| Abstract: | A two‐stage extraction process for the recovery of intracellular proteins from brewers' yeast was selected as a practical model system to study the implementation of polyethylene glycol (PEG)–phosphate aqueous two‐phase systems (ATPS). Disrupted all suspensions generated by homogenisation and bead milling were used to study the impact of cell debris upon the partition behaviour of the intracellular products (bulk protein, fumarase and pyruvate kinase). Regardless of their origin debris particles did not significantly influence the partition behaviour of the intracellular products in selected ATPS distant from the binodal and at volume ratios greater than one. Recycling of used PEG into the initial extraction stage did not significantly influence the protein partition behaviour in batch ATPS. In the polymer recycling studies in continuous ATPS using spray columns, the addition of fresh materials to make up the deficits of phase‐forming chemicals compensate any negative effect of the continuous recycling of the top PEG‐rich phase. The findings of these studies raise the potential application of ATPS processes for protein recovery from complex biological systems. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry |
