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US 11,306,339 B2Granted
Method for the production of a rhamnolipid
AssigneeSuperbrewed Food Inc.
InventorsAharon M. Eyal, Bryan P. Tracy, Christopher Joseph McWilliams
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for the production of a rhamnolipid. The method includes culturing in a fermentation medium an organism capable of producing a rhamnolipid to form a fermentation broth comprising at least one rhamnolipid and having a pH>5; extracting at least one lipophilic impurity from said fermentation broth; acidulating said fermentation broth to form an aqueous medium of pH<5 comprising the at least one rhamnolipid; extracting the at least one rhamnolipid from said acidulated fermentation broth; and separating the at least one rhamnolipid to obtain a purified rhamnolipid.
Claims17
A method for production of a rhamnolipid, comprising
- (i) providing an aqueous fermentation medium comprising a carbon source and a nitrogen source;
- (ii) culturing in said fermentation medium an organism capable of producing a rhamnolipid, wherein said carbon source is metabolized to form a fermentation broth having a pH greater than 5 and comprising at least one rhamnolipid, at least one lipophilic impurity, and at least one hydrophilic impurity;
- (iii) extracting at least one lipophilic impurity from said fermentation broth with a first extractant to form (a) a lipophilic-impurity-depleted fermentation broth comprising the at least one rhamnolipid and (b) a first extract comprising said first extractant and said at least one lipophilic impurity;
- (iv) separating the first extractant and the at least one lipophilic impurity from the first extract;
- (v) acidulating said lipophilic-impurity-depleted fermentation broth to form an acidulated lipophilic-impurity-depleted aqueous medium of pH less than 5 comprising the at least one rhamnolipid;
- (vi) extracting the at least one rhamnolipid from said acidulated lipophilic-impurity-depleted aqueous medium with a second extractant to obtain a second extract comprising said second extractant and the at least one rhamnolipid;
- and
- (vii) separating the at least one rhamnolipid from said second extract to obtain a purified rhamnolipid;
- wherein said first extractant, said second extractant, or both comprise at least one of (a) a hydrocarbon having a boiling point under 20° C. at atmospheric pressure, and (b) an oxygenated organic compound having a boiling point under 20° C. at atmospheric pressure, wherein said oxygenated organic compound has a Hansen solubility parameter polarity component in the range between 2 Mpa0.5 and 8 Mpa0.5 and a Hansen solubility parameter H-bond component in the range between 2 Mpa0.5 and 8 Mpa0.5.
6 more elements
A method for production of a rhamnolipid, comprising
- (i) providing an aqueous fermentation medium comprising a carbon source and a nitrogen source;
- (ii) culturing in said fermentation medium an organism capable of producing a rhamnolipid, wherein said carbon source is metabolized to form a fermentation broth having a pH greater than 5 and comprising at least one rhamnolipid, at least one lipophilic impurity and at least one hydrophilic impurity;
- (iii) acidulating said fermentation broth to form an acidulated aqueous medium of pH less than 5;
- (iv) extracting the at least one rhamnolipid and the at least one lipophilic impurity from said acidulated aqueous medium with a first extractant, thereby obtaining a hydrophilic-impurity-depleted first extract comprising the at least one rhamnolipid, the at least one lipophilic impurity and the first extractant;
- (v) separating said first extractant from said at least one rhamnolipid and said at least one lipophilic impurity in said first extract to obtain a separated medium comprising said at least one rhamnolipid and said at least one lipophilic impurity;
- (vi) adjusting the pH of the separated medium to a pH greater than 5;
- and
- (vii) extracting the at least one lipophilic impurity from said pH-adjusted separated medium with a second extractant to obtain purified rhamnolipid wherein said first extractant, said second extractant, or both comprise at least one of (a) a hydrocarbon having a boiling point under 20° C. while at atmospheric pressure and (b) an oxygenated organic compound having a boiling point under 20° C. at atmospheric pressure, wherein said oxygenated organic compound has a Hansen solubility parameter polarity component in the range between 2 MPa0.5 and 8 MPa0.5 and a Hansen solubility parameter H-bond component in the range between 2 MPa0.5 and 8 MPa0.5.
5 more elements
A method for the production of a rhamnolipid, comprising
- (i) providing a fermentation medium comprising a carbon source and a nitrogen source;
- (ii) culturing in said fermentation medium an organism capable of producing a rhamnolipid, wherein said carbon source is metabolized to form a fermentation broth having a pH greater than 5 and comprising at least one rhamnolipid, at least one lipophilic impurity, and at least one hydrophilic impurity;
- (iii) extracting at least one lipophilic impurity from said fermentation broth with a first extractant, whereby (a) a lipophilic-impurity-depleted fermentation broth comprising the at least one rhamnolipid and (b) a first extract comprising said first extractant and said at least one lipophilic impurity are formed;
- (iv) separating said first extractant and said at least one lipophilic impurity from said first extract;
- (v) acidulating said lipophilic-impurity-depleted fermentation broth to a pH less than 5, whereby a rhamnolipid-enriched phase is formed;
- and
- (vi) separating said rhamnolipid-enriched phase from the acidulated fermentation broth wherein said first extractant, said second extractant, or both comprise at least one of (a) a hydrocarbon having a boiling point under 20° C. while at atmospheric pressure and (b) an oxygenated organic compound having a boiling point under 20° C. at atmospheric pressure, wherein said oxygenated organic compound has a Hansen solubility parameter polarity component in the range between 2 MPa0.5 and 8 MPa0.5 and a Hansen solubility parameter H-bond component in the range between 2 MPa0.5 and 8 MPa0.5.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.