Roche Vitamins Issued Patent for Tocopherol Acetate Process

PARSIPPANY, N.J.--A patent was issued to Roche Vitamins Inc. in early September covering a process for creating tocol and tocopherol acylates, particularly tocopherol acetates. The invention (U.S. Patent No. 6,444,098) includes combining tocol or tocopherol with an acylating agent (an acid radical such as acetic anhydride) to form a reaction mixture, irradiating the mixture with microwave energy, and isolating tocol or tocopherol acetate from the reaction mixture.

This patent hinges off another patent given in 1981 (U.S. Patent No. 2,723,278) in which tocopherol acetate was created without a catalyst.

In the present invention, it was found that tocopherol acetate could be formed through irradiation via microwaves at around 600 to 1,200 watts. The process requires a shorter reaction time and gives better yields than the 1981 invention. The patent also covers any form of tocopherol, such as alpha and gamma.

Werner Bonrath and Fabio Cirillo were the inventors of the process, and Roche Vitamins is the assignee of the patent. More information can be found at www.uspto.gov.