Application of sucrose fatty acid ester to reverse micellar extraction of lysozyme

Reverse micellar extraction of lysozyme has been carried out using an organic solution containing a mixture of monoester and polyester of sucrose fatty acid ester. The forward extraction of lysozyme from the feed aqueous phase to the reverse micellar organic phase of the mixture of monoester and polyester of sucrose fatty acid ester at pH 7.2 was strongly dependent upon the weight fraction of monoester, while any amount of lysozyme was not extracted only by using monoester or polyester. The forward extraction ratio dramatically increased with an increase in the concentration of fatty acid ester, and was high around neutral pH and at low ionic strength. The backward extraction of lysozyme from the reverse micellar organic phase to the recovery aqueous phase exhibited high efficiency at acidic pH value or at high ionic strength. The addition of sucrose into the recovery aqueous phase promoted the backward extraction ratio, and caused the activity of lysozyme recovered from the reverse micellar phase to be retained perfectly.