Process of extracting a mixture of antioxidants from sea urchins

21/04/2023

Patent for Utility Solutions (GPHI) No. 3046 “Process for extracting a mixture of antioxidants from sea urchins” was granted by the National Office of Intellectual Property to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Minh Ly and his colleagues Nha Trang Institute of Technology Research and Application, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, and associates of the Pacific Institute of Organic Biochemistry G.B. Elyakov - Far Eastern Branch - Russian Academy of Sciences on December 29, 2022. GPHI refers to the process of extracting a mixture of antioxidants from sea urchins, in order to produce quinonoid pigments for use as functional foods and medicinal herbs.

Sea urchins belong to the phylum Echinodermata, class Echinoidea. Hedgehogs are a source of unique biologically active substances. Quinonoid pigments such as echinochrome А (Ech A), spinochrome (Sp E, Sp D, Sp A, Sp С) and binaptoquinone BiNQ-1, BiNQ-2, which are able to clearly exhibit antioxidant properties, are important rare parts present in the shells and spines of sea urchins. Unlike endogenous antioxidants such as vitamin E and ubiquinone, quinonoids have the ability to neutralize the effects of agents that initiate non-enzymatic oxidation of cell membrane lipids, namely iron accumulates in tissue that has been damaged by a stroke. The specific mechanism of action of quinonoids has highlighted their role as a leading natural antioxidant and opens the prospect of their use as highly active food and pharmaceutical additives. as well as the production of new-generation therapeutic preparations.

Some common species such as Echinothrix calamaris, Echinothrix sp, Diadema setosum, and Tripneustes gratilla contain pigments echinochrome A (Ech A), spinochrome A (Sp A), B (Sp B), C (Sp C), D (Sp D), E (Sp E) and binaphthoquinones (BiNQ-1, BiNQ-2). However, in Vietnam, the shell and spines of sea urchins account for 40-70% of the weight of the discarded sea urchin, causing economic waste.

The research of the team of scientists shows great potential from the natural antioxidant quinonoid and the abundant source of sea urchin raw materials. Therefore, GPHI proposed a procedure for the extraction of quinonoid antioxidants by ethanol and H2SO4 acid from sea urchins.

Tripneustes gratilla

Sampling location of sea urchin species in Khanh Hoa

The above GPHI belongs to the research results in the project "Research and application of natural quinonoid group of active ingredients from Khanh Hoa sea urchin bark to orient to make cosmetic products", code VAST06.01/19-20, which has been accepted. The project was carried out from 2019 to 2020, and the results of the project also opened up many prospects in the study of the application of quinonoid pigments in life.