Production of sucralose without intermediate isolation of crystalline ...

1. A process for producing sucralose from a feed mixture of (a) 6-O-acyl-4,1',6'-trichloro-4,1',6'-trideoxygalactosucrose, (b) salt including alkali metal or alkaline earth metal chloride, (c) water, and (d) other chlorinated sucrose by-products, in a reaction medium comprising a tertiary amide, wherein said process comprises:

(i) deacylating the 6-O-acyl-4,1',6'-trichloro-4,1',6'-trideoxygalactosucrose by raising the pH of the aqueous solution of (a), (b), (c) and (d) to about 11 (.+-.1) at a temperature and for a period of time sufficient to effect said deacylation, to produce an aqueous solution comprising sucralose, salt including alkali metal or alkaline earth metal chloride, and other chlorinated sucrose by-products, in a reaction medium comprising a tertiary amide;

(ii) removing said tertiary amide; and

(iii) recovering sucralose from the product of step (ii).

2. The process of claim 1 wherein step (ii) is carried out by steam stripping.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein the tertiary amide is N,N-dimethylformamide.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein the 6-O-acyl-4,1',6'-trichloro-4,1',6'-trideoxygalactosucrose is 6-O-acetyl-4,1',6'-trichloro-4,1',6'-trideoxygalactosucrose or 6-O-benzoyl-4,1',6'-trichloro-4,1',6'-trideoxygalactosucrose.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein the step of extracting sucralose from the product of step (iii) is carried out by a batch, continuous, or continuous counter-current extraction.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein the sucralose is further purified by crystallization.

7. The process if claim 6 wherein the crystallization is carried out from water or ethyl acetate.

8. A process for producing sucralose from a feed mixture of (a) 6-O-acyl-4,1',6'-trichloro-4,1',6'-trideoxygalactosucrose, (b) salt including alkali metal or alkaline earth metal chloride, (c) water, and (d) other chlorinated sucrose by-products, in a reaction medium comprising a tertiary amide, wherein said process comprises:

(i) removing said tertiary amide to produce an aqueous solution of (a), (b) and (d) from which a major proportion of the tertiary amide in said feed mixture has been removed;

(ii) deacylating the 6-O-acyl-4,1',6'-trichloro-4,1',6'-trideoxygalactosucrose by raising the pH of the aqueous solution product of step (i) to a pH of at least about 11 (.+-.) at a temperature and for a period of time sufficient to effect said deacylation, to produce an aqueous solution comprising sucralose, salt including alkali metal or alkaline earth metal chloride, and other chlorinated sucrose by-products; and

(iii) recovering sucralose from the product of step (ii).

9. The process of claim 8 wherein the 6-O-acyl-4,1',6'-trichloro-4,1',6'-trideoxygalactosucrose is 6-O-acetyl-4,1',6'-trichloro-4,1',6'-trideoxygalactosucrose or 6-O-benzoyl-4,1',6'-trichloro-4,1',6'-trideoxygalactosucrose.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein step (iii) is carried out by extracting sucralose from the product of step (ii) by an organic solvent, followed by crystallization of sucralose from said organic solvent.

11. The process of claim 10 wherein said organic solvent is ethyl acetate.

12. The process of claim 9 wherein step (iii) is carried out by extracting sucralose from the product of step (ii) by an organic solvent, followed by crystallization of sucralose from water.

13. The process of claim 9 wherein the tertiary amide is N,N-dimethylformamide.

14. The process of claim 13 wherein the removal of the tertiary amide in Step (i) is effected by steam distillation.

15. The process of claim 11 wherein the step of extracting sucralose from the product of step (ii) is carried out by a batch, continuous, or continuous counter-current extraction.