Methods for Affinity-Based Separations of Enzymes and Proteins

Book excerpt: One major concern of biotechnology is either using enzymes or producing them. Enzyme/protein production is therefore an important starting point for biotechnology. Bioseparation or Downstream Processing constitutes about 40-90% of the total production cost. Driven by economics, highly selective technologies applicable to large-scale processing have emerged during the last decade. These technologies are slowly diffusing to enzymologists who are working on a smaller scale, looking for fast and efficient purification protocols. The affinity-based techniques (including precipitation, two-phase extractions, expanded bed chromatography, perfusion chromatography and monoliths) described in this volume provide current and new cutting-edge methods. Consequently, the book is of main interest to researchers in biochemistry, biochemical engineering and biotechnology, working either in academic or industrial sectors.