Method for Solubilizing, Separating, Removing And
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
(19) TZZ Z_T (11) EP 2 585 420 B1 (12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION (45) Date of publication and mention (51) Int Cl.: of the grant of the patent: C07B 63/04 (2006.01) 06.04.2016 Bulletin 2016/14 (86) International application number: (21) Application number: 11730572.2 PCT/EP2011/003182 (22) Date of filing: 22.06.2011 (87) International publication number: WO 2011/160857 (29.12.2011 Gazette 2011/52) (54) METHOD FOR SOLUBILIZING, SEPARATING, REMOVING AND REACTING CARBOXYLIC ACIDS IN OILS, FATS, AQUEOUS OR ORGANIC SOLUTIONS BY MEANS OF MICRO- OR NANOEMULSIFICATION VERFAHREN ZUM AUFLÖSEN, TRENNEN, ENTFERNEN UND REAGIEREN VON CARBONSOSÄUREN IN ÖLEN, FETTEN, WÄSSRIGEN ODER ORGANISCHEN LÖSUNGEN MITTELS MIKRO- ODER NANOEMULGIERUNG PROCÉDÉ POUR SOLUBILISER, SÉPARER, ÉLIMINER ET FAIRE RÉAGIR DES ACIDES CARBOXYLIQUES DANS DES HUILES, DES GRAISSES, DES SOLUTIONS AQUEUSES OU ORGANIQUES PAR MICRO- OU NANO-ÉMULSIFICATION (84) Designated Contracting States: (56) References cited: AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB • MURA P ET AL: "TERNARY SYSTEMS OF GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO NAPROXEN WITH PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR HYDROXYPROPYL-BETA-CYCLODEXTRIN AND AMINOACIDS", INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF (30) Priority: 28.06.2010 US 344311 P PHARMACEUTICS, ELSEVIER BV, NL LNKD- 22.06.2010 EP 10075274 DOI:10.1016/S0378-5173(03)00265-5,vol. 260, no. 2, 24 July 2003 (2003-07-24) , pages 293-302, (43) Date of publication of application: XP008062550, ISSN: 0378-5173 01.05.2013 Bulletin 2013/18 • AYAKO HIRAI ET AL: "Effects of l-arginine on aggregates of fatty-acid/potassium soap in the (60) Divisional application: aqueous media", COLLOID AND POLYMER 16155130.4 SCIENCE ; KOLLOID-ZEITSCHRIFT UND ZEITSCHRIFT FÜR POLYMERE, SPRINGER, (73) Proprietor: Dietz, Ulrich BERLIN, DE LNKD- 65193 Wiesbaden (DE) DOI:10.1007/S00396-005-1423-1, vol. 284, no. 5, 1 February 2006 (2006-02-01), pages 520-528, (72) Inventor: Dietz, Ulrich XP019340539, ISSN: 1435-1536 65193 Wiesbaden (DE) • MASAKO KOYAMA: "Effect of Arginine as a Counterionon Surfactant Properties of Fatty Acid (74) Representative: Arth, Hans-Lothar et al Salts",JOURNAL OF DISPERSION SCIENCE AND ABK Patent Attorneys TECHNOLOGY, vol. 26, 2005, pages 785-789, Jasminweg 9 XP008128958, 14052 Berlin (DE) • SELMA TÜRKAY ET AL.: "Deacidification of Sulfur Olive Oil. I. Single-Stage Liquid-Liquid Extraction of Miscella with Ethyl Alcohol", JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN OIL CHEMISTS’ SOCIETY, vol. 68, no. 2, 1991, pages 83-86, XP002609424, Note: Within nine months of the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent in the European Patent Bulletin, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to that patent, in accordance with the Implementing Regulations. Notice of opposition shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). EP 2 585 420 B1 Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR) (Cont. next page) EP 2 585 420 B1 • GIOVANNI BUCOLO ET AL.: "Quantitative Remarks: Determination of Serum Triglycerides by the Use Thefile contains technical information submitted after of Enzymes", CLINICAL CHEMISTRY, vol. 19, no. the application was filed and not included in this 5, 1973, pages 476-482, XP002609425, specification 2 EP 2 585 420 B1 Description A. Background of the invention 5 [0001] The present invention is directed to a method for solubilizing and removing carboxylic acids and especially fatty acids from oils, fats, aqueous emulsions, aqueous or organic solutions. It shall be used further for analytic, respectively diagnostic purposes of fatty acid concentrations in corporal fluids of subjects, foods or pharmaceutical preparations. Furthermore, this technique shall be applied for the removal of carboxylic acid residues in industrial solutions, for example as arising in the food and oil industry. 10 [0002] In general, fatty acids are highly lipophilic molecules which are barely soluble in aqueous solutions. Therefore only small concentrations of fatty acids can be solubilized in aqueous solutions while all fatty acid molecules exceeding this concentration are present in form of micelles, form an emulsion by phase separation, or are absorbed to container walls and/or other lipophilic or amphilic molecules such as proteins in the solution. Above the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of esterified and non-esterified carboxylic acids the concentration of free fatty acids in an aqueous medium 15 remains unchanged. [0003] It is known from the state of the art, that liquid-liquid extraction of sulfur olive oil mescella in hexane with aqueous ethanol solutions is possible, according to the disclosure of Selma Türkay et al. (J American Oil Chemist’s Society, 1991, 68, 83-86): "Deacidification of Sulfur Olive Oil_. I. Single-Stage Liquid-Liquid Extraction of Miscella with Ethyl Alcohol". The teaching of Türkay et al. further discloses optimal extraction conditions for recovery of free fatty acids with a minor 20 loss of neutral oil. According to the disclosed conditions the extracted free fatty acid percentage is not affected by increasing the content of free fatty acid and partial glycerides of sulfur olive oil. [0004] Further a method for determining serum triglycerides in which an enzymatic hydrolysis replaces the more commonly used saponification procedures is disclosed by Giovanni Bucolo et al. (Clinical Chemistry, 1973, 19, 476-482) in "Quantitative Determination of Serum Triglycerides by the use of enzymes". According to the disclosed method, the 25 enzymatic hydrolysis can be completed in less than 10 minutes by the combined action of a microial lipase and a proteas. The disclosed assay is simple, rapid, and requires only 50 ml or less of sample. [0005] Fatty acids tend to form emulsions in aqueous media. In presence of proteins or cellular structures fatty acids can be absorbed by them or adsorb to them. Solubilizing of such immobilized fatty acids mainly depends on the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the fatty acid in the surrounding aqueos medium. Emulators and detergents are able to 30 increase the CMC of hydrophobic substances and thus help to detach immob ilized lipophilic molecules. These emulators and detergents may convert emulsions into mini-, micro- or nano-emulsions. Herein the contacting area of the solubilised fatty acids with the aqueous phase is increased. This allows for a better separability and extractability of the solubilised fatty acids. Thus also the reactivity with other molecules is augmented. [0006] Emulsions of esterified and non-esterified fatty acids with an aqueous medium can be completely separated 35 only by means of an organic solvent. Without the help of a membrane this can only be achieved by transferring the fatty acids into an organic phase by mixing with an organic solvent. Extraction is also possible by adsorption to an acceptor. In the presence of adsorber molecules such as proteins the separation of fatty acids in an emulsion or suspension by phase separation or extraction often is incomplete. Furthermore, the capacity of this technique is limited and usually not suited for online (continuous) processing. When filtering such emulsions the aqueous fraction can be filtered almost 40 entirely. However, also hydrophilic molecules, in particular large proteins, are retained and separated along with the organic phase. A molecular separation can be achieved with chromatographic methods. These methods, however, are time-consuming and limited in their capacity. [0007] Another method to separate carboxylic acids from aqueous or organic media is distillation. However, this procedure has a high energy demand and might generate isomerization of the carboxylic acids or denaturate organic 45 components within the medium. A further method is saponification. Added salts are often difficult to remove from the organic as well as from the aqueous solution during further processing. Thus there is a need for a continuous and selective extraction of fatty acids from emulsions of aqueous or organic solutions. The aim of the present invention is to provide a simple, quick and biocompatible separation of fatty acids from aqueous emulsions or organic media. [0008] Surprisingly, it was found that this aim can be achieved by adding a solubilizing compound to the aqueous 50 emulsion or aqueous media such as blood, lipophilic medium or organic medium containing the carboxylic acids or mixtures of carboxylic acids with other organophilic molecules. A solubilizing compound having the characteristics as defined herein is able to solubilize carboxylic acids and convert the emulgated carboxylic acids into micro- or nanoe- mulsions which allow a separation by means of separation methods such as dialysis, filtration and electrophoresis. [0009] Thus the task is solved by the ensuing technical teachings of the independent claims of the present invention. 55 Further advantageous embodiments of the invention result from the dependent claims, the description and the examples. 3 EP 2 585 420 B1 Fatty acids [0010] In general, fatty acids have a carboxylic head group and a long aliphatic chain. Depending on the presence of double bonds they are differentiated into saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. There are differing definitions in literature 5 about fatty acids. One definition states that carboxylic acids with 4 carbon atoms or higher are regarded as fatty acids. Naturally occurring fatty acids, however, have at least 8 carbon atoms. At these carbon atoms at least one nitro group can replace hydrogen atom(s) and turn them into nitro-fatty acids. Also nitro-fatty-acids may carry further substituents, such as listed above. [0011] Examples for linear saturated fatty acids are octanoic acid (caprylic acid), decanoic acid (caprinic acid), do- 10 decanoic acid (lauric acid), tetradecanoic acid (myristic acid), hexadecaoic acid (palmitic acid), heptadecanoic acid (margaric acid), octadecanoic acid (stearic acid),eicosanoic acid (arachidic acid), docosanoic acid (behenic acid) and tetracosanoic acid (lignoceric acid). According to the invention a preferred subgroup of the saturated fatty acids to be separated are myristic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid.