Process for recovering and purifying polyhydroxyalkanoates from a fermentation broth

Abstract

A process for recovering and purifying polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) from a fermentation broth deriving from the fermentation of microorganisms includes the following steps: (a) subjecting the fermentation broth as such to heat treatment in the presence of at least one acid; (b) subjecting the fermentation broth obtained in step (a), directly or after storage, to separation obtaining an aqueous suspension of cellular biomass having polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and an aqueous phase having fermentation residues; (c) subjecting the aqueous suspension of cellular biomass having polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) obtained in step (b) to extraction, purification and drying; wherein step (a) is carried out at a pH between 4 and 6, at a temperature between 50° C. and 70° C., for a time between 5 minutes and 30 minutes. The aforementioned polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) can be advantageously used in various applications, in particular in the medical, pharmacological, cosmetic, agricultural, engineering and food packaging fields.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.