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US 10,329,515 B2Granted
Solventless extraction process
AssigneeDsm IP Assets B.V.
InventorsCraig M. Ruecker, Swithwin Patrick Adu-Peasah, Brian S. Engelhardt, George T Veeder, III
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method for extracting lipids from microorganisms without using organic solvent as an extraction solvent. In particular, the present invention provides a method for extracting lipids from microorganisms by lysing cells and removing water soluble compound and/or materials by washing the lysed cell mixtures with aqueous washing solutions until a substantially non-emulsified lipid is obtained.
Claims19
A process for recovering lipids from microorganisms comprising:
- (a) growing said microorganisms in a culture medium;
- (b) treating microorganism cells from said culture medium without drying said cells to release intercellular lipids;
- (c) subjecting the culture medium containing the released intercellular lipids to gravity separation to form a light lipid-containing phase and a heavy phase;
- (d) separating said heavy phase from said light phase;
- (e) treating said light phase to break an emulsion formed between said lipid and water;
- and
- (f) recovering a crude lipid,
- wherein the process comprises extracting lipids from a microbial biomass containing at least about 10% by weight entrained water and wherein a solventless extraction process is used.
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