Method for production of thymoquinone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10138194-B2
Application number	US-201715647001-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2017
Priority date	Nov 10, 2016
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A method of producing thymoquinone and/or thymohydroquinone in Monarda by growing Monarda with elevated levels of carvacrol and/or thymol in the fresh plant tissue and vigorous growth, harvesting the Monarda , leaving the Monarda to senesce in the presence of oxygen and extracting the thymoquinone and/or thymohydroquinone from the senesced tissue.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of producing thymoquinone, comprising the steps of:
(a) cultivating plants of Monarda fistulosa either by planting seed or by transplanting cuttings;
(b) growing said plants of Monarda fistulosa until elevated levels of carvacrol and/or thymol are present in the plants;
(c) cutting said plants during their vegetative stage;
(d) allowing material of said cut plants to senesce in the presence of oxygen.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising collecting thymoquinone from said senesced material.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein allowing senescence increases the level of thymoquinone to between 10% and 40% in oil.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein water is purposely applied to the material at least once over said period of senescence.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein water is applied through exposure to rain.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein water is applied by a method selected from the group consisting of irrigation and spraying either by hand or mechanical application.

7. A method of producing thymoquinone, comprising the steps of:
(a) cultivating plants of Monarda fistulosa either by planting seed or by transplanting cuttings;
(b) growing said plants of Monarda fistulosa until elevated levels of carvacrol and/or thymol are present in the plants;
(c) cutting said plants;
(d) applying water to material of said cut plants.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising collecting thymoquinone from said cut plants.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the application of water increases the level of thymoquinone to between 10% and 40% in oil.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein water is purposely applied at least once prior to collecting thymoquinone from said cut plants.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein water is applied through exposure to rain.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein water is applied by a method selected from the group consisting of irrigation and spraying either by hand or mechanical application.

Assignees

• Kemin Ind Inc

Inventors

• Greaves John A
• Narasimhamoorthy Brindha
• Srivastava Vandana
• Cloud Norman
• Clark Dawn

Classifications

• A01G25/00

  Watering gardens, fields, sports grounds or the like (special apparatus or adaptations for fertilising-liquids A01C23/00; nozzles or outlets, spraying apparatus B05B) · CPC title

• A01G22/00

  Cultivation of specific crops or plants not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• C07C46/10 Primary

  Separation; Purification; Stabilisation; Use of additives · CPC title

• C07C50/02

  with monocyclic quinoid structure · CPC title

• A61K31/122

  having the oxygen directly attached to a ring, e.g. quinones, vitamin K1, anthralin · CPC title