HMO Purification from Fermentation Broth Without Active Carbon
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for purifying human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) from fermentation broths are inefficient for industrial scale, leading to low yields and contamination with non-carbohydrate substances, and require complex regeneration processes, making them unsuitable for large-scale production.
Innovation Solution
A method involving ultrafiltration or centrifugation to separate HMOs from biomass, followed by purification with an adsorbent resin and concentration/drying to obtain purified HMOs in solid form, without using ion exchange resins or active carbon.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If active carbon treatment is used for purification, then decolorization and removal of charged substances is achieved, but HMO adsorption increases leading to decreased recovery yield
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes active carbon from the purification process entirely, replacing it with ion exchange resin treatment followed by ultrafiltration. This eliminates the harmful adsorption of HMOs by active carbon while maintaining purification effectiveness through alternative mechanisms that target charged substances and proteins without non-specifically adsorbing the oligosaccharide product.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces ion exchange resin as an intermediary substance that mediates the purification process. The ion exchange resin selectively binds charged impurities and proteins through ionic interactions without adsorbing neutral HMOs, serving as a bridge between the fermentation broth and the final purified product without causing the harmful effects of active carbon.
2Manufacturing precision
If active carbon treatment is used for purification, then decolorization is achieved, but regeneration process becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes active carbon and its complicated regeneration requirements from the process. The replacement ion exchange resin system uses simple salt solution regeneration that does not require complex equipment or procedures, eliminating the regeneration complexity issue entirely.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adopts a disposable approach with ion exchange resin that can be easily regenerated multiple times using simple salt solutions, or replaced if needed. This eliminates the need for complex regeneration equipment and procedures associated with active carbon, making the process more suitable for industrial scale-up.
3Manufacturing precision
If gel filtration chromatography is used for separation, then HMO purification is achieved, but industrial scaling becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical gel filtration chromatography system with a combination of ion exchange resin treatment and ultrafiltration. This substitution maintains high purification effectiveness while enabling industrial scale-up, as ion exchange and ultrafiltration can be processed in continuous flow systems rather than batch-wise column chromatography.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the separation mechanism from size-based gel filtration to charge-based ion exchange followed by molecular weight-based ultrafiltration. This parameter change allows for more efficient industrial processing while maintaining or improving purification effectiveness.
4Manufacturing precision
If ion exchange resin treatment is used, then removal of charged substances is achieved, but combination with active carbon increases process complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes active carbon from the process, keeping only the ion exchange resin treatment followed by ultrafiltration. This simplifies the overall process while maintaining effective removal of charged impurities through ion exchange and proteins through ultrafiltration, without adding the complexity of combining active carbon treatment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enhances HMO recovery yield and purity, allowing for efficient large-scale production of high-purity HMOs suitable for food, medical, and feed applications, while avoiding the drawbacks of traditional methods.
Implementation Method 1
purifying the separated HMO-containing stream with an adsorbent resin
Implementation Method 2
separating an HMO-containing stream from biomass
Implementation Method 3
separating an HMO-containing stream from biomass
Implementation Method 4
concentrating and drying the purified HMO-containing stream to obtain the neutral or sialylated HMO in solidified form
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for the purification of a neutral or sialylated human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) from a fermentation broth. Moreover, the invention also concerns neutral or sialylated HMOs obtained by the inventive method, as well as its use in food, feed, and medical application.