Recovery, decarboxylation, and purification of cannabinoids from engineered cell cultures

Abstract

Methods of recovering cannabinoids from cell cultures include methods comprising steps of separating the cell culture at a temperature above the melting point of the cannabinoid to separate a light phase comprising liquid state cannabinoid from a heavy phase; and methods comprising treating the cell culture at a temperature below the melting point of the cannabinoid to separate a light phase from a heavy phase comprising solid state cannabinoid. Other methods include contacting the culture with a water-miscible solvent to form a water-miscible phase and an aqueous phase, separating the two phases and recovering the cannabinoid. Other methods include contacting the culture with a water-immiscible solvent to form a water-immiscible phase and an aqueous phase, separating the two phases, and recovering the cannabinoid. Other methods include washing the inner surface of a fermentation vessel with alkaline solution to recover cannabinoid attached to the vessel surface. Various methods make use of aqueous solvent systems comprising no organic solvent, aqueous solvent systems comprising added water-miscible organic solvent, and dual-phase aqueous/water-immiscible solvent systems.