Process for obtaining carotene from palm oil

US5902890A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien · DE

Inventors

• Michael Nitsche · Solingen, DE
• Wilhelm Johannisbauer · Erkrath, DE
• Volkmar Jordan · Steinfurt, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 22, 1997
• Grant date: May 11, 1999
• Expiry date: Oct 22, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C07C403/24
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Carotene is recovered from a native fat or oil in five process steps in an economical industrial process. The native fat or oil is catalytically reacted in known manner with an alkanol containing up to 4 carbon atoms to form fatty acid alkyl ester and glycerol. The ester phase of the reaction mixture is subjected to distillation to remove the fatty acid alkyl ester. The distillation residue obtained in the second process step is saponified, carotene is extracted from the product obtained in the third process step and the extract phase is concentrated by evaporation. A yield of at least about 80% is achieved. At the same time, a fatty acid alkyl ester suitable for further processing to fatty alcohol is provided.