GB390378A - Process for the production of water-soluble vitamin concentrates - Google Patents

Abstract

A water-soluble vitamin concentrate, especially a concentrate of the antineuritic vitamin, is produced by rendering alkaline a crude solution or extract, for instance to pH 10-13, extracting the vitamin with an organic solvent, extracting the vitamin from the organic solution by means of an acid, and removing the excess of acid by evaporating to dryness in vacuo, and dissolving in water. The initial crude solution may be made by extracting a raw material such as rice polishings, yeast, or wheat germs with water, dilute acid, alcohol, &c. with or without the subsequent adsorption of the vitamin in fuller's earth, dissolving in an alkaline solution and then acidifying, and with or without treatment of the solution so obtained with a solvent such as alcohol and carbon tetrachloride or alcohol and chloroform and then removing the precipitated salts and excess acids. The crude solution however obtained is made alkaline, for instance by means of sodium, potassium or barium hydrate or alkali carbonate, the solution is extracted at a low temperature such as 0 DEG C. with an organic solvent such as ether, benzene, toluene, ethyl acetate, methyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, tertiary amyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, and ethylene dichloride. The extract is washed with a little cold water, and extracted with a dilute acid such as hydrochloric or acetic acid, the acid extract being then evaporated to dryness in vacuo and the vitamin dissolved in water. If the crude solution used as starting material is alcoholic, the alcohol is first removed and an aqueous solution produced, which is then treated as described above.