Patent Application
20070280975
The present invention relates to an extraction method of Maca extract from Cruciferae and to a food and a beverage product, a perfumery and a cosmetic, as well as a pharmaceutical preparation which comprising the Maca extract and having an anti-allergic activity.
Up to the present, there have been many kinds of compounds having various pharmacological activities synthesized. Also, there have been found many pharmaceutical preparations effectively applied to various diseases, and clinically used. In that, chemosynthetic pharmaceutical preparations such as tranilast and sodium cromoglycate (herein after referred to as “DSCG”) have been found as an anti-allergic agent. Additionally, a plant extract, such as Tanacetum vulgara extract containing large amount of caffeic acid, is used as 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors, which produce leukotriene from arachidonic acid.
However, an anti-allergic agent generally causes side effects such as drowsiness, dry throat and gastrointestinal distress, and thus long-term administration of the agent jeopardizes safety. On the other hand, a lot of food materials believed to contribute to treat allergic disease are searched. One example is the sweet tea (leaves of Rubes suavissimus) extract. Because the sweet tea is known to possess anti-allergic activity (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei06-192114), the extract is comprised in, for example, throat lozenge and used to relieve a symptom of hay fever.
Lepidium meyenii Walp (herein after referred to as ‘Maca’) is a Cruciferae originated in Andean Cordilleras of Peru in South America. Maca grows creeping on the earth and outspreading leaves, and its root shapes like a turnip. Maca is grown over 2,000 years in the Andes and taken for maintenance of good health. Main components of Maca are polysaccharides, proteins and so on. Moreover, main amino acids, especially, essential amino acids, which cannot be synthesized in body and therefore must be taken from food, are contained. Maca is also rich in various vitamins such as vitamin B, c, and E, and minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc. Accordingly, there are dozens of food items using Maca in Peru. Maca is familiar as health food such as cookies and juice comprising Maca named “Chicha de Maca”, Maca liquor and eating Maca powder with Yogurt.
A positive effect of Maca is traditionally believed to be revitalizing effect, but recently compounds of Maca having anti-cancer effects and recovering reproductive function effects have been opened (U.S. Pat. No. 6267995 B1). There also have been suggested that using Maca with an antler would possess an effect to increase the testosterone concentration in a human (Japanese Translated National Publication of Patent Application No. 2003-523945). There are also reports which leads to the expectation for potentiality of Maca to show anti-inflammatory effect and to be anti-allergic agent (Igaku & Seibutsugaku: Vol. 145, No. 6, p81-86, 2002.12.10).
Many food and beverage products containing small pieces or powder of Maca or Maca extract are produced due to recent attentions to Maca's positive effects. Nevertheless, there hardly is any study on the method to extract the Maca extract efficiently, especially paying special attention to strong anti-allergic effect thereof, using solvent having high safety margin.
Accordingly, the objective of the present invention is to provide an efficient extraction method of Maca extract having safe anti-allergic effect enabling long-term intake, and to provide a food and beverage product, a perfumery and a cosmetic and a pharmaceutical preparation comprising thus obtained Maca extract to show anti-allergic effect.
The inventors of the present invention had studied and researched thoroughly to solve above objective, and surprisingly found that the potency of anti-allergic effect of the obtained extract differs greatly depending on the extract-ion condition. Especially, they have newly found that the extract having high potency of anti-allergic effect can be obtained if ethanol concentration and temperature of extracting solvent is maintained in specific range when aqueous solution containing ethanol is used as extracting solvent, and thus completed the invention.
Accordingly, the present invention provides:
Additionally, the present invention provides:
The present invention provides the Maca extract having a high potency of anti-allergic effect and suitable for oral administration. The present invention further provides a food and a beverage product, a perfumery and a cosmetic, and a pharmaceutical preparation having anti-allergic effects, by comprising the Maca extract thereof or its dry product. Yet further, the present invention provides an additives and compounding agent for use in the production of a food and a beverage product, a perfumery and a cosmetic, and a pharmaceutical preparation thereof.
The main raw material to obtain the extract by the present invention is Lepidium meyenii Walp, which is a Cruciferae grow wild or cultivated in Andean Cordilleras of South America. The part to be used in the extraction can be any part such as a leaf, a flower, a fruit, a seed, a stem including rhizome and bulb. The bulb part is most preferably used. These ingredients can be crushed or cut into small pieces or powder for extraction. And these ingredients can be dried, if needed. Further, the Maca, which is previously extracted with water, can also be used.
Although, many extraction solutions to be used for obtaining the Maca extract can be listed, water-ethanol mixed aqueous solution (aqueous solution containing ethanol) is preferable from safety point of view, considering the fact that the extract would be comprised in food and beverage, and would be orally taken.
The inventors of the present invention had found that the potency of anti-allergic effect of the obtained extract differs greatly depending on the content ratio of the ethanol in the aqueous solution containing ethanol used as extraction solvent. In this case, it is important to maintain the mixture ratio of ethanol to water within the mixture ratio enables to obtain the extract having the high potency of anti-allergic effects. In concrete terms, the ratio is preferably from 20 to 100% by volume, and more preferably, from 45 to 100% by volume.
It is also important to maintain the temperature during the extraction within the condition enables to obtain the extract having the high potency of anti-allergic effects. It is preferable to maintain the temperature lower than boiling point of the solvent in the view of the operation. In concrete terms, the temperature of the solvent during the extraction is preferably from 20 to 75° C., and more preferably, from 40 to 60° C.
The mixing ratio of Maca and the solvent is not particularly limited, but it is preferred to use from 0.3 to 5,000 by weight % of solvent against 1 by weight % of Maca. Using from 5 to 100 by weight % of the solvent against 1 by weight % of Maca is more preferable in the view of extraction operation and extraction efficiency.
Extracting time is not limited. Although, there were examples of taking a few days to a few weeks to extract in the past, it takes only from 1 minute to 72 hours, or more specifically, from 10 minutes to 5 hours for the extraction by using extraction solvent of specific ethanol content ratio and maintaining within the specific extraction temperature based on the present invention.
By the way, the extract obtained by using water as the extraction solvent (either at room temperature or at high temperature) does not possess distinct anti-allergic effects. Therefore, it is preferable to remove impurities having no anti-allergic effect by extraction using water, before extracting operation using aqueous solution containing ethanol.
In the present invention, the Maca extract thus obtained after the completion of extracting operation can be used. Further, the concentrating extract by removing the solvent of the extract, or the dry powder by lyophilizing or air-drying of the extract solution can also be used. From the standpoints of stability and handling merits, it is preferable to use in the concentrating extract or the dry powder forms. The Maca extract used in this invention is to mean these extract solution, the concentrating extract, and the dry powder.
The present invention provides a food and beverage product, a perfumery and a cosmetic, and a pharmaceutical preparation comprising the Maca extract thus obtained. The Maca itself has been consumed in Peru from ancient time and therefore, the extract used in this invention has no problem in view of safety. Accordingly, the compounding quantity of the Maca extract to the food and beverage product, the perfumery and the cosmetic and the pharmaceutical preparation can be determined by its effect, aroma and color of the product to which the extract is added to. Preferable compounding quantity of Maca extract, however, is to be within concentration range of from 0.01 to 99.9% in dry weight, and more preferably from 0.01 to 99.5%.
The food and beverage product to be provided by the present invention is such as a candy, a troche, a gum, yogurt, a ice cream, a pudding, a jelly, a sweet jelly of beans, a alcoholic beverage, a coffee beverage, a juice, a fruit juice, a carbonated beverage, a refreshing beverage, a milk, a whey beverage, a lactic acid bacteria beverage and so on.
To these food and beverage product can be added various kinds of additives if needed according to conventional technique. The additives to be added can be any additives conventionally used according to conventional technique. The examples are glucose, fructose, saccharose, maltose, sorbitol, stevioside, rubsoside, corn syrup, lactose, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, lactic acid, L-ascorbic acid, dl-a-tocopherol, sodium erythorbate, glycerin, propylene glycol, glycerine fatty acid ester, polyglycerine fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, propylene glycol fatty acid ester, gum arabic, carrageenan, casein, gelatin, pectin, agar, a class of Vitamin B, nicotinic acid amide, calcium pantothenate, a class of amino acid, a class of calcium salt, coloring matter, aroma chemical and preservant and so on.
The perfumery and the cosmetic products of the present invention are any products called a perfumery and a cosmetic. The Maca extract can be comprised in appropriate quantity to confect a perfumery and a cosmetic which is not to put into mouth such as a skin toning lotion, a facial cream, a skin milk, a foundation, a lip stick, a hair dressing, a hair tonic, a medicated hair tonic, a shampoo, a conditioner and a bath agent, and which is to put into month such as a tooth brush and a tooth paste, a mouth wash, a gargle and a mouth refresher.
These products can be obtained according to the conventional technique comprising the common ingredient of a perfumery and a cosmetic. The examples are fats and oils such as a vegetable oil, a wax group such as lanoline and yellow beeswax, a carbon hydride group, a fatty acid, a higher alcohol group, an ester group, various surfactants, a coloring matter, an aroma chemical, a vitamin group, plant & animal extract, a ultraviolet absorption agent, an anti-oxidation agent, a antiseptic and a bactericide and so on.
When preparing a pharmaceutical preparation of the present invention, various additives and further the Maca extract can be comprised if needed. The present invention provides, for example, an oral administration pharmaceutical preparation such as a tablet, a capsule, granules, syrup and a extract agent, or a non-oral administration pharmaceutical preparation such as an ointment, an ocular ointment, a lotion, a cream, a patch, a rectal suppository, an ophthalmic drop, nasal drops and an injectable solution.
These pharmaceutical preparations can be produced according to conventional method using various additives. The additive to be used is not limited and any one commonly used can be suitable, examples being, solid carrier such as a starch, a lactose, a saccharose, a mannitol, a carboxymethyl cellulose, a corn starch and inorganic salts, distilled water, physiological saline, glucose aqueous solution and alcohol such as ethanol, liquid carriers such as propylene glycol and polyethylene glycol, various kinds of animal fat, a white petrolatum, a paraffin and oily-carriers such as wax group.
Since the Maca extract of the present invention possess anti-allergic effects while it is safe in oral administration, it can be used as a food and beverage product, an orally administered pharmaceutical preparation and a perfumery and a cosmetic to put into mouth.
The dose and administration quantity of the Maca extract to be used per day is not limited. For example, it can be from 0.01 mg to 10 g per day in dry weight. Nevertheless, if one would take it orally and expects distinct anti-allergic effects, from 1 mg to 1,000 mg per day in dry weight should be preferably taken.
When preparing the food and beverage product, a perfumery and a cosmetic or pharmaceutical preparation by using the Maca extract of the present invention, other ingredient of a perfumery and a cosmetic having anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects such as an agar extract, especially glycyrrhizinate, a diphenhydramine hydrochloride, a dl-a-tocophenol and derivative thereof, Vitamin B2 and Vitamin B6 can also be used.
The additives or compounding agents for a food and beverage product, a perfumery, a cosmetic or pharmaceutical preparation in this invention mean the mixture of additives and compounding agents commonly used for a food and beverage product, a perfumery, a cosmetic or pharmaceutical preparation such as aroma chemicals, coloring agents and antioxidants with the Maca extract. The mixture ratio can be adjusted according to the purpose. The additives or compounding agents for the use in a food and beverage product, a perfumery, a cosmetic or pharmaceutical preparation discussed herein can be various additives listed above.
[Test Procedure]
The anti-allergic effects of the Maca extract of the present invention can be evaluated by the suppressive effect on the isolation of histamine from mast cells.
The test procedure is further described in detail.
The Suppressive Effect on the Isolation of Histamine from Mast Cells
The test was conducted according to the method of Yuko HIRAI, et al. (Natural Medicines: Vol. 37, p374-380, 1983). That is, Tyrode was interperitoneally injected to Wister rats bled to death and peritoneal cavity cells were taken. Therefrom, mast cells were isolated by the multilevel centrifugal method using Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA)/physiological saline (relative gravity: 1.068). The obtained cells were suspended in 1% BSA containing Tyrode solution, and cell-floating solution was prepared. Then, 10 μL of the cell-floating solution was added to 10 μL of test solution and left for 10 minutes at 37° C., consequently, 20 μL of compound 48/80 (5 μL of/mL) as a degranulation inducing agent was added and reacted for 10 minutes at 37° C. The resultant was then ice cooled and amount of histamine in the supernatant after centrifugation (150 g×5 minutes) was measured by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector attachment.
The suppressive activity on the isolation of histamine was derived from below formula.
The suppressive ratio on the isolation of histamine(%)=100×[1−(SR−C)/(R−C)]
Wherein:
The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to Examples.
At first, the effect extraction conditions of the Maca such as extraction temperature and ethanol concentration have on anti-allergic effects of the Maca extract was studied.
10 g of Maca was placed in 300 mL conical flask, added 100 mL of aqueous solutions with various ethanol concentration shown in Table 1, and then extracted for 3 hours at temperature shown in Table 1 to obtain Maca extract.
The Maca extracts of Test 10 and 11 were obtained from the residue of watery extract of Maca at 50° C. for 1 hour, previously.
The resultant extract solution was filtrated and the filtrate was lyophilized to give the solutions of the present invention 1 to 11. The solution obtained was each measured to 0.25 mg/mL, and the above explained suppressive effect on the isolation of histamine from mast cell was evaluated.
On the other hand, the above explained suppressive effect on the isolation of histamine from mast cell was evaluated for control solutions 1 to 3 which were obtained in the same procedures as for the solutions of the present invention except for extraction condition such as extraction temperature and ethanol concentration.
The result is also shown in Table 1.
As can be seen from the results, the solutions of the present invention 1 to 9 (Test 1 to 9), which were extracted with the extracting temperature being from 20 to 75° C. and the ethanol concentration of extracting solvent being from 20% to 100%, show higher suppressive activities on the isolation of the histamine in comparison with the control solutions 1 to 3. Moreover, the solutions of the present invention 10 and 11, which are previously extracted by water, show the same high suppressive active. Especially, the solutions of the present invention 2 to 5 (Test 2 to 5), which were extracted with the t extracting temperature being 60° C. and the specific ethanol concentration of extracting solvent being from 45% to 100%, and the solution of the present invention 6 (Test 6), which was extracted with the extracting temperature being 40° C. and the specific ethanol concentration, of extracting solvent being 60%, show from 56% to 83% of the suppressive activity on the isolation of histamine and thus, the high potency of anti-allergic effect.
These results show very high potency of the suppressive effect on isolation of histamine compared to the suppressive effect on isolation of histamine (50%) of DSCG (0.1 mg/mL) examined in the same line of test procedures.
From the above results, it was found that the Maca extract with the high potency of anti-allergic activities can be obtained by maintaining the temperature of the extraction solution and the ethanol concentration relatively high.
The Maca extract obtained is suitable to use in a food and beverage product, an oral administration pharmaceutical and a perfumery and a cosmetic to be placed in mouth, because it possesses the very high potency of anti-allergic effects and it uses ethanol aqueous solution which is safe.
Tablet:
As shown below, a pharmaceutical preparation (tablet) comprising the Maca extract was prepared.
3 kg of small pieces or powder of the Maca was placed in stainless container, to that 30 L of aqueous solution having ethanol concentration of 99 by volume % was added, and mixed for 3 hors at 60° C. The resultant solution was filtrated and the solvent was removed from the extract to give 180 g of the Maca extract of the present invention.
66.7 g of the resultant Maca extract was then mixed with 232.0 g of lactose and 1.3 g of magnesium stearate and the mixture was compressed into tablets by a single punch tableting machine to give tablets with 10 mm in diameter and 300 mg in weight.
Granule:
0.5 g of magnesium stearate was added to 99.5 g of the Maca extract obtained by the above procedure, then compressed, crushed and sieved to give 20 to 50 mesh granules.
As shown below, food and beverage products comprising the Maca extract were prepared.
Candy:
Candy:
Troche:
Gum:
Caramel:
Jelly (Coffee Jelly):
Ice Cream:
Custard Pudding:
Sweet Jelly of Beans:
Juice:
Carbonated Beverage:
Lactic Acid Bacteria Beverage:
Coffee Beverage:
Alcoholic Beverage:
As shown below, perfumery and cosmetic comprising Maca extract is prepared.
Toothpaste:
Mouthwash:
Facial Cream (Acidulous):
Emollient Cream:
Emollient Lotion:
Liquid Foundation:
Hair-Growth Tonic:
Shampoo:
Conditioner:
As set forth, the present invention provides the Maca extract possessing the high potency of anti-allergic effects produced by the extracting procedure of the present invention.
Since the obtained Maca extract possesses strong anti-allergic effects, a food and beverage product, a perfumery and a cosmetic and a pharmaceutical preparation containing thereof suppress allergic symptoms of everyday life very effectively, and thus this invention contributes enormously to the industry.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-019283 | Jan 2004 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP05/01201 | 1/28/2005 | WO | 6/14/2007 |
