Method for production of thymoquinone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9745242-B1
Application number	US-201615348322-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 10, 2016
Priority date	Nov 10, 2016
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

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 senensce 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;
(d) allowing material of said cut plants to senesce in the presence of oxygen for a period of greater than one day and less than 14 days to induce conversion of carvacrol and/or thymol to thymoquinone; and
(e) collecting thymoquinone from said senesced material.

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

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

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein water is applied by a method selected from the group consisting of irrigation and spraying either by hand or mechanical application.

5. 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 for a period of greater than one day and less than 14 days to induce conversion of carvacrol and/or thymol to thymoquinone; and
(e) collecting thymoquinone from said material.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the application of water increases the level of thymoquinone to between 10% and 40%.

Assignees

• Kemin Ind Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• 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

• 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

• C07C50/02

  with monocyclic quinoid structure · CPC title

• A01G1/001

  Human Necessities · mapped topic