Appeal No. 1997-2385
Application No. 08/271,571
Appellants' invention relates to the recovery of therapeutically active ingredients
from botanical plants, which ingredients would be lost by the plants due to enzymatic
3
activity in the plants between the time of harvesting and the time of processing (Brief, p.
2). By first rehydrating relatively newly harvested plants to bring their water content close to
the initial water content of freshly harvested plants and then subjecting these rehydrated
plants to ultrahigh frequency treatment until the plants reach a temperature at least equal to
the denaturation temperature of the enzymes in the plants, the enzymatic activity is
destroyed without modifying therapeutically active ingredients contained in the plants. Id.
p. 3. At least 90% of the therapeutically active ingredients contained in the plants at the
time of harvest is recoverable by conventional means. Id. p. 3.
Claim 30 is representative of the claims on appeal.
30. A process for stabilizing plants containing enzymes and
therapeutic active ingredients that includes the steps of
providing harvested plants of one variety containing not less than two-
thirds of the plants' original water content at the time of harvest, said plants
further containing enzymes having a lower denaturation temperature than that
of the therapeutic active ingredient,
determining the denaturation temperature of said enzymes,
rehydrating the harvested plants at ambient temperature to restor the
plants' water content to about 95% of that at the time of harvest,
exposing the rehydrated plants to ultra high frequency radiation,
monitoring the temperature of said plants during the radiation step,
immediately terminating the radiation exposition when said
predetermined denaturation temperature of said enzymes has been
reached, and
3Paper No. 41½, filed January 2, 1996.
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