Patent Number: 7115295
Docket Number: 1201
Serial Number: 10373509
Date Patented: 10/03/2006

Technology Description: Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have developed a method for preparing corn fiber oil, which allows corn aleurone cells to be recovered from the process. Corn aleurone cells provide higher oil yields than corn fiber. Corn fiber is comprised of about one-third aleurone cells and two-thirds other fibrous material. This means corn aleurone cells contain three times more oil than corn fiber—so about three times more phytosterol-rich oil can be obtained by extracting the same amount of material. Corn fiber is a byproduct of the wet milling process–-a process to remove the starch from corn. Corn fiber is the richest known source of natural phytosterols. Phytosterols block the absorption of dietary cholesterol in the body. Corn fiber oil contains about 10 times more phytosterols than regular corn oil. It can potentially lower serum cholesterol by 10-15%.  Corn is the number one crop in the United States in terms of acreage and grain production.  ARS research has shown that corn aleurone could be the most valuable part of the corn, thus industrial processing of the technology could prove highly profitable to millers and processors. This invention could be used to develop nutraceutical products. The technology lowers production costs from ARS’s previous patent (USPN 5,843,499) on corn fiber oil. Reference: Please refer to USPN 7,115,295 (Docket #0012.01), "Methods of Preparing Corn Fiber Oil and of Recovering Corn Aleurone Cells from Corn Fiber," which issued on October 3, 2006.  Foreign rights are available. Inventors: Robert A. Moreau Crop Conversion Science and Engineering Wyndmoor, PA 19038-8598 (215) 233-6428 / Fax: (215) 233-6406 rmoreau@arserrc.gov Vijay Singh  Agricultural Engineering Sciences Bldg. MC-644 1304 Pennsylvania Avenue Urbana, IL 61801