutes,

(c) removing the solid debris from the mixture to obtain a liquid portion,

(d) concentrating the liquid portion by 5-50 fold,

(e) storing the concentrated liquid portion at about −

5°

C. to 25°

C. until a top oil layer is formed and partitioned,

(f) removing the top oil layer, and

(g) collecting the remaining liquid portion.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous solvent is water.

3. The process according to claim 2, after the step (g), further comprising a step (h) of centrifuging the remaining liquid portion by a tubular centrifuge to remove solids and collecting the supernatant.

4. The process according to claim 3, further comprising a step of drying the supernatant of (h) to obtain the cinnamon water extract in a dry powder form.

5. The process according to claim 2, further comprising a step of drying the liquid portion of (g) to obtain the cinnamon water extract in a dry powder form.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the concentrating is performed by vacuum evaporation.

7. The process according to claim 1, further comprising repeating steps (a)-(c) 2-4 times with the same cinnamon raw material and then combining all the liquid portions before step (d).

8. The process according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the solvent to the cinnamon raw material is 2:

1 to 50;

1 (w/w).

9. The process according to claim 8, wherein the ratio is 10:

1 to 30;

1 (w/w).

10. The process according to claim 1, wherein the mixture of (a) is boiled for 5 minutes to 10 hours.

11. The process according to claim 10, wherein the mixture of (a) is boiled for 1-4 hours.

12. The process according to claim 1, wherein the concentrated liquid portion of (e) is stored at 0-10°

C. for at least 1 hour.

13. The process according to claim 12, wherein the concentrated liquid portion of (e) is stored at 0-10°

C. for 4-48 hours.

14. The process according to claim 1, wherein the cinnamon raw material is bark from Cinnamomum mairei, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Cinnamomum burmannii, and Cinnamomum cassia.