Dsm N.v.

Dsm IP Assets B.v.

Mieke Sibeijn

Robertus Mattheus De Pater

Albert Schaap

Johannes Hendrik Wolf

Aad Johannes Bouman

Cornelis Frederik Purmer

The present invention relates to a crystalline carotenoid compound, such as &#x3b2;-carotene, with a purity of at least 95% and with substantially no solvent enclosed in the crystal lattice. The present invention further describes a process to prepare such a highly pure crystalline carotenoid compound from microbial biomass, without the use of a solvent extraction and/or an anti-solvent crystallization process.

Isolation of carotenoid crystals

A process for the isolation of crystalline carotenoid compound from microbial biomass comprising disrupting the microbial cell walls, separating cellular debris from the carotenoid-containing residue, washing one member of the group consisting of the microbial biomass, the disrupted cell mass and the carotenoid-containing reside with a solvent to remove lipid, suspending the obtained carotenoid crystals in water to float the crystals, recovering the crystals and, optionally, further purifying the crystals which avoids the use of large amounts of solvent of carotenoid extraction process.

Isolation of carotenoid crystals from microbial biomass

The invention provides a simple and selective method for the deacylation of 4-acylated statins during the preparation of statins from a fermentation broth, more specifically a reduction of impurities from the process, by increasing the pH of the fermentation broth.

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Amersfoort, Netherlands

Mieke Sibeijn