Patent ID: 7935798

Claim:
A method for extracting an intracellular protein from a fermentation broth comprising the steps of: (a) intermixing a sufficient quantity of a glycol ether with an aqueous fermentation broth at a temperature to form a single aqueous phase comprising a protein, the glycol ether, and water is formed; (b) separating the single aqueous phase comprising the protein, the glycol ether, and water formed in step (a) from solid biomass impurities; and, optionally, (c) recovering the protein from the single aqueous phase obtained in step (b) by any conventional protein recovery method, wherein the glycol ether is ethylene glycol n-propyl ether, propylene glycol ethyl ether, propylene glycol methyl ether, diethylene glycol n-butyl ether, diethylene glycol ethyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ether, triethylene glycol n-butyl ether, triethylene glycol n-pentyl ether, triethylene glycol ethyl ether, triethylene glycol methyl ether, diethylene glycol dimethyl ether, ethylene glycol n-butyl ether, ethylene glycol iso-butyl ether, propylene glycol n-propyl ether, dipropylene glycol ethyl ether, dipropylene glycol iso-propyl ether, diethylene glycol 2-methylbutyl ether, diethylene glycol n-pentyl ether, triethylene glycol n-heptyl ether, triethylene glycol n-hexyl ether, diethylene glycol ethyl ether acetate, or diethylene glycol diethyl ether.