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CHAPTER III
SOURCES AND METHODS FOR OBTAINING AMYGDALIN
Petra Beltran Corona
Chief of the
Production Department of KEMSA LABS
The most currently utilized source for
obtaining AMYGDALIN is the apricot pit, but
it is also found in the seeds of fruits of
the Rosaceas family, although in smaller
proportion. The method for obtaining it has
been standardized only after many years of
research in several countries of Europe and
America.
The pioneers in the obtaining of AMYGDALIN
(from AMIGDALA=almond) were Robiquet and
Boutron, who isolated it in pure form in
1830.
The key for obtaining high quality AMYGDALIN
begins with an adequate selection of apricot
pits and the careful process which is
followed in the method for obtaining
AMYGDALIN and includes the following steps:
Cleaning the Dry Nuts
The main purpose
here is to eliminate the residue from
the shell, peel, stones and leaves which
could damage the mill and lower the
yield from the process.
Milling the Nuts
Here most of the oil
is separated in the first milling and the
rest of it in subsequent millings. The final
product of the milling is a fine, brown
powder with a bitter smell which, upon
letting it sit, ferments spontaneously,
which is desirable inasmuch as it increases
the yield.
Extraction of the Powder
This is done in a
digester of stainless steel with isopropyl
alcohol, at a constant temperature and
reflux for two and one-half hours.
Filtering
The product from
the extraction is passed through cloth
filters with holes small enough to
prevent passage of particles of the nut
that have not been broken down. The
filtered product is allowed to sit for
72 hours and separates into AMYGDALIN
sediment and standing isopropyl alcohol
which is completely eliminated after
washing the AMYGDALIN several times with
ethylic ether which is also a great,
very volatile, grease solvent (which
facilitates the elimination).
The product from this process is a dry,
white powder.
Drying the Amygdalin
This is achieved after
spreading out the AMYGDALIN in stainless
steel trays which are placed in an oven for
eight consecutive hours at temperatures from
500° to 600°C.
The product after drying can be identified
by a degree of purity from 65 to 80 percent.
Crystallization
It is recommended
that this be done in glass recipients
with a closed top and smooth bottom. The
AMYGDALIN is exposed to a mixture of
activated carbon and inert ionized earth
which acts as another filter. The
product from this crystallization is
refrigerated for four hours at 40°C. In
order to increase the yield, the
filtering, washing, drying and
crystallization of the pulp that remains
as a residue on the cloth filters can be
repeated, although it is necessary to do
a more intense washing with the ethylic
ether and slight variations in the
drying temperatures after
crystallization.
The final product is AMYGDALIN with a purity
of not less than 96%.
Principal Errors to Avoid
In order to avoid
having the mixture tur rancid during the
milling of the nuts, great care must be
taken to clean the mills, assuring that no
residual oil remains in them. During the
drying, overheating must be avoided, because
if it is prolonged, the quality of the
AMYGDALIN will be lowered. Finally, special
attention must be focused on the filtering
process, since the better this is done, the
greater the yield achieved.
The AMYGDALIN thus obtained has physical and
chemical characteristics which allow it to
be perfectly identified and differentiated
in specific form, which facilitates its
quantification and the control of its
purity.
This AMYGDALIN can now undergo well-defined
manufacturing steps which transform it into
final products (tablets and vials) for oral
use (KEMDALIN B) or parenteral (KEMDALIN S).
It should be mentioned that before going out
onto the market, these end products
routinely pass through the Quality Control
Department for its analysis IN VITRO and in
animals. These studies include routine tests
for toxicity, fever causing impurities and
sterility.
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