Read the
magazine
story to find out more. |
Oil from milkweed seeds can be used as a base
material for sunscreen and other products. Photo courtesy of Theodore
Webster, ARS. |
|
Milkweed Oil Tapped for Sunscreen and Other
Products
By Jan
Suszkiw February 5, 2009
Common milkweed is the only food source of monarch butterfly
caterpillars. But for some farmers, the plant is also a valuable source of
floss that can be harvested for use as a hypoallergenic filler for high-end
pillows, comforters and jacket linings.
Floss, though, isn't the only useable portion of milkweed.
Unsaturated oil in the plant's seed also has potential as a base material for
sunscreen, cosmetics and skin- and hair-care products, including moisturizers
and conditioners. That's the conclusion Agricultural Research Service (ARS) chemist
Rogers
Harry-O'kuru drew after analyzing the oil's waxes and assorted fatty acids.
In studies at the
ARS
National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Ill.,
Harry-O'kuru devised a procedure for using zinc chloride to catalyze the
conversion of milkweed oil's triglycerides into ultraviolet
(UV)-light-absorbing compounds called cinamic acid derivatives.
In tests at the center's
New
Crops and Processing Technology Research Unit, the derivatives absorbed UV
rays in the range of 260 to 360 nanometers--wavelengths that can damage skin.
Additionally, the milkweed-oil derivatives accomplished this at very low
concentrations of 1 to 5 percent, a range far below that approved for today's
topical skin formulations, many of which use chemical fillers or sun blocks.
Harry-O'kuru's milkweed-oil-based sunscreen also contains natural
antioxidants such as tocopherols, which are often added to cosmetics as
skin-nourishing ingredients. The sunscreen's unique combination of fats and
waxes may also qualify it as biodegradable and help keep it from washing off
during a swim. Its current form is a clear liquid, but gels, creams, sticks and
aerosol sprays are also possible, according to Harry-O'kuru.
Besides skin- and hair-care products, the UV-absorbent base material
he has devised could also be tailored for use in epoxies, paints and other
industrial applications. ARS has patented Harry-O'kuru's base material and is
seeking an industrial partner to develop the technology further.
Read
more about the research in the February 2009 issue of Agricultural Research
magazine.
ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture.