Reduced coenzyme Q10 crystal with excellent stability and composition containing said reduced coenzyme Q10 crystal

1. A reduced coenzyme Q 10 crystal

which comprises an intermediate intense peak at the diffraction angle (2θ) 3.1°, an intense peak at 20.2°, 23.0°, and a particularly intense peak at 18.7°, 19.0°, when analyzed with x-ray diffraction using a CuKα emission line and

which is obtained by adding reduced coenzyme Q 10 to a fat and oil and then heating to dissolve the reduced coenzyme Q 10 and/or adding heat-melted reduced coenzyme Q 10 to a heated fat and oil to prepare a mixture of reduced coenzyme Q 10 and a fat and oil, and cooling the mixture to separate a reduced coenzyme Q 10 crystal.

2. The reduced coenzyme Q 10 crystal according to claim 1 ,

which possesses at least one of the following characteristics (a) to (c) in x-ray diffraction using a CuKα emission line:

(a) If 100 is the peak intensity at 19.0°, the peak intensity at 3.1° is 25 or lower;

(b) If 100 is the peak intensity at 19.0°, the peak intensity at 18.7° is 80 or higher;

(c) The intensity ratio of the peak at 20.2° and the peak at 23.0° is peak intensity at 20.0°/peak intensity at 23.0°, namely 0.7 or higher.

3. The reduced coenzyme Q 10 crystal according to claim 2 ,

wherein the weight ratio of reduced coenzyme Q 10 to the weight of a fat and oil during crystallization is 1 to 30% by weight.

4. The reduced coenzyme Q 10 crystal according to claim 2 ,

wherein the fat and oil is at least one species selected from coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, linseed oil, camellia oil, rice germ oil, rapeseed

oil, rice oil, peanut oil, corn oil, wheat germ oil, soybean oil, perilla oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower seed oil, kapok oil, evening primrose oil, shea butter, sal fat, cacao butter, sesame oil, safflower oil, olive oil, lard, milk fat, fish oil, beef tallow, these fats and oils processed by fractionation, hydrogenation, and/or ester exchange, medium-chain triglycerides, fatty acid partial glycerides, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, and phospholipids.

5. A composition containing a reduced coenzyme Q 10 crystal,

wherein the reduced coenzyme Q 10 crystal according to claim 1 coexists with a fat and oil.

6. The composition according to claim 5 ,

which is obtainable by adding reduced coenzyme Q 10 to a fat and oil and then heating to dissolve the reduced coenzyme Q 10 and/or adding heat-melted reduced coenzyme Q 10 to a heated fat and oil to prepare a mixture of reduced coenzyme Q 10 and a fat and oil, and cooling the mixture.

7. The composition according to claim 5 ,

which is obtainable by adding the reduced coenzyme Q 10 crystal to a fat and oil.

8. The composition according to claim 5 ,

wherein the weight ratio of reduced coenzyme Q 10 to the weight of a fat and oil is 0.1 to 75% by weight.

9. The composition according to claim 5 ,

wherein the fat and oil is at least one species selected from coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, linseed oil, camellia oil, rice germ oil, rapeseed oil, rice oil, peanut oil, corn oil, wheat germ oil, soybean oil, perilla oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower seed oil, kapok oil, evening primrose oil, shea butter, sal fat, cacao butter, sesame oil, safflower oil, olive oil, lard, milk fat, fish oil, beef tallow, these fats and oils processed by fractionation, hydrogenation and/or ester exchange, medium-chain triglycerides, fatty acid partial glycerides, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, and phospholipids.

10. A supplement for use in oral administration,

which contains the reduced coenzyme Q 10 crystal of claim 1 .

11. The supplement for use in oral administration according to claim 10 ,

which is in capsule form.

12. The supplement for use in oral administration according to claim 11 ,

which is obtainable by adding reduced coenzyme Q 10 to a fat and oil and then heating to dissolve the reduced coenzyme Q 10 and/or adding heat-melted reduced coenzyme Q 10 to a heated fat and oil to prepare a mixture of reduced coenzyme Q 10 and a fat and oil, forming the mixture containing dissolved reduced coenzyme Q 10 into capsules, and cooling the resultant capsules to crystallize the reduced coenzyme Q 10 .

13. A process for producing a reduced coenzyme Q 10 crystal

which comprises adding reduced coenzyme Q 10 to a fat and oil and then heating to dissolve the reduced coenzyme Q 10 and/or adding heat-melted reduced coenzyme Q 10 to a heated fat and oil to prepare a mixture of reduced coenzyme Q 10 and a fat and oil, and cooling the mixture to crystallize reduced coenzyme Q 10 .

14. The process according to claim 13 ,

wherein the ratio of the weight of reduced coenzyme Q 10 to the weight of a fat and oil during crystallization is 0.1 to 75% by weight.

15. The process according to claim 13 ,

wherein the fat and oil is at least one species selected from coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, linseed oil, camellia oil, rice germ oil, rapeseed oil, rice oil, peanut oil, corn oil, wheat germ oil, soybean oil, perilla oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower seed oil, kapok oil,

evening primrose oil, shea butter, sal fat, cacao butter, sesame oil, safflower oil, olive oil, lard, milk fat, fish oil, beef tallow, these fats and oils processed by eractionation, hydrogenation and/or ester exchange, medium-chain triglycerides, fatty acid partial glycerides, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, and phospholipids.

16. The process according to claim 13 ,

wherein the reduced coenzyme Q 10 crystal is produced in a deoxygenated atmosphere.

17. A supplement for use in oral administration,

which is in capsule form and

contains a reduced coenzyme Q 10 crystal obtainable by adding reduced coenzyme Q 10 to a fat and oil and then heating to dissolve the reduced coenzyme Q 10 and/or adding heat-melted reduced coenzyme Q 10 to a heated fat and oil to prepare a mixture of reduced coenzyme Q 10 and a fat and oil, forming the mixture containing dissolved reduced coenzyme Q 10 into capsules, and cooling the resultant capsules.