Batch foam fractionation of kudzu (Pueraria lobata) vine retting solution.
The aqueous protein solution from kudzu (Pueraria lobata) vine retting broth, without the addition of other surfactants, was foam-fractionated in a vertical tubular column with multiple sampling ports. Time-varying trajectories of the total protein levels were determined to describe the protein behavior at six positions along the 1-m column. The lowest two trajectories of this batch process represented a loss of proteins from the bulk liquid and tended to merge and decay together in time; the other trajectories displayed a gain in proteins in the foam phase. These upper column port protein concentration trajectories generally increased in time up to 45 mm, followed by a decrease, reflecting the removal of proteins from the column ports. The foam became dryer as it passed up the column to the top port. The protein concentration was about 5-8x higher in the top port foam than in the initial bulk solution, mainly as a result of liquid drainage from the foam along the column axis. This concentration increase in the collected foam was dependent on the initial pH of the bulk solution. The mol-wt profile of the proteins in the concentrated foam effluent was determined by one-dimensional gel electrophoresis. An analysis of the gel electropherograms indicated that the most abundant proteins could be cellulases and pectinases.
Eiamwat
J
J
Department of Chemical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
Loha
V
V
Prokop
A
A
Tanner
R D
RD
D001234:Aspergillus niger / Q000201:enzymology; D002480:Cellulase / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005591:Chemical Fractionation; D005285:Fermentation; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011096:Polygalacturonase / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019685:Rosales / Q000737:chemistry*; D014242:Trichoderma / Q000201:enzymology
D010940:Plant Proteins; D011096:Polygalacturonase; D002480:Cellulase