Selective extraction of colorful proteins using reverse micelles

Biotechnology is an ever expanding field of science. As the field has expanded, research into bioseparation processes has also expanded. The need for more cost effective ways to deliver products that are in high demand is greater now than ever. Bioseparation processes are a very costly part of the overall process of product development. While traditional separation process are effective, there is promise in many new techniques being developed which have the potential to lower the costs of bioseparations. The continuous separation method of liquid-liquid extraction using reverse micelles is one such technique. While this technique has been researched in the past, previous studies lack information about realistic complex protein mixtures. Through this study optimum conditions were found for the individual extraction of horse heart cytochrome c, EGFP, Cyanobacterium anabaena flavodoxin, and DsRed2 from reverse micellar systems. Experiments were also conducted using crude lysate and protein mixtures. Ultimately more research needs to be conducted with reverse micelles for it to become an accepted bioseparation technique, but this research aims to add to the information available on reverse micelle systems