US 20150079208A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2015/0079208A1 Bates et al. (43) Pub. Date: Mar. 19, 2015 (54) PROCESSES FOR EXTRACTING Publication Classification PHYTOCHEMICALS FROM POMEGRANATE SOLIDS AND COMPOSITIONS AND (51) Int. Cl. METHODS OF USE THEREOF A61E36/85 (2006.01) (52) U.S. Cl. (71) Applicant: POM Wonderful LLC, Los Angeles, CPC .................................... A61K 36/185 (2013.01) CA (US) USPC .......................................................... 424/776 (72) Inventors: Byron Bates, Bakersfield, CA (US); (57) ABSTRACT Erich Fritz, Westlake Village, CA (US); Processes for producing an extract containing phytochemi Yair Henig, Beverly Hills, CA (US); cals from pomegranates are disclosed. The processes gener Harley Liker, Beverly Hills, CA (US) ally comprise providing pomegranate solids, such as the peri carp, inner membrane and seeds; creating a mixture Assignee: POM Wonderful LLC, Los Angeles, comprising the pomegranate Solids in an aqueous solution; (73) adding enzymes to the mixture in an amount Sufficient to at CA (US) least partially degrade the pomegranate solids; heating the mixture to a temperature that permits the maximum rate of (21) Appl. No.: 14/174,613 catalysis of the enzyme; maintaining the temperature of the heated mixture for a time sufficient to allow at least partial (22) Filed: Feb. 6, 2014 degradation of the pomegranate solids; and removing residual insoluble solid materials from the mixture. Compositions containing the extract may be used as a food product, bever Related U.S. Application Data age, pharmaceutical preparations, nutritional Supplements, (63) Continuation of application No. 12/564.878, filed on Vitamin Supplements, food additives, and food Supplements. Sep. 22, 2009, now Pat. No. 8,658,220, which is a The compositions may also be used for preventing or ame continuation of application No. 1 1/137,248, filed on liorating disease conditions by administering an effective May 24, 2005, now Pat. No. 7,611,738. amount of the composition to a subject in need thereof. US 2015/0079208 A1 Mar. 19, 2015 PROCESSES FOR EXTRACTING 110° F. to 160°F. Enzymes are added to the mixture in an PHYTOCHEMICALS FROM POMEGRANATE amount Sufficient to at least partially degrade the pomegran SOLIDS AND COMPOSITIONS AND ate Solids and liberate phytochemicals from the plant tissues METHODS OF USE THEREOF and/or cells. Once liberated, the phytochemicals may react and/or polymerize to create new phytochemical compounds CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED or reaction products. The residual insoluble solid materials APPLICATIONS are removed from the mixture to provide an extract containing 0001. This application is a Continuation of prior filed and phytochemicals. co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 1 1/137,248, filed 0011. In another preferred embodiment, extracts contain May 24, 2005, of the same name, which is hereby incorpo ing phytochemicals from a pomegranate are provided. Such extracts are characterized by a significantly higher total rated by reference in its entirety. polyphenol content, particularly of the high molecular weight BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION polyphenol (e.g., punicalagin), than is found in pomegranate juice. Such extracts may be obtained from the methods dis 0002 1. Field of the Invention closed herein. 0003. The present invention relates generally to pome 0012. In a further preferred embodiment, food products granate extracts, and more particularly, to methods for obtain and beverages are provided comprising the extract containing ing and using extracts from pomegranate solids and compo phytochemicals from a pomegranate. sitions comprising pomegranate extracts. 0013. In yet a further preferred embodiment, composi 0004 2. Description of the Related Art tions comprising the extract containing phytochemicals from 0005. It is well-known that fruits and vegetables are an a pomegranate are provided. Such compositions may be in essential part of a healthy diet. Chief, among the reasons, is form of tablets, Suspensions, implants, solutions, emulsions, that fruits and vegetables are rich Sources of important phy capsules, powders, syrups, liquid compositions, ointments, tochemicals, which provide essential nutrients and enhance lotions, creams, pastes, and gels. Such compositions may also the body’s ability to prevent and fight disease. There is a beinform of pharmaceutical preparations, nutritional Supple multitude of phytochemicals, in unique combinations, in dif ments, vitamin Supplements, food additives, and food Supple ferent fruits and vegetables, and each functions differently in mentS. the body: as anti-oxidants, as anti-allergenic, as anti-carcino 0014. In a further preferred embodiment, compositions genic, as anti-inflammatory, as anti-viral, and/or anti-prolif containing the extract and the pomegranate juice are pro erative. vided. The combination of the extract and pomegranate juice 0006. The pomegranate has recently been acclaimed for not only produces a composition having a higher total its health benefits and for its disease-fighting antioxidant polyphenol content, as compared to the pomegranate juice potential. Antioxidants are important because they are alone, but it also provides the broad spectrum of the different believed to protect the body against free radicals, the harmful polyphenols which predominate the pomegranate juice and molecules that can cause heart disease, premature aging, eXtract. Alzheimer's disease, blindness, and a variety of cancers. 0015. In another preferred embodiment, methods are pro 0007 Studies have shown that pomegranate juice has vided for preventing or ameliorating disease conditions in a more polyphenol antioxidants than any other drink, Such as Subject by administering to the Subject an effective amount of red wine, green tea, blueberry juice, cranberry juice and the composition Suitable for use as a pharmaceutical or nutri orange juice. Currently, the two common ways of consuming tional preparation. Such disease conditions include polyphe pomegranates are by eating the fleshy arils of the pomegran nolmediated diseases and cancer. Examples of polyphenol ate and by drinking the juice obtained from the arils. mediated diseases include circulatory disorders such as 0008. There are many kinds of antioxidants, some pro hypertension and coronary artery disease, erectile dysfunc duced by the body and others derived from the foods we eat. tion, lung disorders such as asthma, cancers of various types, When the body's natural antioxidant defenses are lowered, or inflammatory conditions, certain liver conditions, diabetes, greater amounts of free radicals are being produced, the body mood disorders, eye disorders such as cataracts, weak eye becomes more dependent upon food sources of antioxidants. sight due to aging, macular degeneration, and other age related disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED 0016. In yet another preferred embodiment, methods are EMBODIMENTS provided for modulating the growth and progression of can 0009 Methods are provided for producing an extract con cerous cells, the methods comprising selecting a Subject hav taining phytochemicals from pomegranate Solids. The pome ing cancerous cell growth and administering to the Subject an granate Solids are anyone or more of the group consisting of effective amount of the composition containing the extract. the pericarp, inner membrane and seeds. The extract pro 0017. In yet a further preferred embodiment, methods are duced differs from commercially-available pomegranate provided for preventing or slowing increases in the Prostate juice in that the extract is substantially derived from the Specific Antigen (PSA) levels in a subject having prostate pomegranate Solids, whereas pomegranate juice is Substan cancer. The method comprises selecting a Subject having tially derived from the Sweet, fleshy arils. prostate cancer and administering to the Subject an effective 0010. In one preferred embodiment, the method includes amount of the composition containing the extract. the following steps. Anyone or a combination of the pericarp, 0018. Other objects, features and advantages of the inner membrane and seeds are selected and a mixture is present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the formed comprising the pomegranate solids and an aqueous art from the following detailed description. It is to be under solution. The mixture is then heated to about 60°F. to 210°F., stood, however, that the detailed description and specific preferably of about 85° F. to 185° F. and optimally of about examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the US 2015/0079208 A1 Mar. 19, 2015 present invention, are given by way of illustration and not extract, these lower molecular weight polyphenols comprise limitation. Many changes and modifications within the scope a higher proportion of the total polyphenol content in pome of the present invention may be made without departing from granate juice (approximately 50%) than in the extract. the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifi 0027. Accordingly, methods are provided for producing cations and equivalents thereof. an extract containing phytochemicals from pomegranate Sol ids. The extract produced from the methods disclosed herein DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED differ from the commercially-available pomegranate juice in EMBODIMENTS that the extract is substantially derived from the pomegranate 0019. As used herein, the term “phytochemicals'