Other

Hiroshi Nabetani

Mitsutoshi Nakajima

Yuji Kikuchi

Minoru Seki

Sosaku Ichikawa

Isao Kobayashi

Takahiro Kawakatsu

Jihong Tong

Shinji Sugiura

Christophe Largueze

Hironoshin Takao

Qing Yi Xu

Yoh Sano

Tatsuo Maruyama

According to the present invention, it is possible to produce emulsions containing a material that are insoluble or that have low solubility with respect to water and oil in a high concentration, so as to obtain emulsions which can be preserved for a long period of time. More specifically, ethanol, to which polyglycerol oleic acid ester (PG) is added, and vegetable oil, are stirred with a homogenizer or an emulsification method such as a membrane emulsification or a microchannel emulsification, thereby obtaining E/O type emulsions or E/O/W type emulsions wherein ethanol drops in which polyphenol is dissolved in a high concentration are dispersed into vegetable oil.

Functional emulsions

A method is disclosed for activating a lipase by adding a solution of lipase in an aqueous buffer at a pH near neutrality to an organic phase, e.g., tetradecane. Under these conditions lipase is activated as a function of an organic-and-water boundary surface between the organic and water phases. The lipase that is activated in this manner remains active even after lyophilization to remove the water and the organic phase. This activated lipase efficiently catalyzes a fat reforming reaction in non-aqueous and nano-aqueous conditions.

Method of producing activated lipase

A method to efficiently and continuously produce microspheres of natural oils and fats having a high melting point, the average particle diameter of which is in dozens of &mgr;m and is uniform, comprising the steps of heating oils and fats having a high melting point to a temperature greater than the melting point thereof to liquify same holding the oils and fats in a liquid state, forming a dispersed phase of the liquid oils and fats, pressurizing the dispersed phase and forming emulsions by dispersing the dispersed phase into a continuous phase via a plurality of microchannels, and isolating microspheres of the oils and fats having a high melting point by removing the continuous phase from the emulsions.

Method of producing solid fatty microspheres

A microchannel apparatus includes a plural partition walls,formed as extensions of plural microchannels,toward a continuous phase, and a flow path,is formed between adjacent ones of the partition walls,. A dispersed phase pumped into a continuous phase via each microchannel,generates nearly perfect spheres in the course of passing through the microchannel and the flow path,in between the partition walls,, thereby producing emulsions comprising fine and homogenous microspheres.

Microchannel apparatus and method of producing emulsions making use thereof

In an apparatus for continuously manufacturing microspheres, a dispersed phase (O) is supplied to a chamber,for the dispersed phase inside of a bulkhead member,via a supply port,. Thereafter, the dispersed phase enters into a gap,between a plate,via a supply port,in a base,. The dispersed phase which enters into the gap,grows microspheres (particles) having a certain diameter while passing through a microchannel,by pressure applied by, for example, a pump, and is mixed with a continuous phase (W), so that microspheres are produced. The thus-produced microspheres float or are suspended in the continuous phase without needing any particular external force in response to their specific gravity, allowing the microspheres to be generated and withdrawn from a withdrawal port 32 at a significantly reduced pressure in comparison to conventional methods and apparatus.

Continuous manufacturing method for microspheres and apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Hiroshi Nabetani