The international scenario of patents concerning isoflavones

Background: Isoflavones are a class of phytoestrogens that has been considered important raw material for healthcare products, mainly as dietary supplements for hormone replacement and active ingredients in skin care cosmetics. Because of this, many scientific reviews are found regarding the extraction, analysis methods and biological activities of these compounds. However, it is emphasized that, to date, no studies have been found concerning technological mapping of patents involving isoflavones. Scope and approach: The present study aimed to map patents covering the last 20 years of technology innovation comprising isoflavones. To that, a patent survey was conducted between the years of 1994 - 2014 in an international patent database (Espacenet) using the title's keywords: isoflavones, genistein, daidzein, glycitein, biochanin A and formononetin. Key findings and conclusions: The resulting data allowed the identification of the major countries, universities and companies that invest in products containing these compounds. In addition, patents were separated into interest groups. The three clusters discussed in this study were: processes for obtaining enriched isoflavone fractions from different plant materials intended to healthcare products, such as dietary supplements; the use of isoflavones in cosmetic products; and the incorporation of isoflavones in micro and nanostructured systems to mask unpleasant tastes or overcome the low water solubility of bioactive forms. In conclusion, this study, along with other literature reviews, could assist in designing strategic research and worldwide development of new products containing isoflavones. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.