Methods and compositions for extracting flavor and fragrance compounds and solubilizing essential oils
View Patent ↗Provided are methods for extracting flavor and fragrance materials from natural plant materials, using poly(trimethylene ether) glycol homopolymers and copolymers. The poly(trimethylene ether) glycol homopolymers and copolymers act as solubilizers for essential oils, and can be used to provide compositions having a variety of uses in applications such as cosmetics, personal care products, and industrial cleaning products.
1. A method for extracting essential oil from a plant comprising:
a) contacting plant material with a composition comprising one or more of poly(trimethylene ether) glycol homopolymer or copolymer, wherein the homopolymer or copolymer has a number average molecular weight within the range of about 134 to about 2000, to form an extract; and
b) isolating the extract from the plant material by filtration.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the molecular weight of the poly(trimethylene ether) glycol homopolymer or copolymer is less than 1000.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the poly(trimethylene ether) glycol homopolymer or copolymer is renewably sourced.