METHOD FOR LOWERING THE OXIDISING POWER OF A LIQUID OR SEMI-LIQUID ORGANIC COMPOSITION

Abstract

A method for lowering the oxidising power of a liquid or semi-liquid organic composition, as well as of the so-called free organic composition that can be obtained by this method. Also, a free organic composition that can be obtained by the method of the invention, as well as a food, cosmetic or chemical composition or a pharmaceutical composition containing the composition treated by the method.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A method for lowering the oxidizing power of a liquid or semi-liquid organic composition, said composition being aqueous, hydroalcoholic or oily and comprising at least pro-oxidizing cations and oxidation-sensitive molecules, said method comprising the following successive steps of: 1) contacting at least one negatively charged organic polymer with the organic composition, said polymer being insoluble in said composition, said insoluble negatively charged organic polymer being selected from pectic acid and alginic acid, so as to obtain a preparation; 2) separating said polymer to which the pro-oxidizing cations present in the composition are bound, from the free organic composition, allowing the free organic composition to be recovered.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, during contacting in step 1), the pro-oxidizing cations, selected from the divalent and/or trivalent cations present in the composition which promote oxidation of the organic molecules present in said composition, bind to said insoluble negatively charged organic polymer.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the preparation obtained after step 1) is mixed.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein pectic acid has a methylation level lower than 5%.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the liquid or semi-liquid organic composition contains at least one biomass, preferably of plant origin.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein the biomass is ground before being added to the composition.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein each of steps 1) and 2) is carried out at a temperature in the range of 15 to 70° C., preferably in the range of 20 to 25° C.

23. The method according to claim 16, wherein the contacting step 1) is carried out by at least one of the following actions: mixing, suspending, grinding, crushing, trituration or rasping.

24. The method according to claim 16, wherein in step 2), pectic acid or alginic acid is removed by solid-liquid separation.

25. The method according to claim 16, wherein the insoluble negatively charged organic polymer, which is pectic acid or alginic acid, is present in the preparation in a content in the range from 1 to 30 g/L, in particular 1 to 15 g/L, especially 1 to 5 g/L of preparation.

26. The method according to claim 16, wherein the separation step 2) is carried out by centrifugation or filtration.

27. The method according to claim 16, wherein the insoluble negatively charged organic polymer, which is pectic acid or alginic acid, is bound to a column.

28. The method according to claim 16, wherein the oxidizing power of the organic molecules contained in the free organic composition is reduced by at least 50%, preferably by at least 80%, even more preferably by at least 90%, relative to the liquid or semi-liquid organic composition used in step 1).

29. A free organic composition having a lowered oxidizing power likely to be obtained according to claim 16.

30. A food, cosmetic or chemical composition comprising at least one free organic composition according to claim 29.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0074] FIG. 1 represents the change in conductivity (C, in mS/cm) as a function of time (in Days, J) according to two exemplary embodiments (comparative and according to the invention) illustrating example 1.

[0075] FIG. 2 represents the change in conductivity (C, in mS/cm) as a function of time (in Days, J) according to two exemplary embodiments (comparative and according to the invention) illustrating example 2.

[0076] FIGS. 1 and 2 will be discussed hereinafter below in examples 1 and 2.

EXAMPLES

Example 1: Composition from Potato Treated with Pectic Acid

[0077] Potatoes contain chlorogenic acid, which is an oxidation-sensitive polyphenol. This tuber is therefore part of excellent examples for an oxidation test.

[0078] Test 1: Biomass without Addition of Insoluble Negatively Charged Polymer (for Comparison)

[0079] 500 g of potato have been ground in 500 g of water in a knife mixer/grinder. The mixer/grinder has the advantage that it creates maximum oxidability conditions, as it allows air to be added to the ground material by foaming the proteins. After 10 minutes of mixing at speed 1, at a temperature of 20° C., the mixing has been stopped and a liquid-solid separation has been carried out by centrifugation. The extraction liquid thus obtained was rust/brown-colored, typical of an oxidized product.

[0080] The change in conductivity (C, in mS/cm) of the extraction liquid has been measured as a function of time (in Days, J) with a conductivity meter (Sanxin SX713) at 20° C., as represented in curve 2 of FIG. 1.

[0081] Test 2: Biomass Treated with the Addition of Insoluble Negatively Charged Polymer According to the Invention

[0082] 500 g of potato was ground in 500 g of water to which 15 g of pectic acid was added in the same mixer as in Test 1. After 10 minutes of mixing at speed 1, at a temperature of 20° C., the mixing has been stopped and a liquid-solid separation has been carried out by centrifugation. The extraction liquid thus obtained was yellow in color. This yellow color, which remained stable for several days after the separation, demonstrated the absence of oxidation.

[0083] The change in conductivity (C, in mS/cm) of the extraction liquid has been measured as in Test 1 as a function of time (in Days, D), as represented in curve 1 of FIG. 1.

[0084] Unlike curve 2 of FIG. 1 corresponding to the comparative TEST 1, it is seen in curve 1 of FIG. 1 that the product treated by the method of the invention presents an asymptote at about 5.2 mS/cm, which demonstrated effectiveness of the method according to the invention since beyond 3 days and up to 7 days the oxidation of the product had not changed.

Example 2: Sunflower Press Cake Composition Treated with Pectic Acid

[0085] Sunflower press cake de-oiled by pressing at 60° C. contains chlorogenic acid, which is another oxidation-sensitive polyphenol.

[0086] Test 1: Biomass without Addition of Insoluble Negatively Charged Polymer (for Comparison)

[0087] 50 g of sunflower press cake de-oiled by pressing at 60° C. have been mixed using a magnetic stirrer in 1000 g of water at 25° C. After one hour of stirring, a solid-liquid separation has been carried out. The color of the supernatant started to turn black one hour after separation, which demonstrated oxidation.

[0088] Test 2: Biomass Treated with Addition of Insoluble Negatively Charged Polymer According to the Invention

[0089] 50 g of sunflower press cake de-oiled by pressing at 60° C. have been mixed using a magnetic stirrer in 1000 g of water to which 12 g of pectic acid had been added at 25° C. After one hour of stirring, a solid-liquid separation has been carried out. The color of the supernatant remained pale yellow even several days after separation, which demonstrated that the polyphenol had not oxidized.

[0090] This demonstrated the effectiveness of the method according to the invention, in comparison with the result of the comparative test 1.

Example 3: Apple Juice Composition Treated with Pectic Acid

[0091] The apple juice contains chlorogenic acid, which is an oxidation-sensitive polyphenol. Conductivity has been measured to determine the oxidizing power of the treated composition in comparison with that not treated by the addition of pectic acid.

[0092] Test 1: Biomass without Addition of Insoluble Negatively Charged Polymer (for Comparison)

[0093] 1 L of juice has been extracted from apples at ambient temperature using a household juice extractor. The obtained apple juice has been filtered to remove large solid particles and then pasteurized by heating to 70° C. for 30 minutes.

[0094] Test 2: Biomass Treated with Insoluble Negatively Charged Polymer According to the Invention

[0095] 1 L of juice has been extracted from apples at ambient temperature, using a household juice extractor. The apple juice obtained has been mixed with 10 g/L of insoluble pectic acid to obtain a pH of 3.5. The obtained composition was then filtered to remove large solid particles and then pasteurized by heating to 70° C. for 30 minutes.

[0096] For TESTS 1 and 2, the following measurements have been made:

[0097] Conductivity Measurement

[0098] The change in oxidation is monitored by measuring the conductivity (in mS/cm) of the extraction liquid as a function of time (in days), using a conductivity meter (Sanxin SX713) at 20° C.

[0099] Bacterial Contamination Measurement:

[0100] Bacterial concentration measurements (enterobacteria) have also been carried out at T0 and T+5 days.

[0101] In this test, the French method according to NF V08-054-04/2009 standard has been used to enumerate presumed enterobacteria by counting colonies obtained at 30° C. or 37° C., in products intended for human consumption or animal feed.

[0102] The results are reported in FIG. 2:

[0103] Conductivity:

[0104] For the sample not treated with pectic acid (“without pectic acid” curve) it is noted that the conductivity increases very rapidly and strongly during the first day starting from an initial value of 2 mS/cm up to 2.8 mS/cm, and then progressively increases to the value of 3 mS/cm for more than 30 additional days.

[0105] In contrast, for the sample treated with pectic acid, according to the method of the invention (“with pectic acid” curve), a quasi-stability of conductivity to the initial value (2 mS/cm) is noted during the whole period of the test (30 days).

[0106] These results show very clearly that in the case of the apple juice sample treated with pectic acid, according to the invention, oxidation was blocked.

[0107] Bacterial Contamination

[0108] A bacterial concentration (enterobacteria) at D+5 of 120,000 CFU/g is noticed for the juice not treated with pectic acid, in comparison with <100 CFU/d for the juice treated with pectic acid according to the invention.

[0109] This result clearly shows a highly reduced bacterial contamination when the apple juice has been treated with pectic acid.

Example 4: Composition of Sunflower Press Cake Treated with Alginic Acid

[0110] A sunflower press cake de-oiled by pressing at 60° C. contains chlorogenic acid, which is an oxidation-sensitive polyphenol.

[0111] Test 1: Biomass without Addition of Insoluble Negatively Charged Polymer (for Comparison)

[0112] 50 g of sunflower press cake have been mixed using a magnetic stirrer in 1000 g of water at 25° C. After one hour of stirring, a solid-liquid separation has been carried out. The color of the supernatant started to turn black one hour after separation, which demonstrated oxidation.

[0113] Test 2: Biomass Treated with Addition of Insoluble Negatively Charged Polymer According to the Invention

[0114] 50 g of sunflower press cake have been mixed using a magnetic stirrer in 1000 g of water to which 25 g of alginic acid had been added at 25° C. After one hour of stirring, a solid-liquid separation has been carried out. The color of the supernatant remained pale yellow even several days after separation, which demonstrated that the polyphenol had not oxidized.

[0115] This demonstrated the effectiveness of the method according to the invention, in comparison with the result of the comparative test 1.