extractive fermentation for improved production and recovery of lipase derived from burkholderia cepacia using a thermoseparating polymer in aqueous two-phase systems

an extractive fermentation technique was developed using a thermoseparating reagent to form a two-phase system for simultaneous cell cultivation and downstream processing of extracellular burkholderia cepacia lipase. a 10% (w/w) solution of ethylene oxide–propylene oxide (eopo) with a molecular mass of 3900 g/mol and ph 8.5, a 200 rpm speed, and 30 °c were selected as the optimal conditions for lipase production (55 u/ml). repetitive batch fermentation was performed by continuous replacement of the top phase every 24 h, which resulted in an average cell growth mass of 4.7 g/l for 10 extractive batches over 240 h. in scaling-up the process, a bench-scale bioreactor was tested under the conditions that had been optimized in flasks. the production rate and recovery yield were higher in the bioreactor compared to fermentation performed in flasks.