PROPOLIS EXTRACT POWDER AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME

• Main Authors: MATSUDA SHINOBU, AKI NOBUCHIKA
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 22.01.2002
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BYSUBCLASSES A23B - A23J; HUMAN NECESSITIES; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OFNUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; THEIR TREATMENT, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain propolis extract powder, to establish a simple technique for its production method, to efficiently collect such extract powder, and to make the final refined propolis extract powder less odorous. SOLUTION: This propolis extract powder is obtained by the following process: propolis raw mass is dissolved in hydrous ethanol in advance, the resulting solution is chilled to -10 deg.C and then filtered, the lipids in the resultant filtrate are further removed under supercritical conditions, the resulting solution is put to enzyme treatment to obtain a propolis hydrous ethanol solution, which is then mixed with an ethanol solution containing vitamins, or the like, followed by removing alcohol such as ethanol, the resulting solids are then collected and powdered. Conventionally, in utilizing naturally occurring propolis as processed food products, a highly concentrated alcohol must be used for removing lipids contained at about 60 wt.% in the above propolis, resulting in affording such propolis powder with strongly pungent odor as to be inappropriate as a processed food product; however, the above technique involving preremoval of the lipids in propolis enables such strongly pungent odor to be ameliorated, and also facilitates the pulverization of propolis extract aggregate owing to dissolving propolis in the hydrous alcohol in advance.