Shin-etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.

Shin-etsu Bio., Inc.

Other

Kanji Murofushi

Shigehiro Nagura

Richard W Armentrout

Taira Homma

Motohide Yamazaki

Kaname Inoue

Tohru Kubota

Mikio Endo

Kazumasa Maruyama

Katsuhiro Uehara

Jiro Moriya

Satoshi Uchida

Taira Honma

A (meth)acryloxy-bearing alkoxysilane is isolated and purified to a high purity by distilling a reaction solution containing the (meth)acryloxy-bearing alkoxysilane in a thin-layer distillation device at a temperature of 90-160&deg; C. and a vacuum of 1-15 mmHg. The resulting alkoxysilane product does not give rise to the quality problem that the product will gradually whiten during storage owing to contact with air. The occurrence of self-polymerization of the alkoxysilane is restrained.

Distillation of (meth) acryloxy-bearing alkoxysilane

A process for saline-solution soluble xanthan gum which comprises the steps of precipitating xanthan gum by mixing, with stirring, an aqueous solution of xanthan gum with an organic solvent which is a non-solvent to xanthan gum but is hydrophilic, removing liquid from the precipitated xanthan gum to a liquid content of at most 50%, disintegrating the cake of xanthan gum after the liquid removal to an average grain size of from 0.3 to 2 cm in diameter, and drying the disintegrated xanthan gum by fluidizing the same at a temperature not exceeding 80&deg; C.

Process for production of saline-solution soluble xanthan gum

A fermenter for the production of xanthan gum is provided with an upper helical impeller and a lower turbine impeller which are positioned therewithin, and an agitator shaft for driving these helical impeller and turbine impeller. The helical impeller consists of a pair of vertically spaced arms extending from the agitator shaft in opposite directions and arranged in twisted relationship, and at least one shearing paddle bridging these arms, and the turbine impeller consists of a rotating disc having at least one turbine blade attached thereto.

Apparatus for the production of xanthan gum

Xanthan gum is purified by heat-treating a xanthan gum fermented broth, and consecutively treating the broth first with alkaline protease and then with lysozyme or in reverse order, and thereafter recovering xanthan gum from the treated broth. A clear aqueous solution of xanthan gum may be obtained without complex procedures. The xanthan gum is separated and purified and 0.3% aqueous solution of the purified xanthan gum has a transmittance of at least 80%.

Process of purifying xanthan gum using an alkaline protease and lysozyme

Apparatus and method for the production of xanthan gum

A process for saline-solution soluble xanthan gum which comprises the steps of precipitating xanthan gum by mixing, with stirring, an aqueous solution of xanthan gum with an organic solvent which is a non-solvent to xanthan gum but is hydrophilic, removing liquid from the precipitated xanthan gum to a liquid content of at most 50%, disintegrating the cake of xanthan gum after the liquid removal to an average grain size of from 0.3 to 2 cm in diameter, and drying the disintegrated xanthan gum by fluidizing the same at a temperature not exceeding 80.degree. C.

Pullulan is precipitated from an aqueous solution by mixing with a hydrophilic organic solvent incapable of dissolving pullulan. Solid pullulan is then separated from the liquid component of the dispersion by feeding the dispersion into a V-type disk press having a pair of discoid screens arranged so that the distance between them decreases as they are rotated. The pullulan dispersion is pressed by the discoid screens, recovering the liquid component through the screens. The resulting low-liquid-content pullulan continues to rotate together with the screens to an outlet, where it is discharged from the press.

Removal of liquid from pullulan

The process comprises heat-treating a xanthan gum fermented broth, and consecutively treating the broth first with alkaline protease and then with lysozyme or in reverse order, and thereafter recovering xanthan gum from the treated broth. A clear aqueous solution of xanthan gum may be obtained without complex procedures.

Process for preparation of purified xanthan gum

A xanthan gum having an improved transmittance is disclosed. Further, the transmittance of the xanthan gum is at least 75% in an 1% by weight aqueous solution. The xanthan gum is prepared by subjecting a strain ATCC 55429 or ATCC 55298 to submerged fermentation conditions to produce a broth containing the gum and debris. The broth is then subjected to heating at a temperature from 45.degree. to 70 .degree. C. for a period of time of at least one half to two hours and at a pH of 9 to 12.5. Two enzyme treatments are performed using an alkaline protease and lysozyme of which the order of their application is irrelevant to the recovery of the xanthan gum. The enzymes are applied at specific temperatures and time periods as well as pH conditions such as a protease is applied at a temperature of 40.degree. to 65 .degree. C. for a period of from 20 minutes to five hours at a pH range of 6 to 10; and the lysozyme is applied at a temperature of 25.degree. to 60 .degree. C. for a period of 20 minutes to five hours at a pH range of 5.5 to 8.0. Both of the enzyme treatments are applied after the broth has been heated in step b) and before the recovery of the xanthan gum.

A xanthan gum-containing fermented solution is subjected to an enzyme treatment for solubilizing the microbial cells present in the fermented solution. While the fermented solution having undergone the enzyme treatment is maintained at a temperature of 50.degree. C. to 80.degree. C., and xanthan gum is precipitated by adding an hydrophilic organic solvent incapable of dissolving xanthan gum to the fermented solution. When a rotary turbine is used, the precipitate can be cut with a shearing cutter to recover a finely-divided fibrous product.

Process for the recovery and purification of xanthan gum

The process includes heat-treating a xanthan gum fermented broth, and consecutively treating the broth first with alkaline protease and then with lysozyme or in reverse order, and thereafter recovering xanthan gum from the treated broth. A clear aqueous solution of xanthan gum may be obtained Without complex procedures.

A method for the fermentation production of xanthan gum which comprises the step of carrying out culture by using a water-soluble inorganic nitrogen component alone as the nitrogen source of a production medium, and by mixing and using the water-soluble inorganic nitrogen component and a water-insoluble organic nitrogen component as the nitrogen sources of a seed fermentation medium.

Method for fermentation production of xanthan gum

A method for reducing the number of contaminative live bacteria in xanthan gum which comprises the step of washing a mixture of 100 parts by weight of water-containing isopropanol having an isopropanol concentration of 50 to 100% by weight and 1 to 100 parts by weight of the xanthan gum under heating conditions.

Method for reducing contaminative live bacteria in xanthan gum

A modified xanthan gum has a viscosity of not less than 800 cP as determined on a 0.5% by weight solution thereof in a 12% by weight aqueous sodium chloride solution at 20.degree. C. and a ratio of this viscosity to that determined on a 0.5% by weight solution thereof in distilled water of not less than 1.5. The modified xanthan gum can be prepared by a method comprising the steps of mixing an organic solvent which does not dissolve xanthan gum and is hydrophilic with an aqueous solution of xanthan gum in a mixer, cutting, into fine fibrous materials, deposites formed in the mixed solution together with the mixed solution with a cutter, separating and recovering the suspended fine fibrous materials from the mixed solution and then drying the materials at a temperature of not more than 80.degree. C. The modified xanthan gum can directly be dissolved in aqueous solutions of salts such as common salt even at room temperature and can thus easily show a desired effect of thickening the aqueous salt solutions.

Modified xanthan gum and method for modifying xanthan gum

Disclosed is a method for selecting a mutant strain belonging to the genus Streptomyces which is a hyper-producer of Streptovaricin C superior to those know heretofore. This is accomplished by first subjecting a natural strain of Streptomyces spectabilis to conditions so as to isolate organisms which are streptovaricin resistant. The streptovaricin resistant organisms thus isolated are then subjected to mutagenesis and then cultured. The colonies which are asporogenous are individually cultured in fermentation batches such that the strains take the form of pellets of varying sizes and colors. From the batch having the most heterogeneous mixture of pellets, the smallest pellet or the pellet(s) having the deepest color (usually deep red or crimson) is isolated. We have discovered that the strain of this pellet has a high likelihood of being a hyperproducer of streptovaricin. The strain of this pellet may then be subjected to fermentation conditions to produce streptovaricin. The nutrient broth containing fumaric acid or water-soluble salts thereof, and adsorbent polymer beads and the streptovaricin produced are recovered in the usual manner. In another embodiment, the fermentation may be carried out in a nutrient broth wherein fumaric acid or its water-soluble salts are deliberately excluded to achieve even higher productivity.

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Joetsu, Japan

Kanji Murofushi