DESC:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a high purity stain-free turmeric extract composition. The invention also relates to the process of preparation, which involves coating turmeric extract using Natural gum, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), starch their combination as a coating material for turmeric extract. In addition to stain-free aspects, the composition will have good flow, and high loading capacity, while maintaining high purity of curcuminoids in the coated turmeric extract.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Turmeric, as a spice, is an integral part of Indian kitchen and it is also an essential constituent in traditional medicine in India. The active component in turmeric is the curcuminoids which are derived from the rhizomes of turmeric. The unique yellow colour of turmeric powder is because of the curcuminoids present in it. Curcumin makes over three fourth of the curcuminoids, and curcumin is one of the most studied polyphenols derived from turmeric. Recent studies conducted on Curcuminoids, in particular, curcumin have shown an exceptional medicinal property. It has been shown to have antioxidant property, activity towards cancer, and it has been used for the treatment of infection and inflammation. In the food industry turmeric extract and turmeric powder have huge demand as a colouring agent, food additive and for its flavour. Turmeric extract has long been used in the food industry and also as a dietary supplement.
The golden spice has few limitations when it comes to its use. It is hard to get rid of the unique yellow colour for things. Turmeric stain is not just tough to be removed from a piece of cloth but also from industrial pieces of equipment. Packaging and handling of turmeric powder or turmeric extract are extremely difficult because of the staining problem. Equipment or facility in which turmeric is once used need thorough cleaning before it can be used again for any other purpose.
The staining issue is much more significant when it comes to turmeric extract rich in curcuminoids. Coating over turmeric extract can prevent staining, but with the turmeric extracts, the purity cannot be compromised. In US patent application 2018/0042858 a coated turmeric extract had been disclosed, but the coated turmeric is only 92% pure, which is below the market standard. Purity might be less since the application discloses the use of HPMC in the granulating stage.
In US patent application 2019/0200660 a low purity curcumin composition is disclosed, where curcumin is blended with gum and the purity of curcumin is only in a range of 0.5 to 30%. This application discloses only blending and not a coating. Hence the final product will not be stain-free turmeric composition.
In US patent application 2018/0028447 polymer and chitosan to coat curcumin, such a coating will mask the aroma and colour of the turmeric extract. The purity of curcumin in the coated product is also less 95% since the coating material covers 5 to 7% of the product. Another aspect of industrial use is the flowability of the turmeric extract. Generally, turmeric extract is in powder form, and powder has limitations. Anyone who has worked with powders, whether in a lab or a production setup, quickly recognises that powder flow is complex. Flow behaviour is multi-dimensional and does depend on many powder characteristics. Flowability is the result of a combination of physical properties of the material that affect the flow, and the equipment used for handling, storing, or processing the material.
THE OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The principal object of the invention is to develop a turmeric extract-based product which is as pure as standard turmeric extract and at the same time industrial friendly in use. The term ‘industrial friendly' referred to a state when a composition will not stain the equipment used for product handling, but also will have good flow, and high loading capacity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the disclosure is a stain-free curcumin composition made of turmeric extract coated with an edible coating material. The edible coating material covers 80% to 100% of the turmeric extract surface. The edible coating material is selected from a group comprising of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, starch, gum acacia or a combination thereof. The turmeric extract has a bulk density of 0.4 to 0.9g/cm3 and a purity of 95% to 100% curcuminoids. The purity of curcuminoids in the composition is 95% to 99%.
In another embodiment, the turmeric extract has a particle size of 150-2000 microns, more precisely a particle size of 260 microns. In yet another embodiment the edible coating material to turmeric extract is in 1:99 to 4:99 ratio by weight.
Another embodiment is the method of making turmeric extract stain-free, damp the turmeric extract makes the composition, compress the wet extract till it reaches a bulk density of 0.4 to 0.9g/cm3, the compressed extract is granulated, the granulated turmeric extract is fluidised and edible coating material is sprayed on to the fluidised coating material. The liquid edible coating solution is prepared by adding water to edible coating material to make a solution. Add water till the Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) of the solution reach 3 to 5%.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Various features and advantages of the present invention should become apparent from the following drawings, which demonstrate the process steps involved in various process trials carried out in particularly preferred embodiment under the invention as well as the findings.
FIG1: Flow chart describing a method of preparing Regular turmeric extract.
FIG2: Flow chart describing a method preparation of Curcuminoid mixture with 24% curcuminoids.
FIG3: Flow chart describing a method of making Curcumin extract, 20-60 Mesh size range.
FIG4: Flow chart describing a method of coating using Fluidised Bed.
FIG5: Flow chart describing a method of coating using Coating Pan.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, high purity stain-free turmeric extract composition, formulation and product along with a process of production and method of use are disclosed here. The illustrations related to the various embodiments provide the best mode of execution of the invention which can be well understood by a person skilled in the art and do not intend to narrow the scope of any subject matter claimed.
Throughout the description of this specification the word “comprise” and other forms of the word, such as “comprising” and “comprises,” means including but not limited to, and is not intended to exclude, for example, other additives, components, integers, or steps.
The “purity” of composition or extract means the concentration of curcuminoids in the composition of the extract by weight and curcuminoids consist of Curcumin, Bisdemethoxycurcumin, and Demethoxycurcumin.
Turmeric extract means a solvent extract of turmeric Rhizome or any other plant part of turmeric. The solvent could be hydro-alcoholic, polar solvent, hydrocarbon solvent, oxygenated solvent, Halogenated solvent or non-polar solvent. Even water extract will be considered as turmeric extract for this application.
The biological material used in the invention (Turmeric or curcuma longa) is obtained from Gobichettipalayam, Erode district, Tamilnadu, India.
The application discloses a coated turmeric extract with an edible coating material. The edible coating material is selected from a group of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), Starch, Gum Acacia and a combination thereof, wherein the coating material to turmeric extract are present in a ratio of 1:1 to 1:100. The composition has a bulk density in the range of 0.4 to 0.9g/cm3. The composition is in a granular form with a particle size ranges from 150-2000microns. The composition has the same aroma and colour of a standard curcumin composition or a turmeric extract. The purity of curcuminoid in said composition is about 95% to 99%. The edible coating material covers 80% to 100% of the turmeric extract surface.
The composition has better flowability compared to its counterparts such as turmeric extract, which is particularly useful for handling and processing. Unlike the turmeric extract the said composition does not stick to any surface and also does not leave any yellow stain on paper, glass, pipe, inside of a hopper or any machine. The coated turmeric extract has a high loading capacity because of the high bulk density. The bulk density enables the composition to be compressed to form tablets with strength above 5Kg/cm2.
Another aspect of the coated turmeric extract is the high purity of curcuminoids in the coated turmeric extract. The purity of composition is at least 95%, and above, it is significant because when a turmeric extract with a purity of about 95%-98% is coated, one would expect the final product to have less than 95% purity. The present application purity of total curcuminoids has not gone down, instead stayed as the same that of the input material. The reason for such high purity of the final product is because of the high bulk density, which enhances packing capacity, also because of the coating material used, and even the process of coating.
Another aspect of the coated turmeric extract is the medicinal property of the composition. The coating on the turmeric extract is not affecting the medicinal property of the curcumin.
In some embodiment, the purity of the coated turmeric extract is above 96±1%. The coating material to turmeric extract is present in a ratio of 1:99 to 4:99 in the composition, and the particle size of the coated turmeric extract is about 250 microns. The coating material used is HPMC, and in some embodiment, the coating material used is a natural gum. In some embodiment, the coating material used is starch, and in some embodiment, the coating material used is a combination of both natural gum and starch.
In some embodiment, the coating material to turmeric extract is in the ratio of 1:1 to 1:100. The coated turmeric powder has a bulk density in the range of 0.4 to 0.9g/cm3. The coated turmeric powder is in a granular form with a particle size ranges from 150-2000microns. The composition has the same aroma and colour of standard turmeric powder.
In yet another embodiment the edible coating material to turmeric powder is in the ratio of 1:99 to 4:99; the turmeric extract has a bulk density in the range of 0.4 to 0.9g/cm3; the coated turmeric powder is in a granular form with a particle size ranging from 150-260microns. The edible coating material covers 80% to 100% of the surface of the extract.
In another embodiment, turmeric extract is coated with a coating material to obtain a coated turmeric extract, and the coated turmeric extract has a curcuminoid purity of 20 to 80%. The edible coating material to turmeric extract is in a ratio of 1:1 to 1:100. The turmeric extract has a bulk density in the range of 0.6 to 0.8g/cm3. The coated turmeric powder is in a granular form with a particle size which ranges from 150-2000microns. The edible coating material covers 80% to 100% of the surface of the extract. The composition has the same aroma and colour of a standard turmeric extract.
In yet another embodiment the edible coating material to turmeric extract with 20 to 80% purity is in a ratio of 1:99 to 4:99; the coated turmeric extract has a bulk density in the range of 0.7 to 0.9g/cm3; the coated turmeric extract is in a granular form with a particle size ranges from 150-260microns.
In yet another embodiment a coated turmeric composition is disclosed, regular turmeric powder is coated with an edible coating material. Edible coating material to turmeric is 1: 99 to 1:10. The edible coating material is selected from a group of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), Starch, Gum Acacia and a combination thereof. The regular turmeric powder is a powder obtained when cleaned, dried turmeric rhizome is powdered, turmeric that is used for cooking and food industries. The turmeric powder may be converted into granules or microspheres prior to coating, and edible coating material covers 80% to 100% of the surface of such turmeric particle.
In one embodiment, a method of making turmeric extract non-sticky and free-flowing is disclosed. Turmeric extract is compressed to increase bulk density, and then it is granulated, and coated with a coating material to form a coated curcuminoid composition. The purity of curcuminoid in said composition is 95% to 97% when the turmeric extract used is of purity of 95% or more. The coatings material to curcuminoids is present in a ratio of 1:19 to 1:99. According to an embodiment under the invention, the coated material is not sticky as well. Here non-sticky means that it does not leave any stain on the container surface when the coated curcuminoids composition is handled in a glass, metal or plastic container.
In one embodiment, a method of increasing the loading capacity of turmeric extract is disclosed. Loading capacity is increased by compressing the wetted turmeric extract to increase its bulk density above 0.6g/cm3. In some embodiment, the Turmeric extract is combined with an excipient, and the excipient is one selected from a group of HPMC, Starch, and Natural Gum or a combination thereof. This combination is compressed to increase bulk density to above 0.6g/cm3, and then it is granulated, followed by separating granules of the desired size range. The purity of curcuminoid in said composition is 95% to 99%, when the turmeric extract used is of purity 95% or more.
The application also discloses a method of coating the turmeric extract. First, the turmeric extract is granulated using a wet granulation method. The turmeric extract is taken in mixing vessel and sprayed with water (preferably deionised water) followed by continuous agitation of the resultant mixture for a while to get a wetted extract. The wetted extract is passed through a roll compactor to obtain flakes. The flacks are passed through a swaying granulator. The granules are filtered through a wire mesh of the desired size, and the residue is recycled. The granules are collected on a bed dryer and dried. Sieve the dried granules through multiple meshes to filter out the desired size to obtain the turmeric extract granules. The granules can be coated by a fluidised bed coating method or by coating pan method.
Fluidised bed Coating Process: For this process, the desired amount of coating material is dissolved in water and made into a solution. The turmeric extract granules are charged into the fluidised bed coating machine, and inlet air is turned on, and the turmeric extract granules are fluidised. The coating solution, which is already loaded in the machine is sprayed on to the fluidised turmeric extract granules through a spray nozzle. The solution spray rate is adjusted accordingly, to maintain the exhaust temperature. After the coating is complete, the coated granules are ejected out and sieved according to the desired size. In one embodiment the coating material is HPMC and HPMC to turmeric extract granules is in a ratio of, 1:99 to 1:1 more precisely 1:99 to 4:99. In another embodiment, the coating material is natural gum, and natural gum to turmeric extract granules is in a ratio of, 1:99 to 1:1 more precisely 1:99 to 4:99. In yet another embodiment the coating material is starch and starch to turmeric extract granules is in a ratio of, 1:99 to 1:1 more precisely 1:99 to 4:99. In yet another embodiment, the coating material is starch and natural gum combination and said combination to turmeric extract granules is in a ratio of, 1:99 to 1:1, more precisely 1:99 to 4:99.
The coating Pan Process: For this process, the desired amount of coating material is dissolved in water and made into a solution. The curcuminoid granules are charged into the Coating Pan which is a circular metal pan that is slightly tilted to an angle of about 45°C to the benchtop. The coating pan has an electric motor that rotates the circular metal pan horizontally to its axis, and the coating material is sprayed on to the curcuminoid granules in the rotating pan, while the temperature and pressure of spray nozzle outlet are maintained. The coated granules are discharged and sieved through multiple meshes and filtered out according to the desired size. In one embodiment the coating material is HPMC and HPMC to turmeric extract granules is in a ratio of, 1:99 to 1:1 more precisely 1:99 to 4:99. In another embodiment, the coating material is natural gum, and natural gum to turmeric extract granules is in a ratio of, 1:99 to 1:1 more precisely 1:99 to 4:99. In yet another embodiment the coating material is starch and starch to turmeric extract granules is in a ratio of, 1:99 to 1:1 more precisely 1:99 to 4:99. In yet another embodiment the coating material is starch and natural gum combination and said combination to turmeric extract granules is in a ratio of, 1:99 to 1:1 more precisely 1:99 to 4:99.
EXAMPLES
The disclosure is further explained in detail below concerning Examples. However, the disclosure is not limited to the Examples.
Example 1
A Method of preparing Regular turmeric extract
The rhizomes of turmeric (500Kg) were cleaned and dried. The dried turmeric rhizomes were powdered to form powdered turmeric (Sample 1). Ethyl acetate extraction of the powdered turmeric was performed. For the extraction, ethyl acetate (1500 L) was added to the powdered turmeric at 78°C temperature and extracted for 1 hr. After ethyl acetate extraction, a solution and a residue one were obtained. The residue one was separated from the solution, and 1500 L of ethyl acetate was again added to the residue 1, for extraction at 78°C temperature for 1 hr. The resultant residue was similarly extracted with ethyl acetate for three more times. The solution from each of the ethyl acetate extraction steps was combined and filtered. The solvent from the filtered solution was stripped to form an extract. Then the extract was cooled to about 4oC to obtain crystals of curcuminoid (20Kg) and a liquid. The crystals of curcuminoid were isolated from the liquid by filtration. The crystals of curcuminoids are referred to as regular turmeric extract (Sample 2).
Sample 1 had about 2 to 5% total curcuminoids. Sample 2, the crystal of curcuminoid had total curcuminoids 97.46% that included a mixture of curcumin (about 80.76%), demethoxycurcumin (about 13.8%) and bisdemethoxycurcumin (about 2.9%).
Example 2
Method of preparation of turmeric extract with 24% curcuminoid
The rhizomes of turmeric (50 Kg) were dried and flaked into the required size. The flakes of turmeric were filled in the soxhlet apparatus and extracted with Ethanol. The extraction was carried out for 5 hrs at a temperature of about 83oC. After the completion of extraction, the solvent was filtered. The solvent was removed by distillation, and a mild vacuum was applied to get an oleoresin which contains the essential oil of turmeric and curcuminoid. The oleoresin was steam distilled to get essential oil and a residue. The residue was dried under vacuum to form a 10 Kg of powder extract (Sample 3) with 24 % total curcuminoid.
Example 3
Method of analysis for total curcuminoids by HPLC
For the analysis, 25 mg of a sample was accurately weighed and transferred into a 50 ml standard flask and made up to a 50 ml solution with methanol. From this pipette out 2 ml into 50 ml standard flask and made up to a 50 ml solution with methanol. Filter through 0.2µm membrane filter before injection. Standard was prepared by weighing accurately 25mg standard [Curcumin Standard: - 99% Total Curcuminoids (Sigma)] and transferred into a 50 ml standard flask and made up to a 50 ml solution with methanol. From this pipette out 2 ml into 50 ml standard flask and made up to a 50 ml solution with methanol. Filter through 0.2µm membrane filter before injection.
The total Curcuminoids in the sample was analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a C18 column ((250X4.6mm Shimadzu Co., Japan.) using methanol as the mobile phase and UV detection at 420 nm. The eluent flow rate was 1ml/min.
By comparing the area of standard and sample, the percentage of total curcuminoids was calculated using the formula
Percentage of total Curcuminoid =
Area of sample X amount of std X Purity of std
Area of Std X weight of the sample
The “Samples” Total Curcuminoids
Sample 1 2.8%
Sample 2 97.46%
Sample 3 24%
Coted Sample 2 HPMC 97%
Gum Acacia 97.1%
Starch 97%
Starch: Gum Acacia 80:20 96.8%
Example 4
Procedure for making curcumin extract of 20- 60 Mesh size:
About 200Kg of Turmeric extract (Sample 2) was charged into a Wet Mix Granulator machine and agitated. About 3kg of deionised water was sprayed into the mass, at the feed rate of 6 kg/hr. After water feeding, agitation was continued for 10 more minutes. The agitator was turned off, and the wetted product was discharged. The wetted Curcumin extract was passed through a roll compactor and discharged as flakes. The flakes were then passed through a swaying granulator, and the granules were fitted with 20 mesh perforated plate. The granules were collected and dried in Fluidised Bed Drier. The dried granules were sieved through 20 mesh followed by 60 mesh, to collect the product in size range of 20-60 mesh Sample 4).
Example 5
Method of coating using Fluidised Bed
The required amount of Coating material was weighed and slowly added to the required amount Purified water while it was being stirred until the whole Coating material is dissolved to form a uniform solution with required TDS. Filter the solution in a 250 microns stainless steel filter. About 100kg turmeric granules (Sample 4) were charged in Fluidised bed coating (FBC) machine. FBC was turned on, and the granules were fluidised, inlet temperature was set at 50oC. The Coating solution was pumped using a Peristaltic pump and was sprayed on the fluidised granules, through the spray nozzle connected at the top of the FBC. Mixer air pressure in the spray nozzle was maintained at 3 kg/cm2. The solution spray rate was adjusted accordingly, to maintain the Exhaust temperature at 41-43oC. After the solution pumping was over, the FBC is turned off, and the product was discharged. The discharged product was sieved through a 16 Mesh stainless steel filter. The underpass product was collected and then sieved through 60 Mesh stainless steel filter. The overpass product of this was the required coated turmeric extract.
Table 1.
Parameters of the coating according to the different coating material.
Required amount HPMC Gum Acacia Starch Starch: Gum Acacia 80:20
Coating material 3Kg 1.5Kg 2Kg 1.6Kg
water 57Kg 48.5Kg 64.66Kg 64.66Kg
Coating solution TDS 5% 3% 3% 3%

Example 6
Method of coating using Coating Pan
The required amount of coating material was weighed and slowly added to the required amount of Purified water while it was being stirred until the whole coating material was dissolved to form a uniform solution with a desired TDS. The solution was filtered with a 250 microns stainless steel filter to obtain the coating solution. About 100 kg Curcumin extract (sample 2) was charged into the Coating Pan. The Coating Pan was turned on, with an Inlet air temperature maintained at 55oC. The coating solution was pumped using a Peristaltic pump and was sprayed on the rolling Curcumin extract in the pan, through the spray nozzle connected inside the top of the Coating Pan. Mixer air pressure in the spray nozzle was maintained at 3 kg/cm2. The solution spray rate was adjusted accordingly to maintain the Exhaust temperature at 41-43 degree centigrade. After the solution pumping was over, the Coating Pan was turned off, and the product was discharged. The discharged product was sieved through a 16 Mesh stainless steel filter. The underpass product was collected and then sieved through 60 Mesh stainless steel filter. The overpass product of this was the required coated turmeric extract.
Table 2
Parameters of the coating process according to the different coating material.
Required amount HPMC Gum Acacia Starch Starch: Gum Acacia 80:20
Coating material 3Kg 1.5Kg 2Kg 1.6Kg
water 57Kg 48.5Kg 64.66Kg 64.66Kg
Coating solution TDS 5% 3% 3% 3%

Other modifications and variations to the invention are apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing disclosure and teachings. The scope of the invention is not limited to the turmeric extract prepared in the above illustrations, person killed in the art can use extracts prepared from other known methods. Thus, while only certain embodiments to show case the applicability of the invention have been specifically described herein, it will be apparent that numerous alterations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. ,CLAIMS:1. A curcumin composition comprising of turmeric extract and an edible coating material, wherein
the edible coating material covers 80% to 100% of the turmeric extract surface;
the edible coating material is selected from a group comprising of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, starch, gum acacia or a combination thereof;and
the turmeric extract has a bulk density of 0.4 to 0.9g/cm3 and a purity of 95% to 98% curcuminoids.
2. The curcumin composition of claim 1, wherein the purity of curcuminoids in the composition is 95% to 97%.
3. The curcumin composition of claim 1, wherein the turmeric extract has a partial size of 150-2000 microns.
4. The curcumin composition of claim 3, wherein the turmeric extract has a partial size of 150-260 microns.
5. The curcumin composition of claim 1, wherein the composition comprises of edible coating material to turmeric extract in 1:99 to 4:99 ratio by weight.
6. The curcumin composition of claim 1, wherein the edible coating material is starch to gum acacia in 80:20 ratio.
7. A free-flowing turmeric composition comprising turmeric powder and an edible coating material, wherein
the edible coating material cover 80% to 100% of the turmeric powder surface;
the turmeric powder comprises less than 10% curcuminoids; and
the edible coating material is selected from a group comprising of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, starch, gum acacia or a combination thereof.
8. A method of making turmeric extract stain-free, the method comprising the steps of;
wet the turmeric extract;
compress the wet extract until it reaches a bulk density of 0.4 to 0.9g/cm3;
the compressed extract is granulated;
the granulated turmeric extract is fluidized; and
an edible coating material is sprayed on to the fluidized coating material, wherein the coating material is selected from a group comprising of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, starch, gum acacia or a combination thereof.
9. The method of making turmeric extract stain free of claim 8, wherein the composition comprises of edible coating material to turmeric extract in 1:99 to 4:99 ratio by weight.
10. The method of making turmeric extract stain free of claim 8, wherein the edible coating material is prepared by the step of; take edible coating material, add water into it to make a solution, add water till the Total Dissolved Solid of the solution reach 3 to 5%.