Inventors:
Ralph Mitchell - Lexington MA
Ilan Chet - Cambridge MA
Assignee:
Sala Magnetics, Inc. - Cambridge MA
International Classification:
A23J 118
Abstract:
A magnetic separation method for recovering single cell protein from single cell organisms including dispersing magnetic seed in a fluid medium containing single cell organisms, to allow the attachment of the seed to the single cell organisms in the mixture to occur; submitting the resulting mixture to a magnetic separator to attract and hold by magnetic forces the seed and attached single cell organisms to concentrate the single cell organisms in the magnetic separator; lysing the entrapped single cell organisms to break the cell walls of the single cell organisms and release protein from the single cell organisms into the fluid medium; and recovering the released protein by discharging the fluid medium from the magnetic separator while the seed and remaining portions of the cells attached to the magnetic seed are held by the magnetic forces.