Preparation, separation and implementation of alpha ketoglutaric acid in industrial applications
Description: Keto acids such as alpha ketoglutaric acid (AKG) are significant in biology as they are involved in anabolic metabolism, i.e. the construction of new compounds and tissues in an organism. AKG is widely used in many industries, f.e . precursor chemicals to produce food additives, diet supplements, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, biodegradable polymers and preparations used in agriculture. Beneficial functional properties of AKG include cell protection against oxidative stress, supporting protein metabolism, immunomodulation, bone tissue regeneration, and cancer treatment.
Advantages: 1. The application of a multi stage separation process involving pressure and electrically driven membrane processes allows for environmentally friendly and selective separation of AKG from the actual post fermentation broth and to obtain the main product with a satisfactory purity. 2. The vacuum evaporation is high energy consuming process and can significantly affect the total cost of AKG recovery. 3. Results from this study demonstrate the forward osmosis process as a promising method for AKG concentration. 4. The initial pH of the feed solution is an important parameter affecting mainly AKG rejection (99,7% at initial pH value equal to 5). 5. The use of the forward osmosis process allowed for a high water recovery of 80 even when real fermentation broth was used as the feed solution. 6. As a result of the pre-implementation work, an innovative cosmetic raw material was developed, which is a bioferment containing Yarrowia lipolytica yeast lysates and alpha ketoglutaric acid obtained by biotechnology. 7. The innovative production technology of the cosmetic raw material is based on the assumptions of Upcycling Green technology and Zero waste (low temperature processes, eliminating the need to use toxic solvents, etc.). 8. The key competitive advantage of the proposed solution consists in: high concentration of functional substances, mainly with antioxidant potential, strong, multifunctional nourishing and regenerating, smoothing, immunomodulating and immunostimulating effect, a wide range of in vitro and in vivo test results confirming the effectiveness of the properties of the newly developed cosmetic raw material.
Organisation: Poznan University of Technology, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Symbiosis Ltd.
Innovator(s): Mateusz Szczygiełda, Krystyna Prochaska, Daria Szymanowska and Ewa Kilian Pięta
Category: Zero Waste Technologies
Country: Poland
