Extraction of some essential amino acids using aqueous two-phase systems made by sugar-based deep eutectic solvents

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Separation Science
• Green Chemistry

Background:

• Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) are established for biomolecule extraction.
• Deep eutectic solvents (DES) offer a novel approach to forming ATPSs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine phase diagrams of ATPSs formed by polyethylene glycol dimethyl ether 250 and two specific natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs).
• To evaluate the extraction efficiency of these ATPSs for specific amino acids.

Main Methods:

• Phase diagram determination using tie-line data for polyethylene glycol dimethyl ether 250 with choline chloride/sucrose or choline chloride/fructose NADESs.
• Fitting binodal data with Merchuk and Zafarani-Moattar equations.
• Amino acid extraction (l-arginine, l-phenylalanine, l-tyrosine) and partition coefficient correlation using Diamond-Hsu equations.

Main Results:

• The NADES-based ATPSs exhibited ternary-like behavior due to incomplete hydrogen bond disruption.
• Binodal data were successfully fitted using established empirical equations.
• Effective extraction of l-arginine, l-phenylalanine, and l-tyrosine was achieved.

Conclusions:

• NADESs can be effectively utilized to create novel ATPSs for biomolecule separation.
• These systems demonstrate potential for efficient amino acid extraction in biotechnological processes.
• Further applications in pharmaceuticals and related fields are anticipated.