Patent ID: 8475660
Filing Date: 2013-07-02
Classification: C11B

Abstract:
1. A method of separating polar lipids and proteins from intact algal cells, comprising: providing a wet algal biomass comprising intact algal cells which comprise water, proteins that are soluble in a mixture of an amphipathic solvent and water, and polar lipids; dewatering the wet algal biomass by removing extracellular water to increase the solid content of the wet algal biomass to between 5% and 50% to result in a partially dewatered algal biomass comprising intact algal cells; mixing the partially dewatered wet algal biomass with an amphipathic solvent set in a ratio of about one part amphipathic solvent set to about one part partially dewatered wet algal biomass by weight, and a hydrophobic solvent set to generate an extraction mixture comprising a heavier phase and a lighter phase, wherein the heavier phase comprises the water, amphipathic solvent set, partially dewatered wet algal biomass that comprises intact algal cells, and proteins that are soluble in a mixture of an amphipathic solvent and water, and the lighter phase comprises the hydrophobic solvent set and polar lipids; separating the heavier phase of the extraction mixture from the lighter phase of the extraction mixture; separating the polar lipids from the lighter phase to generate a polar lipids fraction; separating the partially dewatered wet algal biomass from the heavier phase of the extraction mixture to generate a protein mixture comprising proteins that are soluble in a mixture of an amphipathic solvent and water, water, and the amphipathic solvent set; and separating the proteins of the protein mixture from at least a portion of the water and amphipathic solvent to generate a protein fraction, wherein the protein mixture has a higher concentration of proteins that are soluble in a mixture of an amphipathic solvent and water than the separated partially dewatered wet algal biomass.