Process for removing pesticides from ginkgo biloba extracts, and extracts obtainable by said process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9504270-B2
Application number	US-25871510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2010
Priority date	Apr 6, 2009
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

Process for removing pesticides from Ginkgo biloba extracts, which involves submitting an extract obtained by conventional methods to the following steps:
a. Liquid-liquid extraction of the extract to obtain a medium polarity fraction containing ginkgo terpenes and pesticides not removable with hexane, and a high polarity fraction containing ginkgo flavone glycosides; b. crystallization from the medium polarity fraction obtained at step a) to give an intermediate with a ginkgolide content of not less than 50%; c. crystallization from the residual solution obtained at step b) to give an intermediate with a bilobalide content of not less than 50%; d. mixing of the high polarity fraction obtained at step a) with the ginkgo terpene intermediate and the bilobalide intermediate obtained at steps b) and c).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for removing pesticides from Ginkgo biloba extracts comprising, the following steps:
a) subjecting said extracts to liquid-liquid extraction with a water-immiscible solvent selected from esters, chlorinated hydrocarbons, mixtures of hydrocarbons and alcohols, ketones and mixtures of ketones and alcohols, to obtain a fraction containing ginkgo terpenes and pesticides not removable with hexane, and a fraction containing ginkgo flavone glycosides;
b) crystallizing the ginkgo terpenes in mixtures of water and C 1 -C 3 alcohols from the fraction containing ginkgo terpenes and pesticides not removable with hexane obtained in step a) to obtain a ginkgolide intermediate with a ginkgolide content of not less than 50% w/w and a residual solution;
c) crystallizing in water or in a mixture of water and C 1 -C 3 alcohols the residual solution obtained in step b) to obtain a bilobalide intermediate with a bilobalide content of not less than 50% w/w;
d) mixing the fraction containing ginkgo flavone glycosides obtained in step a) with the ginkgolide intermediate and the bilobalide intermediate obtained in steps b) and c);

thereby removing said pesticides from said Ginkgo biloba extracts.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the solvent is an ester having 2 to 8 carbon atoms.

Assignees

• Giori Andrea
• Mombelli Giacomo
• Arpini Sabrina
• Acerbi Mario
• Indena Spa

Inventors

• Giori Andrea
• Mombelli Giacomo
• Arpini Sabrina
• Acerbi Mario

Classifications

• A61P37/04

  Immunostimulants · CPC title

• A61P39/06

  Free radical scavengers or antioxidants · CPC title

• A61P7/02

  Antithrombotic agents; Anticoagulants; Platelet aggregation inhibitors · CPC title

• A61P9/08

  Vasodilators for multiple indications · CPC title

• A23L5/23

  by extraction with solvents · CPC title