Natural crystalline colorant and process for production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10214630-B2
Application number	US-201715449828-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2017
Priority date	Jun 30, 2011
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

A crystalline pigment or colorant composition having high color intensity and/or low sugar content, and methods and processes of preparation. The composition may comprise purified fruit and/or vegetable color juices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process, comprising:
purifying algae containing pigments by removing at least a portion of non-pigment compounds from the algae to recover a purified pigment;
drying the purified pigment by refractive window drying to produce a crystalline product and milling the crystalline product.

2. The process as recited in claim 1 , wherein the purified pigment is selected from the group consisting of anthocyanins, carotenoids, betalains, curcumin, carminic acid, carminic acid derivatives, chlorophyll, and chlorophyll derivatives.

3. The process as recited in claim 1 , wherein purifying comprises ultrafiltration and diafiltration across a polymeric membrane system.

4. The process as recited in claim 3 , wherein the polymeric membrane system comprising polyethersulfone (PES) spiral ultrafiltration membranes.

5. The process as recited in claim 4 , wherein the PES spiral ultrafiltration membranes have a nominal molecular weight cutoff of about 5000 daltons.

6. The process as recited in claim 1 , wherein purifying comprises circulating a feed liquid through a membrane system.

7. The process as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
filtering a feed liquid through a membrane system;
recovering a retentate; and
reconstituting the retentate.

8. The process as recited in claim 1 , whereas purifying comprises adsorption/desorption chromatography.

9. The process as recited in claim 1 , whereas purifying comprises a fermentation process.

10. The process as recited in claim 1 , whereas purifying comprises a subcritical or a supercritical fluid extraction process.

11. The process as recited in claim 1 , whereas drying the purified pigment comprises freeze-drying.

Assignees

• Gallo Winery E & J

Inventors

• Rossi Joseph
• Kattamuri Sundeep

Classifications

• C08K5/1545

  Six-membered rings · CPC title

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• B01D3/001

  Processes specially adapted for distillation or rectification of fermented solutions · CPC title

• C08K5/132

  Phenols containing keto groups {, e.g. benzophenones} · CPC title

• C09B67/0033

  Blends of pigments; Mixtured crystals; Solid solutions · CPC title