Method of producing reduced coenzyme Q
View Patent ↗The present invention provides a method for obtaining reduced coenzyme Q 10 which is useful as an ingredient in foods, functional nutritive foods, specific health foods, nutritional supplements, nutrients, drinks, feeds, cosmetics, medicines, remedies, preventive drugs, etc. suited for a commercial scale production in high quality and efficiently. The high-quality oily reduced coenzyme Q 10 which has low viscosity and thereby easily handled may be produced by separating an aqueous phase from the reaction mixture obtainable by oily reacting oxidized coenzyme Q 10 with a reducing agent in water, or by distilling off an coexisting organic solvent at or above the melting temperature of reduced coenzyme Q 10 in concentrating the organic phase containing reduced coenzyme Q 10 . Moreover, a solution or slurry of reduced coenzyme Q 10 may be obtained by adding a desired solvent to the obtained oily product, or a solid of reduced coenzyme Q 10 may be produced by contacting the oily product with a seed crystal.
1. A method for producing reduced coenzyme Q 10
which comprises reacting oily oxidized coenzyme Q 10 with a reducing agent in water to synthesize oily reduced coenzyme Q 10 .
2. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the reduction reaction is carried out at 45° C. or higher.
3. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the reducing agent is iron, zinc or dithionous acid or a salt thereof.
4. The method according to claim 3 ,
wherein the reducing agent is dithionous acid or a salt thereof.
5. The method according to claim 4 ,
wherein the reduction reaction using dithionous acid or a salt thereof is carried Out at pH of 3 to 7.
6. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the reduction reaction is carried out under a deoxygenated atmosphere.
7. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein reduced coenzyme Q 10 is crystallized in the reaction system by cooling a reaction mixture after the reduction reaction, to obtain the crystal thereof.
8. The method according to claim 7 ,
wherein the crystallization is carried out under a deoxygenated atmosphere.
9. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein an aqueous phase is separated from the reaction mixture after the reduction reaction, to obtain oily reduced coenzyme Q 10 .
10. The method according to claim 9 ,
wherein the obtained oily reduced coenzyrne Q 10 is added with a solvent to obtain a solution or slurry of reduced coenzyme Q 10 .
11. The method according to claim 9 ,
wherein solid reduced coenzyme Q 10 is obtainable by contacting a seed crystal of reduced coenzyme Q 10 the obtained oily reduced coenzyme Q 10 at a temperature below the melting temperature of said oily reduced coenzyme Q 10 , followed by solidifying said oily reduced coenzyme Q 10 .
12. The method according to claim 9 ,
wherein oil, solution, slurry or solid of reduced coenzyme Q 10 is obtained under a deoxygenated atmosphere.