Methods for separating and purifying endogenous, exogenous and recombinant proteins/peptides from plants and animals using aqueous-free, anhydrous strategies

A method for obtaining a protein or peptide of interest from plant material comprising:

• (a) providing the plant material comprising a recombinant protein or peptide, the recombinant protein or peptide comprising the protein or peptide of interest, a carrier protein comprising puroindoline, and a gas/vapor phase cleavage site situated between the protein or peptide of interest and the carrier protein, the carrier protein comprising an Asp-Pro sequence, wherein the plant material comprises starch granules that are powdered and at a moisture content of less than 25%;
• (b) incubating the plant material with gas or vapors selected from heptafluorobutyric acid, acetic acid, formic acid, hydrochloric acid, anhydrous hydrazine, perfiuorobutyric acid, trifiuoroacetic acid, fluorosulfuric acid, and perfluoric acid to cleave the gas/vapor cleavage site and release the recombinant protein or peptide from the carrier protein, to produce a released protein or peptide of interest;
• and
• (c) separating the released protein or peptide of interest from the carrier protein and the plant material, thereby obtaining the protein or peptide of interest.