JP5371918B2 - Extraction method of natural aroma components - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a production method or an extraction apparatus for an aroma component-containing extract containing a plant-derived aroma component.

  Plants contain various aroma components. Aroma components extracted from plants have been widely used in aromatherapy, cosmetics, etc., and it has been known for a long time that the scent has effects such as healing, relaxation, and soothing. However, the aroma component contained in plants is extremely small. Therefore, various extraction methods for obtaining a higher-quality aroma component more efficiently have been studied.

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes that extraction is performed by a pressing method. The squeezing method is a method in which a liquid is squeezed out from a plant by a roller or a centrifuge to collect aroma components. Patent Document 2 describes that extraction is performed by a steam distillation method. The steam distillation method is a method in which a plant is put into a distillation kettle and steam is blown or water contained in the kettle is boiled and then recovered by evaporating a fragrance component together with the steam. Patent Document 3 describes that extraction is performed by a solvent extraction method. The solvent extraction method is a method of recovering by dissolving an aroma component from a plant using a solvent such as ether.

  Patent Document 4 describes a method of extraction using a gas-liquid countercurrent contact device. This method is a method for recovering aroma components by adsorbing them to a gas. Non-Patent Document 1 describes that extraction is performed by a supercritical fluid extraction method. The supercritical fluid extraction method is a method in which a high pressure is applied to carbon dioxide to create a supercritical state, which is permeated and diffused into a plant to recover a fragrance component. Patent Document 5 describes that extraction was performed by a vacuum distillation method. The vacuum distillation method is a method of recovering by evaporating aroma components by heating under reduced pressure.

JP 2002-125613 A Japanese Patent No. 3842794 JP 2006-75112 A Japanese Patent No. 3560519 JP 2006-291007 JP

Reverchon, E. J. Supercrit. Fluids 1997, 10, 1-37.

However, the prior art described in the above literature has room for improvement in the following points.
In the pressing method, impurities such as squeezed lees may be mixed in the aroma component-containing extract. In the steam distillation method, the aromatic component may be thermally denatured because the material is heated at a high temperature. In the solvent extraction method, the solvent sometimes remains in the aroma component-containing extract. In the method using the gas-liquid countercurrent contact device, the solvent sometimes remains in the aroma component-containing extract. Therefore, these methods cannot obtain a high-quality fragrance component-containing extract. The supercritical fluid extraction method requires high-pressure equipment because it requires high pressure. For this reason, an inexpensive aroma component-containing extract cannot be obtained by this method.

  In addition, the pressing method, the steam distillation method, the solvent extraction method, the method using a gas-liquid countercurrent contact device, the supercritical fluid extraction method, and the vacuum distillation method are used to extract plant tissue from the plant by crushing or the like. Various components contained in cells and cells flow out together with aroma components. And in the water | moisture content taken out from the plant, since the various components contact with an aroma component, an aromatic component may receive modification | denaturation, such as oxidation, hydrolysis, or a chemical modification. Therefore, these methods cannot obtain a high-quality fragrance component-containing extract.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, and it aims at providing the production method of the high quality fragrance component containing extract containing the fragrance component derived from a plant. Another object of the present invention is to provide a high-quality aromatic component-containing extract containing a plant-derived aromatic component. Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide an extraction device for a high-quality aromatic component-containing extract containing a plant-derived aromatic component.

  According to the present invention, a method for producing a fragrance component-containing extract containing a plant-derived fragrance component, comprising heating and decompressing the plant while crushing and stirring, and producing a plant-derived steam A method is provided.

  According to this production method, it has been demonstrated in the examples described later that an aromatic component-containing extract having a component ratio that is difficult to obtain by a conventional extraction method can be obtained. It has also been demonstrated that this production method can extract aroma components at low temperatures. Therefore, a high quality aromatic component-containing extract can be obtained.

  Moreover, according to this invention, it is a manufacturing method of the fragrance component containing extract containing a plant-derived fragrance component, Comprising: It heats and pressure-reduces, crushing and stirring a plant, The process of producing | generating a plant-derived vapor | steam is included. A fragrance component-containing extract obtained by the production method is provided.

  This fragrance component-containing extract is proved to be an fragrance component-containing extract having a component ratio that is difficult to obtain by a conventional extraction method in Examples described later. Moreover, this aromatic component containing extract is extracted at low temperature. Therefore, a high quality aromatic component-containing extract can be obtained.

  Moreover, according to the present invention, there is provided an extraction device for a fragrance component-containing extract containing a plant-derived fragrance component, which is provided in a container capable of accommodating a plant, and is a movable blade for crushing and stirring the plant. An extraction device is provided that includes a stirring blade, a decompression unit for decompressing the plant in the container, and a heating unit for heating the plant in the container.

  It has been demonstrated that when an aroma component is extracted from a plant using this extraction device, an aroma component-containing extract having a component ratio that is difficult to obtain by a conventional extraction method is obtained in the examples described later. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that aroma components can be extracted at low temperatures using this extraction device. Therefore, a high quality aromatic component-containing extract can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, in the step of extracting a plant-derived aroma component, a step of heating and depressurizing the plant while crushing and stirring is adopted, so that a high-quality aroma component-containing extract can be obtained. A method is obtained. Or the production method which can obtain the aromatic component containing extract of the component ratio difficult to obtain with the conventional extraction method is obtained.

  For the same reason, an extractor capable of producing a plant-derived high-quality aromatic component-containing extract or a plant-derived high-quality aromatic component-containing extract is obtained. Or the extraction apparatus which can produce the aromatic component containing extract of the component ratio difficult to obtain with the conventional extraction method, or the aromatic component containing extract of the component ratio difficult to obtain with the conventional extraction method is obtained.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an aroma component extraction device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the hermetic container shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the stirring blade in the airtight container shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a photograph of a plant before and after extracting aroma components. FIG. 5 shows the results of GC-FID analysis of lavender essential oil.

<Background of the invention>
The inventors of the present application are conducting research on aroma components. Aroma components are widely used in aromatherapy, cosmetics, and the like, and it has been known for a long time that the scent has effects such as healing, relaxation, and soothing. However, the aroma component contained in the plant is extremely small, and its extraction is not easy. For this reason, there are many unclear points regarding the components and ratios of the aroma components in the natural state and the method of extracting in the state close to the natural state.

  As a result of earnestly examining the extraction method of fragrance components from plants, the present inventors have obtained a fragrance component-containing extract obtained by heating and depressurizing while crushing and stirring, a high-quality fragrance component-containing extract, It has been found that the component ratio is difficult to obtain by the conventional extraction method, and the present invention has been completed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. For similar contents,
In order to avoid repeated complications, description will be omitted as appropriate.

<Embodiment 1: Extraction of plant-derived aroma components>
The production method according to the present embodiment is a method for producing an aroma component-containing extract containing a plant-derived aroma component, and heating and decompressing the plant while crushing and stirring the plant to produce a plant-derived steam Is a production method. This production method is an example described later, and it has been demonstrated that an aromatic component-containing extract can be extracted at a low temperature. Moreover, this production method can make an aromatic component into a vapor | steam immediately after crushing. Therefore, according to this production method, a high-quality aromatic component-containing extract containing a large amount of unmodified components close to the natural state from plants can be obtained. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that this production method can obtain an essential oil having a component ratio different from that of the conventional product in Examples described later. That is, according to this production method, it is possible to obtain an aromatic component-containing extract having a component ratio that is difficult to obtain from a plant by a conventional extraction method. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to heat to high temperature, an operating cost can be reduced.

  Further, in this production method, the step of heating and decompressing the plant while crushing and stirring the plant to generate the plant-derived steam includes a production method performed in an environment where water vapor is not added from the outside. According to this production method, since no water vapor is added from the outside, a concentrated extract derived from 100% raw material can be obtained. Moreover, since the water vapor | steam which flowed in from the outside and a fragrance component do not react, the fragrance component contained in a plant is obtained with a natural state, and quality degradation by reaction with an impurity can be prevented.

  The production method includes a production method further comprising a step of cooling the plant-derived steam to obtain a liquid, and a step of separating the liquid into a water-soluble fraction and a fat-soluble fraction. This production method is an example to be described later, and it has been demonstrated that an aromatic water comprising a water-soluble fraction and an essential oil comprising a fat-soluble fraction can be obtained from a plant. Since the aromatic water obtained by this production method is water-soluble, it can be easily mixed with water-soluble raw materials such as aromatherapy, fragrances, cosmetics, foods or pharmaceuticals. Moreover, since the essential oil obtained by this production method is fat-soluble, it can be easily mixed with fat-soluble raw materials such as aromatherapy, fragrances, cosmetics, foods, and pharmaceuticals.

  The production method includes a production method including a process of pulverizing a plant using a pulverizer equipped with a movable blade and a fixed blade. According to this production method, the plant can be efficiently crushed because the plant is cut with two types of blades, a movable blade and a fixed blade.

  Further, the method for crushing plants in this production method is not particularly limited, but a method combining one or more of cutting, crushing, grinding and the like may be used. The time for crushing can be appropriately adjusted according to the amount of the extract extracted from the plant or the dryness of the plant.

  Moreover, although the method to stir a plant is not specifically limited, in order to extract a fragrance | flavor component containing extract efficiently, it is preferable to stir by the installation which mixes the extracted plant or the fragment of a plant uniformly.

  In addition, the method for separating the water-soluble fraction and the fat-soluble fraction from the plant-derived fragrance component-containing extract is not particularly limited, but it may be separated by standing, and an additive for promoting the separation. May be added. The separated water-soluble fraction or fat-soluble fraction can be isolated by a known method. Here, fat-soluble means having a property soluble in oil, and water-soluble means having a property soluble in water.

  The heating temperature is not particularly limited, but is preferably 55 degrees or less, more preferably 50 degrees or less, further preferably 45 degrees or less, and most preferably 40 degrees or less. This is because the lower the heating temperature, the more the denaturation of the extracted aroma component can be prevented. As a matter of course, heating is usually performed at room temperature of 20 ° C. or 25 ° C. or more.

  Further, the pressure of the reduced pressure is not particularly limited, but is preferably −80 kPa or less, more preferably −85 kPa or less, further preferably −90 kPa or less, and most preferably −95 kPa or less. This is because the lower the pressure, the more aromatic components can be extracted at a lower temperature. Normally, the pressure is reduced to -101.3 kPa or more, which is an absolute vacuum. Moreover, you may cut a plant to about 10 cm before decompression. In this specification, the pressure is expressed as a gauge pressure with the atmospheric pressure set to zero.

  The fragrance component-containing extract is a liquid containing a fragrance component and includes at least one of essential oil and aromatic water. Essential oils are fat-soluble liquids and are generally mixtures of terpenes and their oxides with other types of organic compounds. Aromatic water is a water-soluble liquid containing an aroma component, and is generally obtained together with essential oil when extracting essential oil from plants.

  Here, a plant is a eukaryote and an organism classified into the plant kingdom. Plants include seed plants, fern plants, moss plants, and plants classified as trees. In addition, this plant is preferably an herb, fruit, flower, or vegetable since an aromatic component-containing extract is actually obtained in the examples described later, and in particular, lavender, rosemary, lemongrass, lemon balm, sage , Peppermint, spearmint, basil, green leaves, red shiso, mugwort, tangerine young leaves, hinoki branch leaves, mandala tree branch leaves, loquat leaves, strawberries, yuzu skin, sudachi, grapefruit, shikwasa, peach, grape, karin, hermanus, Or it is preferable that it is a long leek. Here, lavender is the most widely used plant as essential oil and fragrance, and can be cultured in large quantities and can be cultured at low cost. In addition, it is demonstrated in the examples described later that lavender can be used to extract aroma components that are rich in linalyl acetate and low in linalool. Strawberries are generally difficult to extract aroma components, and many commercially available aroma products use artificial strawberry aroma components. Therefore, the plant used in the above production method is more preferably lavender or strawberry. In addition, the extraction site | part of the aromatic component from a plant contains a petal, a stem, a leaf, a root, a fruit, a fruit skin, resin, a seed, a bark etc.

  The herb is a general term for plants that use leaves, stems, flowers, etc. among spice plants. Herbs include lavender, rosemary, lemongrass, lemon balm, sage, peppermint, spearmint, basil, green leaves, red shiso, mugwort, mandarin orange young leaves, cypress branch leaves, mandarin branch leaves, loquat leaves, tea tree, eucalyptus, Marjoram sweet, geranium, bay, chives, thyme, angelica root, chamomile german, cloves, moon peach, cypress, citronella, cinnamon leaf, ginger, spearmint, near uri, pine, patchouli, palmarosa, fennel, petit glen, black pepper , Vetiver, manuka, melissa, or yarrow.

  The lavender includes plants classified into the genus Lavendula. In general, dry shrubs have narrow leaves and are leathery. The honey of lavender flowers is good quality honey, and aromatic essential oils are widely used for aromatherapy and perfume. In addition, lavender extract components are said to be effective for analgesia, mental stability, insect repellent, sterilization and the like. Twenty species are distributed in the Atlantic islands, the Mediterranean region and Somalia India. Lavender includes authentic lavender (Lavandula officinalis Chaix), Lavandine (Lavandulax intermedia), fringed lavender (Lavandula dentata), French lavender (avandula stoechas), lace lavender lavender (Lavandula pinnata), spike lavender (Lavandula spica), Including Tasmanian lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) or Australian lavender (Lavandula dentata).

  As fragrance components contained in lavender, linalyl acetate, linalool, terpinen-4-ol, (z) -β-osimene, lavandulyl acetate, octen-1-ol-3 acetate, pulegone, γ-terpinene, borneol, Caryophyllene oxide, myrcene, geranyl acetate, β-pinene and the like can be mentioned. Essential Oil Chemistry and Usage Series 1 Lavender Oil, R Takayama, FRAGRANCE JOURNAL LTD., 1996.12.10 (44-45)] shows typical components of lavender essential oil when extracted by common extraction methods The proportions were 36-51% linalyl acetate, 29-46% linalool, 3.4-6.2% lavandulyl acetate, 2.7-6.9% terpinen-4-ol, 2.5-10.8 oximene. %, Caryophyllene 2.5 to 7.6%, and 1,8-cineole 0.1 to 2.2%.

  The linalyl acetate and linalool are the main ingredients of lavender and at the same time, the ingredients characterizing the scent of lavender. In particular, the content of linalyl acetate is used as a standard for the quality of essential oils. Therefore, since the lavender-derived essential oil obtained by the production method of the present embodiment is a higher quality essential oil, it is preferable that the content of linalyl acetate is high. In particular, since the ratio is higher than that of a general extraction method, the content of linalyl acetate is preferably more than 60%, more preferably more than 65%, and still more preferably more than 70%. As a matter of course, it is usually 100% or less.

  Moreover, it is described in [Brared Christensson J et al., Contact Dermatitis. 2009 Jan; 60 (1): 32-40] that linalool is a factor causing allergy. Therefore, the lavender-derived essential oil obtained by the production method of this embodiment preferably has a low linalool content so as not to cause allergies. In particular, since the ratio is lower than that of a general extraction method, the content of linalool is preferably 16% or less, more preferably 13% or less, and even more preferably 10% or less. As a matter of course, it is usually 0% or more.

  The fruits include strawberry, yuzu, sudachi, grapefruit, seeker, peach, grape, karin, orange, juniper, bergamot, lemon, mandarin and the like. The strawberry includes plants classified into the genus Fragaria, Rubus, or Duchesnea.

  Although it will not specifically limit if the said flower is a seed plant, Hermanus, ylang-ylang, chamomile roman, neroli, a rose, jasmine, rose, helichrysum, or myrrh. The vegetables include vegetables classified into fruit vegetables, stem vegetables, leaf vegetables, root vegetables, and flower vegetables. The trees include sandalwood, frankincense, cedarwood, benzoin-resinoid, rosewood, mandala, rakuni, manan 蛮, mana, sara, shudder, or new mandala.

  Moreover, the said aromatic component containing extract, aromatic water, or essential oil can be used for aromatherapy, a fragrance | flavor, cosmetics addition, a food addition, or a pharmaceutical addition. In particular, it is the most widely used application means of a plant-derived aromatic component-containing extract, and it can be easily produced at low cost. Therefore, it is preferably used for aromatherapy.

  Here, when using it for aromatherapy, a method in which an aromatic component-containing extract, aromatic water, or essential oil is warmed by the heat of a candle or light bulb, etc., and diffused in the air, soaked in tissue paper or a handkerchief, etc. The aromatic bath can be performed by a method of diffusing in water, a method of mixing with hot water and diffusing in air, a method of diffusing in air by vibration, and the like. For example, by adding 20 ml of water to a saucer and heating a suitable one of essential oils 2 to 4 with the heat of a light bulb, aroma components contained in the essential oil can be diffused into the air. It can also be used as an aroma bath in hot water in a bath, or diluted with carrier oil and applied to the skin for aroma massage.

  In addition, soap, shampoo, rinse, hand cream, lip balm, body oil, pack, lotion, cleansing oil, detergent, deodorant, etc. Can be used. In addition, when using for aromatherapy, an aromatic component containing extract, aromatic water, or essential oil can be used as it is, but it can also be mixed with another liquid and used. In particular, when applied directly to the skin, it may damage the skin, so it is preferably used after diluting the ingredients by mixing with carrier oil.

  When used for adding cosmetics, it is possible to add aroma to the cosmetics by mixing the aromatic component-containing extract, aromatic water, or essential oil with cosmetics or cosmetic raw materials. The same applies to fragrances, foods and pharmaceuticals.

<Embodiment 2: Aroma component extraction device>
Another embodiment of the present invention is an extraction device for a fragrance component-containing extract containing a plant-derived fragrance component, which is provided in a container that can contain a plant, and is movable for crushing and stirring the plant. An extraction apparatus comprising a blade and a stirring blade, a decompression unit for decompressing a plant in the container, and a heating unit for heating the plant in the container. According to this apparatus, the plant can be heated and decompressed while being crushed and stirred to produce a plant-derived steam, and an aroma component-containing extract containing a plant-derived aroma component can be obtained.

  According to the production method including this step, it has been demonstrated that an aromatic component-containing extract can be extracted at a low temperature in the examples described later. Moreover, this production method can make an aromatic component into a vapor | steam immediately after crushing. Therefore, if this extraction device is used, a high-quality aromatic component-containing extract containing a large amount of unmodified components close to the natural state from plants can be obtained. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the production method including the above-described steps can obtain an essential oil having a component ratio different from that of the conventional product in Examples described later. That is, by using this extraction device, it is possible to obtain an aromatic component-containing extract having a component ratio that is difficult to obtain from a plant by a conventional extraction method. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to heat to high temperature, an operating cost can be reduced. In the conventional vacuum distillation method, attempts have been made to extract aroma components by decompression. However, since it is necessary to maintain the confidentiality of the container during decompression, a simple structure is suitable for the unit for decompression. . Therefore, in the apparatus used in the conventional vacuum distillation method, decompression and crushing exist as separate units.

  In addition, the extraction device includes an extraction device further including a fixed blade provided on the inner wall of the container that can be accommodated. According to this extraction device, the plant can be efficiently crushed because the plant is cut with two types of blades, a movable blade and a fixed blade.

  Here, the container that can be accommodated is not limited in size as long as it can accommodate plants or plant fragments, but is preferably larger. This is because if the container is large, a large amount of plants or plant fragments can be introduced, and a large amount of aroma component-containing extract can be obtained. Moreover, it is preferable that the container which can be accommodated is stronger so that it can withstand pressure reduction. Moreover, it is preferable that the container which can be accommodated has high confidentiality so that the decompression efficiency does not decrease.

  The movable blade includes a movable blade in the container, and can cut a plant or a plant fragment in contact with the blade. The agitation blade can agitate the plant or plant fragment in contact with the plant in the container. The movable blade and the stirring blade may be independent or may be integrated.

  Hereinafter, it demonstrates using drawing. In all the drawings, similar constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus capable of executing the method for extracting an aroma component in the present embodiment.

  The airtight container 100 has a structure having pressure resistance against the reduced pressure state in the container. The side portion of the airtight container 100 is provided with a loading port 101 into which a plant can be loaded. Moreover, the lower part of the airtight container 100 is equipped with the discharge port 102, and it is possible to discharge | emit the residue of a plant freely. Here, the input port 101 and the discharge port 102 are equipped with a rotary feeder or the like because it is possible to automatically and continuously input or discharge plants into the airtight container while keeping the airtight container in a sealed state. It may be an inlet.

  In addition, the airtight container 100 includes a lower semi-cylindrical portion 104 in which the stirring blade 103 is accommodated and an upper rectangular portion 105 formed thereon. Around the lower semi-cylindrical portion 104, a steam chamber 106 is formed that is supplied with steam from a boiler (not shown) that is a steam heating means to heat the hermetic container 100.

  A gas transfer pipe 150 is connected to the end plate-like top plate of the hermetic container 100, and is connected to the collection tank 151. The gas transfer pipe 150 that is connected to the hermetic container 100 and the recovery tank 151 is provided with a cooling unit 154 including a cooling device 152 and a condenser 153 and a valve 155 in order from the upstream side with the hermetic container 100 as an upstream side. It has been.

  The recovery tank 151 has a structure in which an upper part and a lower part have an end plate structure and have pressure resistance against a reduced pressure state in the tank. Further, a decompression device 156 (for example, comprising a vacuum pump), a decompression pipe 157, and a gas transfer pipe 150 are connected to the end plate-like top plate of the recovery tank 151, and a decompression release valve 158 is further provided. ing. In addition, a drain valve 159 is provided at the lower part of the recovery tank 151 so that the liquid recovered in the recovery tank 151 can be discharged to the separation tank 161.

  Here, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the airtight container 100. As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 2, the steam chamber 106 is provided between the airtight container 100 and the steam chamber forming outer wall 106a, and is constituted by a rib 106b for reinforcement and heat transfer. The heat input efficiency into the container 100 is increased.

  At the center of the lowermost part of the lower semi-cylindrical portion 104, there is provided a discharge port 102 for taking out the processed material after drying, and a discharged pipe 107 connected to the discharge port 102 discharges the processed material after drying. An automatic discharge valve 109 for discharging to 108 is provided.

  Further, the airtight container 100 is provided with a vacuum gauge 110 for measuring the degree of vacuum in the confidential container 100, and an upper hygrometer 111 and a lower hygrometer 112 for measuring humidity. These are for judging the state and end of the drying operation.

  A recovery tank 151 that is sucked by the decompression device 156 is provided above the upper rectangular part 105, and a cooling unit 154 including a cooling device 152 and a condenser 153 is connected to the recovery tank 151. The condenser 153 cools and condenses the vapor passing through the gas transfer pipe 150 by the cooling device 152. In a region opposite to the exhaust port 113 in the upper plate portion of the upper rectangular portion 105, a workpiece inlet 101 is provided and a lid 114 for closing the inlet 101 is provided. These portions forming the inlet port 101 have a gentle inclined structure in which the opposite side of the exhaust port 113 is lowered. When the steam rising from the lower semi-cylindrical portion 104 is discharged from the exhaust port 113, the inclination angle θ eliminates steam stagnation in the vicinity of the input port, smoothes the flow, and is exposed to the outside air. In order to prevent water droplets from condensing on the inner side and to secure a wide upper space, about 15 degrees is preferable.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the stirring blade 103. The stirring blade 103 is rotated by a motor (not shown) provided outside the hermetic container 100, and left and right end plates 202 rotatably supported on end walls 200 and 201 of the hermetic container 100, 203 and a blade body 204, 205 having a substantially square shape with both ends fixed between the tips thereof, thereby forming a structure having no central axis. A plurality of fixed blades 206 are fixed to the inner surface of the lower semi-cylindrical portion 104, and the blades 204 and 205 pass through the fixed blades 206 at locations corresponding to the fixed blades 206. Grooves 204a and 205a are formed, and movable blades 204b and 205b are formed on both sides of the grooves 204a and 205a to cut an object to be cut with the fixed blade 206. The fixed blade 206 and the movable blades 204b and 205b are arranged with their positions shifted in the circumferential direction so that the meshing is performed sequentially with a time shift, and this increases the power of the drive motor of the stirring blade 103 momentarily. I try not to happen.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper end of the arc-shaped side wall 115 on the inlet 101 side, which is the ascending side of the blades 204 and 205 in the lower semi-cylindrical portion 104, and the side wall 116 of the upper rectangular portion 105 positioned above the upper side. A side wall inclined surface 116 is formed between the lower end portion so that the upper space of the arc-shaped side wall 116 is enlarged. The inclination angle α of the side wall inclined surface 116 is preferably set to about 45 to 60 degrees so that the object to be processed placed thereon falls smoothly.

  The stirring blade 103 rotates from the side wall on the exhaust port 113 side of the lower semi-cylindrical portion 104 to the side wall on the inlet port 101 side of the lower semi-cylindrical portion 104 through the bottom portion of the lower semi-cylindrical portion 104. The blades 204 and 205 of the stirring blade 103 are inclined with respect to the tangential direction of the inner wall of the cylindrical portion 104 so that the tip side of the blades 204 and 205 precedes the rotation center side during the rotation operation. In the course of increasing the inclination angle β with respect to the tangential direction of the inner walls of the bodies 204, 205 during the rotation of the blade bodies 204, 205, the tips of the movable blades 204b, 205b are the upper ends of the side walls 116 of the lower semi-cylindrical portion, An angle at which the workpiece 118 placed on the blades 204 and 205 falls when positioned at the lower end of the inclined surface 117 is set. This angle β is preferably about 30 to 70 degrees.

  The operation and operation of this extraction device can be performed as follows. First, a plant is introduced into the confidential container 100 from the insertion port 101 and the lid 114 is closed. When a start switch (not shown) is turned on, the drive motor of the stirring blade 103 is operated to rotate the stirring blade 103 in the direction of arrow R in FIGS. 1 to 3, thereby stirring the plant in the confidential container 100. However, the plant is cut small between the movable blades 204b and 205b and the fixed blade 206. Simultaneously with such stirring and cutting operations, heating steam is supplied into the steam chamber 106 from a boiler (not shown), so that the temperature outside the lower semi-cylindrical portion 104 is set to a predetermined temperature (for example, 109 to 125 ° C.). Heat. The heat applied to the confidential container 100 is transmitted to the plant, and the plant is stirred by the stirring blade 103, whereby the heat is effectively transmitted to the plant and the evaporation of the moisture derived from the plant is promoted. This evaporation is further promoted by the plant becoming smaller by being cut by the movable blades 204b and 205b and the fixed blade 206.

  Further, the decompression device 156 is driven, and the vapor and air in the confidential container 100 are sucked and gently blown out into the collection tank 151 through the gas transfer pipe 150 and the valve 155. Thereby, the pressure in the confidential container 100 can be reduced from atmospheric pressure to a pressure of −90 kPa or less, for example. Further, when the decompression device 156 is operated, the inside of the airtight container 100 is decompressed through the collection tank 151 and the gas transfer pipe 56, and the evaporation of plant-derived water is promoted.

  And the boiling point of the water | moisture content derived from the plant in the confidential container 100 falls to 40 degrees or less, for example, and the evaporation of the water | moisture content contained in the plant in this confidential container 100 starts. Since the vapor generated by the evaporation of moisture and the air in the confidential container 100 are sucked by the decompression device 156, the evaporation of the moisture contained in the plant in the confidential container 100 continues, and after a predetermined time has elapsed. Can steam about 92 to 94% of the moisture contained in the plant before treatment.

  Note that all or part of the steam generated by the evaporation of plant-derived moisture in the confidential container 100 is cooled by the condenser 153 and returned to the moisture, and the moisture that has passed through the condenser 153 or the moisture and the steam is valved. 155 is ejected into the collection tank 151.

  When the recovery liquid 160 ejected into the recovery tank 151 is accumulated up to a predetermined amount, the valve 155 is closed, then the decompression release valve 158 and the drain valve 159 are opened, and the recovery liquid 160 is discharged to the separation tank 161.

  The recovered liquid 160 discharged to the separation tank 161 can be separated into the aqueous phase 162 and the oil phase 163. Here, the intermediate phase 164 may occur between the water phase 162 and the oil phase 163.

  The liquid obtained by evaporating moisture at a low temperature while reducing the pressure inside the confidential container 100 in this way has an advantage that it is easy to handle because it does not become a high temperature or a high pressure. Also, less energy is required for heating.

  In addition, the fixed blade 206 is provided on the inner wall of the lower semi-cylindrical portion 104, and the blades 204 and 205 are provided with the movable blades 204b and 205b for cutting the object to be processed with the fixed blade 206. Since the plant surface area can be increased and the surface area of the plant can be increased, moisture in the plant can be evaporated more rapidly.

  Hereafter, the effect which concerns on the said Embodiment 1 and 2 is demonstrated.

  An embodiment of the present invention is a method for producing an aroma component-containing extract containing a plant-derived aroma component, and includes a step of generating plant-derived steam by heating and decompressing the plant while crushing and stirring the plant. It is a production method. If this production method is used, a high-quality aromatic component-containing extract can be obtained. Moreover, the aromatic component containing extract of the component ratio difficult to obtain with the conventional extraction method can be obtained. In addition, operating costs can be reduced.

  In this production method, the aromatic component-containing extract may be an essential oil. In this case, since the essential oil is fat-soluble, it can be easily mixed with fat-soluble raw materials such as aromatherapy, fragrance, cosmetics, food, and pharmaceuticals. In particular, essential oils are mainly used in aromatherapy, and therefore can be suitably used for aromatherapy.

  In this production method, the plant may be one or more kinds of plants selected from the group consisting of herbs, fruits, flowers, or vegetables. In this case, since a material that is generally easily available is used as a raw material, an aroma component-containing extract can be produced easily or inexpensively.

  In addition, in this production method, the plant is lavender, rosemary, lemongrass, lemon balm, sage, peppermint, spearmint, basil, large leaves (blue Jiso), red shiso, mugwort, mandarin orange young leaves, hinoki branch leaves, mandala tree branch leaves, It may be one or more plants selected from the group consisting of loquat leaves, strawberry, yuzu skin, sudachi, grapefruit, seeker, peach, grape, karin, hermanus, and leeks. In this case, since a plant that is widely used as a raw material for aroma components such as aromatherapy or a plant that can be obtained at low cost is used as a raw material, an aromatic component-containing extract can be produced easily or inexpensively.

  In this production method, the plant may be lavender. In this case, lavender is the most widely used plant for essential oils and fragrances because it can be cultured in large quantities and at low cost. An aromatic component-containing extract can be produced easily or inexpensively.

  Further, in this production method, the fragrance component-containing extract was linalyl acetate, linalool, terpinen-4-ol, (z) -β-oximene, lavandulyl acetate, octen-1-ol-3 acetate, pulegone, γ-terpinene, It may be borneol, caryophyllene oxide, myrcene, geranyl acetate, or β-pinene. In this case, since it contains an aroma component peculiar to lavender, it can be used for lavender aromatherapy, perfume and the like.

  In addition, this production method may be performed in an environment where water vapor is not added from the outside. In this case, since no water vapor is added from the outside, it is possible to obtain a concentrated and 100% -derived extract. Moreover, since the water vapor | steam which flowed in from the outside and a fragrance component do not react, the fragrance component contained in a plant is obtained with a natural state, and quality degradation can be prevented.

  Further, in this production method, the heating temperature may be 55 degrees or less. In this case, since the fragrance component is not exposed to a high temperature, it is possible to prevent denaturation of the extracted fragrance component.

  In this production method, the pressure under reduced pressure may be -80 kPa or less. In this case, since the pressure is low, it is possible to extract aroma components at a low temperature.

  The production method may further include a step of cooling the plant-derived steam to obtain a liquid and a step of separating the liquid into a water-soluble fraction and a fat-soluble fraction. In this case, aromatic water and essential oil can be obtained.

  In this production method, the step of heating and depressurizing the plant while crushing and stirring to generate the plant-derived steam may include a step of crushing the plant using a crushing device having a movable blade and a fixed blade. . In this case, the plant can be efficiently crushed because the plant is cut with two types of blades, a movable blade and a fixed blade.

  In this production method, the fragrance component-containing extract may be an aroma component-containing extract for aromatherapy, fragrance, cosmetic addition, food addition, or pharmaceutical addition. In this case, it is possible to impart a high-quality scent to aromatherapy, fragrance, cosmetics, food, or medicine.

  Another embodiment of the present invention is an aroma component-containing extract obtained by the above production method. This aroma component-containing extract has a high quality or a component ratio that is difficult to obtain by conventional extraction methods, so that it is used for aromatherapy, fragrance, cosmetic addition, food addition, or pharmaceutical addition It can be used suitably.

  In addition, the linalyl acetate content in the aromatic component-containing extract may be more than 60%. In this case, since the content of linalyl acetate is higher than that of the conventional product, this aromatic component-containing extract can be said to be of high quality. In addition, when used for aromatherapy and the like, a more natural scent of lavender can be emitted.

In addition, the linalool content in the aromatic component-containing extract may be 16% or less.
In this case, since the content of linalyl acetate is relatively lower than that of the conventional product, it is difficult to cause allergy caused by linalool.

  Another embodiment of the present invention includes a movable blade and a stirring blade for crushing and stirring a plant, a decompression unit for decompressing the plant in the container, provided in a container that can accommodate the plant, It is an extraction device provided with the heating part for heating a plant in the container. According to this apparatus, the above production method can be performed, and a plant-derived high-quality aromatic component-containing extract can be obtained.

  The apparatus may further include a fixed blade provided on the inner wall of the container. In this case, the plant can be efficiently crushed because the plant is cut with two types of blades, a movable blade and a fixed blade.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example demonstrates this invention further, this invention is not limited to these.

<Example 1: Extraction of plant-derived aroma components>
A movable blade and a stirring blade for crushing and stirring the plant, a decompression unit for decompressing the plant in the container, and a heating unit for heating the plant, provided in a confidential container that can accommodate the plant And using an extraction device equipped with a fixed blade provided on the inner wall of the container, lavender, rosemary, lemongrass, lemon balm, sage, peppermint, spearmint, basil, large leaves (red leaves), red shiso, mugwort, citrus young leaves, Hinoki branch leaves, mandala tree branches leaves, loquat leaves, strawberries, yuzu peels, yuzu peels (thin skinned), sudachi, grapefruit, shikwasa (endothelium or rind), peaches, grapes, karin, hermanus, leeks (blue) Part) or long onion (white part) 27 kinds of plants are crushed and stirred, heated and decompressed, and plant-derived steam It was generated. At this time, it was carried out without introducing water vapor from the outside of the apparatus.

  Next, each of the 27 types of plant-derived steam was cooled to obtain 27 types of extracts. These 27 types of extracts were all natural and highly aromatic extracts that were not found in the past. Moreover, all of these 27 types of extracts contained a water-soluble fraction and a fat-soluble fraction, which were separated. The separated water-soluble fraction (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “aromatic water”) and the separated fat-soluble fraction (hereinafter also referred to as “essential oil”) both had a natural and strong aroma inherent to plants. .

  In Tables 1 to 4, for 24 types of the above-mentioned plants, as the detailed extraction conditions and extraction results, the raw material name, the temperature in the kettle (the temperature in the container), the heating temperature (the container heating temperature), the pressure, the circulating water temperature (Cooling temperature), raw material weight, raw material moisture, drying time (extraction time), dry weight (plant weight after extraction), dry product moisture (water content of the plant after extraction), dehydrating agent (extraction water content) . Moreover, the state of strawberry, sage, hermanus, and long onion (blue part) before and after extraction is shown in FIG.

<Consideration of results>
Since the method of this example is extracted at a low temperature, the fragrance component is not easily denatured and it is possible to extract the fragrance component that is weak against heat. Therefore, it can be said that the obtained 27 kinds of extracts, essential oils, and aromatic waters are high-quality aromatic component-containing extracts containing many unmodified components close to the natural state. Furthermore, the obtained aromatic component-containing extract can have a component ratio different from that of the conventional extraction method. Moreover, the combustion cost because it is not necessary to heat at a high temperature can be reduced. The cost for lowering the temperature during liquefaction after heating can also be reduced. In addition, because of the low temperature, the equipment can be handled safely.

  Further, since this method is stirred simultaneously with the crushing, it can be efficiently or evenly crushed. Furthermore, since it heats simultaneously with crushing and stirring, heat is transmitted efficiently, uniformly or uniformly. Therefore, it can prevent that the heated plant partially becomes high temperature, and can prevent modification | denaturation of the aromatic component by it. Further, since the pressure is reduced simultaneously with the heating, the extract from the plant can be made into steam even when the heating temperature is low.

  Moreover, since it heats and pressure-reduces, crushing and stirring, the liquid containing the aromatic component which came out of the plant by crushing can turn into a vapor | steam immediately after crushing. When plants are crushed, it is thought that proteins and compounds that have functions to promote various chemical reactions such as oxidation and hydrolysis contained in plant tissues and cells will come out. . This protein or compound is considered to oxidize, hydrolyze or chemically modify the fragrance component when it comes into contact with the fragrance component. Therefore, the method of the present embodiment, which can be converted into steam immediately after crushing, is an excellent method capable of extracting the aromatic component while keeping it in a more natural state. In addition, the liquid containing aroma components that came out of the plant by crushing is considered to be in a relatively unstable situation because the solvent environment is different from that in the plant, but because the time to vapor is short The fragrance component is not easily denatured. In addition, since a small amount of frictional heat generated by crushing can be used as it is for heat to become steam, the efficiency is high and denaturation due to frictional heat is minimized.

  Furthermore, since it becomes a vapor | steam immediately after crushing, it can prevent that the liquid containing the aromatic component which came out of the plant contacts the wall surface of a grinding | pulverization apparatus. Thereby, it can prevent that an aroma component couple | bonds with a wall surface. Moreover, it can prevent that a wall component and a fragrance component react and a fragrance component denatures.

  Moreover, since this method does not add water vapor or a solvent from the outside, a rich and 100% extract derived from the raw material can be obtained. In addition, since the steam and solvent flowing from the outside do not react with the fragrance component, the fragrance component contained in the plant can be obtained in a natural state, and quality deterioration due to reaction with impurities can be prevented. Furthermore, the solvent does not remain in the essential oil as in the solvent extraction method. There is no quality deterioration due to impurities such as squeezed residue as seen in the pressing method.

  The fruits and vegetables used in this method can use non-standard products or juice processing residues. Therefore, it is possible to effectively use or reuse the discarded fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, the dried product of the plant after extracting the aroma component-containing extract can be used as a food material such as confectionery, a feed material, or a fertilizer material.

  Moreover, in the present Example, the natural strawberry aroma component is extracted. In general, it is difficult to extract the strawberry fragrance component, and many commercially available aroma products use artificial strawberry fragrance components. As an example of extracting natural strawberry aroma components, Furahara K et al., J Japan Soc Hort Sci 74 (4): 300-305.2005, using Polapack Q (column concentration method), It is described that the components were extracted and analyzed. However, the column concentration method has a problem in industrialization because it requires a longer time than the method of the present embodiment and the conventional steam distillation method. In addition, since a solvent is used for extraction of the fragrance component, there is a possibility that the odor component in the natural state is not obtained because there is a possibility of modification by impurities or mixing of impurities. Moreover, if the column is not sufficiently regenerated, the reproducibility is lowered, the resin replacement is costly, and there is a problem in mass production. On the other hand, in the present Example, it succeeded in extracting the aromatic component of a natural strawberry with high efficiency, high quality, and low cost.

  Thus, according to the extraction method of this example, a fragrance component-containing extract containing a high-quality fragrance component having a natural and strong fragrance and little modification could be obtained efficiently and at low cost.

<Example 2: Analysis of aroma components>
The lavender essential oil obtained in Example 1 was subjected to GC-FID analysis (Hitachi Gas Chromatograph G-3500). Analysis conditions are as follows: GC-FID: Hitachi gas chromatograph G-3500, detection: FID, column: TC-WAX (inner diameter 0.25 mm × length 30 m: df (film thickness) = 0.25 μm), carrier gas: helium, Injector temperature: 250 ° C., detector temperature: 320 ° C. (FID), temperature program: 60 ° C. (2 minutes) 6 ° C./minute 248 ° C. (5 minutes). As a result, the peak shown in FIG. 5 was obtained. As shown in Table 5, the lavender essential oil was linalyl acetate (60.79%), linalool (14.7%), terpinen-4-ol (5.33%), (z) -β. -Ocimene (4.71%), lavandulyl acetate (2.31%), octen-1-ol-3 (1.84%), plegon (1.07%), γ-terpinene (0.77%), borneol (0.6%), caryophyllene oxide ( 0.6%), myrcene (0.56%), geranyl acetate (0.33%), β-pinene (0.31%) and others (6.08%). The content in parentheses represents the content (% by weight).

<Consideration of results>
The lavender essential oil obtained in Example 1 contained a high proportion of linalyl acetate exceeding 60%, which was difficult to obtain by conventional methods. This linalyl acetate is the main aromatic component of lavender. Therefore, a high content of linalyl acetate indicates that a high-quality essential oil having a more lavender-specific scent was obtained. Moreover, since linalyl acetate is a component known to have a sedative effect, the essential oil obtained in this example has a high sedative effect. The content of linalyl acetate in essential oils obtained by conventional methods is described in, for example, [Chemistry and Usage of Essential Oils Series 1 Lavender Oil, R Takayama, FRAGRANCE JOURNAL LTD., 1996.12.10 (44-45)]. It is described to be ˜51%.

  This essential oil also contained a relatively lower proportion of linalool than the conventionally known lavender essential oil. This linalool is known to cause allergies. It is described, for example, in [Brared Christensson J et al., Contact Dermatitis. 2009 Jan; 60 (1): 32-40] that linalool is a factor causing allergies. Therefore, the essential oil obtained in the present Example is an excellent essential oil that hardly causes allergies because of its low content of linalool. In addition, it is known that the linalool content of the essential oil obtained by the conventional method is about 30%. For example, [Chemicals and Usage of Essential Oil Series 1 Lavender Oil, R Takayama, FRAGRANCE JOURNAL LTD., 1996.12.10 (44-45)] describes 29-46%.

  Thus, the lavender essential oil obtained by the extraction method described in Example 1 was an essential oil having a component ratio different from that of the essential oil obtained by the conventional extraction method. In other words, this extraction method is an excellent extraction method that can extract essential oils having a component ratio that is difficult to obtain from plants using conventional extraction methods.

  Therefore, the fragrance component-containing extract obtained by the extraction method described in Example 1 can be an excellent material such as aromatherapy, fragrance, cosmetics, food, or pharmaceutical.

  In the above, this invention was demonstrated based on the Example. It is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this embodiment is merely an example, and that various modifications are possible and that such modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Airtight container 101 Inlet 102 Outlet 103 Stirrer blade 104 Lower semi-cylindrical part 105 Upper square part 106 Steam chamber 106a Outer wall 106b for steam chamber formation Rib 107 Discharge pipe 108 Discharge box 109 Discharge automatic valve 110 Vacuum gauge 111 Upper humidity Total 112 Lower hygrometer 113 Exhaust port 114 Lid 115 Arc-shaped side wall 116 Side wall 117 Side wall inclined surface 118 Processed object 150 Gas transfer pipe 151 Recovery tank 152 Cooling device 153 Condenser 154 Cooling unit 155 Valve 156 Pressure reducing device 157 Pressure reducing pipe 158 Pressure reducing release valve 159 Drain valve 160 Recovery liquid 161 Separation tank 162 Water phase 163 Oil phase 164 Intermediate phase 200, 201 End wall 202, 203 End plate 204, 205 Blade body 204a, 205a Groove 204b, 205b Movable blade 206 Fixed blade

Claims (13)

A method for producing an aromatic component-containing extract containing an aromatic component derived from a plant,
a) A step of generating a steam derived from a plant by depressurizing and crushing the plant at a temperature of 55 ° C. or lower,
Only including,
The step a) includes a step of pulverizing a plant using an apparatus having a movable blade and a fixed blade.
Production method. A method for producing a fragrance component-containing extract according to claim 1,
The aromatic component-containing extract is an essential oil.
Production method. A method for producing a fragrance component-containing extract according to claim 1 or 2,
The plant is lavender,
Production method. A method for producing a fragrance component-containing extract according to claim 3,
The fragrance component-containing extract is linalyl acetate, linalool, terpinen-4-ol, (z) -β-cymene, lavandulyl acetate, octen-1-ol-3, plegon, γ-terpinene, borneol, caryophyllene oxide, Including myrcene, geranyl acetate, or β-pinene,
Production method. A method for producing an aroma component-containing extract according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The step a) is performed in an environment where water vapor is not added from the outside.
Production method. A method for producing an aroma component-containing extract according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The pressure in the reduced pressure is -80 kPa or less,
Production method. A method for producing an aroma component-containing extract according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
b) cooling the plant-derived steam to obtain a liquid;
c) separating the liquid into a water-soluble fraction and a fat-soluble fraction;
Further including a production method. A method for producing an aroma component-containing extract according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A movable blade and a stirring blade for crushing and stirring the plant provided in a container capable of storing the plant;
A fixed blade provided on the inner wall of the container;
A decompression section for decompressing the plant in the container;
A heating unit for heating the plant in the container;
A motor for rotating the stirring blade;
With
The stirring blade includes a groove for passing through the fixed blade,
The extraction device is arranged such that the fixed blade and the movable blade are shifted in the circumferential direction so that the meshing is sequentially performed with a shift in time,
Including a step of extracting an aroma component-containing extract using
Production method. A method for producing an aroma component-containing extract according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The aroma component-containing extract is used for aromatherapy, fragrance, cosmetic addition, food addition,
Or a fragrance component-containing extract for pharmaceutical addition,
Production method.   10. An aroma component-containing extract obtained by the method for producing an aroma component-containing extract according to claim 1. A fragrance component-containing extract obtained by the method for producing a fragrance component-containing extract according to claim 3 or 4,
Aroma component-containing extract having a linalyl acetate content of more than 60%. A fragrance component-containing extract obtained by the method for producing a fragrance component-containing extract according to claim 3 or 4,
Aroma component-containing extract having a linalool content of 16% or less. An apparatus for extracting an extract containing an aromatic component containing an aromatic component derived from a plant,
A movable blade and a stirring blade for crushing and stirring the plant provided in a container capable of storing the plant;
A fixed blade provided on the inner wall of the container;
A decompression section for decompressing the plant in the container;
A heating unit for heating the plant in the container;
A motor for rotating the stirring blade;
With
The stirring blade includes a groove for passing through the fixed blade,
The fixed blade and the movable blade are disposed at different positions in the circumferential direction so that the meshing is sequentially performed with a time shift,
In order to extract a plant-derived aromatic component-containing extract at a temperature of 55 ° C or lower,
Extraction device.