Use of aqueous two-phase systems for recovery and purification in biotechnology

Aqueous two-phase systems are generated by mixing aqueous solutions of two water-soluble polymers, or a polymer and a salt. These systems offer extremely mild conditions for separation of cells, organelles, proteins and other biomolecules, in biochemical processes. Considerable attention has been directed towards the use of the two-phase systems in several areas of biotechnology. The present paper summarizes the state of the art concerning extractive bioconversions for production of small as well as macromolecules, and protein purification using aqueous two-phase system