Method of separating mannosylerythritol lipids

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10017710-B2
Application number	US-201615561703-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2016
Priority date	Mar 27, 2015
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

A method of fractionating a mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs) containing composition by loading the composition onto an adsorbing support, separating a fraction which is enriched in MELs from the support using supercritical carbon dioxide, and optionally separating one or more further fractions enriched in MELs from the support using supercritical carbon dioxide and an optional co-solvent. The MELs can be obtained at high concentration by using only “green” solvents.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of fractionating a MEL-containing composition which comprises:
(i) loading the composition onto an adsorbing support,
(ii) optionally separating a fraction from the support using liquid carbon dioxide,
(iii) separating a fraction which is enriched in MEL from the support using supercritical carbon dioxide, and
(iv) optionally separating one or more further fractions enriched in MEL from the support using supercritical carbon dioxide and an optional co-solvent.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the MEL-containing composition is a fermentation broth and the method comprises:
(i) dewatering the broth,
(ii) loading the dewatered composition onto an adsorbing support,
(iii) separating a fraction from the support using liquid carbon dioxide,
(iv) separating a fraction which is enriched in MEL from the support using supercritical carbon dioxide, and
(v) optionally separating one or more further fractions enriched in MEL from the support using supercritical carbon dioxide and an optional co-solvent.

3. The method according to claim 1 which comprises:
(i) loading the composition onto an adsorbing support,
(ii) optionally separating a fraction from the support using liquid carbon dioxide,
(iii) separating a fraction which is enriched in MEL from the support using supercritical carbon dioxide, and
(iv) separating one or more further fractions enriched in MEL from the support using supercritical carbon dioxide and an optional co-solvent.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the co-solvent is present.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the co-solvent is a mixture of ethanol and water.

6. The method according to claim 1 which comprises more than one supercritical carbon dioxide/co-solvent separation steps.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the polarity of the co-solvent is increased in a subsequent separation step.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the MEL-containing composition comprises 5 to 50 wt % of MELs.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the separated fractions is enriched in MELs by 500 to 1200%.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the separated fractions comprises 70 to 99 wt % MELs.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the separated fractions comprises 80 to 99 wt % of MEL A, or MEL B, or MEL C or MEL D.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the separated fractions comprises 85 to 100 wt % of the combined amount of MEL B and MEL C.

13. A composition selected from the group consisting of:
(a) 85 to 99.9 wt % of MEL A and 0.1 to 15 wt % of glycerides;
(b) 85 to 99.9 wt % of MEL B and 0.1 to 15 wt % of glycerides;
(c) 85 to 99.9 wt % of MEL C and 0.1 to 15 wt % of glycerides;
(d) 85 to 99.9 wt % of the combined amount of MEL B and MEL C and 0.1 to 15 wt % of glycerides; and
(e) 85 to 99.9 wt % of MEL D and 0.1 to 15 wt % of glycerides.

14. The composition according to claim 13 wherein the glycerides consist of triglycerides.

15. The composition according to claim 13 which consists of MEL(s) and glyceride.

16. A method of fractionating a MEL-containing composition comprising separating a fraction using supercritical carbon dioxide.

17. The method according to claim 16 further comprising separating a fraction using a supercritical carbon dioxide and a co-solvent.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein at least one of the separated fractions comprises 70 to 99 wt % of MELs.

19. The method according to claim 17 wherein at least one of the separated fractions consists of 85 to 99.9 wt % of MELs and 0.1 to 15 wt % of glycerides.

Assignees

• Croda Int Plc

Inventors

• Cossar John Douglas
• Marriott Raymond John
• Navarro Luis Martin

Classifications

• A23D9/013

  Other fatty acid esters, e.g. phosphatides · CPC title

• A23D9/007

  characterised by ingredients other than fatty acid triglycerides · CPC title

• B01D15/08

  Selective adsorption, e.g. chromatography · CPC title

• A23D9/02

  characterised by the production or working-up · CPC title

• C12P7/64

  Fats; Fatty oils; Ester-type waxes; Higher fatty acids, i.e. having at least seven carbon atoms in an unbroken chain bound to a carboxyl group; Oxidised oils or fats · CPC title