Protein purification: Design and scale-up of downstream processing. By S. M. Wheelwright, Hanser, Munich, 1991, xiv + 228 pp., price UK £53.00. ISBN 3 446 15703 4

Proteins are an integral part of molecular and cellular structure and function and are probably the most purified type of biological molecule. In order to elucidate the structure and function of any protein it is first necessary to purify it. Protein purification techniques have evolved over the past ten years with improvements in equipment control, automation, and separation materials, and the introduction of new techniques such as affinity membranes and expanded beds. These developments have reduced the workload involved in protein purification, but there is still a need to consider how unit operations linked together to form a purification strategy, which can be scaled up if necessary. The two Practical Approach books on protein purification have therefore been thoroughly updated and rewritten where necessary. The core of both books is the provision of detailed practical guidelines aimed particularly at laboratory scale purification. Information on scale-up considerations is given where appropriate. The books are not comprehensive but do cover the major laboratory techniques and common sources of protein. Protein Purification Techniques focuses on unit operations and analytical techniques. It starts with an overview of purification strategy and then covers initial extraction and clarification techniques. The rest of the book concentrates on different purification methods with the emphasis being on chromatography. The final chapter considers general scale-up considerations. Protein Purification Applications describes purification strategies from common sources: mammalian cell culture, microbial cell culture, milk, animal tissue, and plant tissue. It also includes chapters on purification of inclusion bodies, fusion proteins, and purification for crystallography. A purification strategy that can produce a highly pure single protein from a crude mixture of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and cell debris to is a work of art to be admired. These books (available individually or as a set)are designed to give the laboratory worker the information needed to undertake the challenge of designing such a strategy.

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Recent Findings in Azaphilone Pigments

Journal of Fungi ◽

10.3390/jof7070541 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (7) ◽

pp. 541

Author(s):

Lúcia P. S. Pimenta ◽

Dhionne C. Gomes ◽

Patrícia G. Cardoso ◽

Jacqueline A. Takahashi

Keyword(s):

Water Solubility ◽

Biological Activities ◽

Low Cost ◽

Scale Up ◽

Structural Diversity ◽

Downstream Processing ◽

Global Market ◽

Yield Improvement ◽

Potential Applications ◽

New Compounds

Filamentous fungi are known to biosynthesize an extraordinary range of azaphilones pigments with structural diversity and advantages over vegetal-derived colored natural products such agile and simple cultivation in the lab, acceptance of low-cost substrates, speed yield improvement, and ease of downstream processing. Modern genetic engineering allows industrial production, providing pigments with higher thermostability, water-solubility, and promising bioactivities combined with ecological functions. This review, covering the literature from 2020 onwards, focuses on the state-of-the-art of azaphilone dyes, the global market scenario, new compounds isolated in the period with respective biological activities, and biosynthetic pathways. Furthermore, we discussed the innovations of azaphilone cultivation and extraction techniques, as well as in yield improvement and scale-up. Potential applications in the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and textile industries were also explored.

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Uncoupling Foam Fractionation and Foam Adsorption for Enhanced Biosurfactant Synthesis and Recovery

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms8122029 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (12) ◽

pp. 2029

Author(s):

Christian C. Blesken ◽

Tessa Strümpfler ◽

Till Tiso ◽

Lars M. Blank

Keyword(s):

Scale Up ◽

Recovery Process ◽

Downstream Processing ◽

Biosurfactant Production ◽

Foam Fractionation ◽

Pseudomonas Putida Kt2440 ◽

Culture Volume ◽

Product Removal ◽

Fractionation Column ◽

Space Time Yield

The production of biosurfactants is often hampered by excessive foaming in the bioreactor, impacting system scale-up and downstream processing. Foam fractionation was proposed to tackle this challenge by combining in situ product removal with a pre-purification step. In previous studies, foam fractionation was coupled to bioreactor operation, hence it was operated at suboptimal parameters. Here, we use an external fractionation column to decouple biosurfactant production from foam fractionation, enabling continuous surfactant separation, which is especially suited for system scale-up. As a subsequent product recovery step, continuous foam adsorption was integrated into the process. The configuration is evaluated for rhamnolipid (RL) or 3-(3-hydroxyalkanoyloxy)alkanoic acid (HAA, i.e., RL precursor) production by recombinant non-pathogenic Pseudomonas putida KT2440. Surfactant concentrations of 7.5 gRL/L and 2.0 gHAA/L were obtained in the fractionated foam. 4.7 g RLs and 2.8 g HAAs could be separated in the 2-stage recovery process within 36 h from a 2 L culture volume. With a culture volume scale-up to 9 L, 16 g RLs were adsorbed, and the space-time yield (STY) increased by 31% to 0.21 gRL/L·h. We demonstrate a well-performing process design for biosurfactant production and recovery as a contribution to a vital bioeconomy.

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