Influence of system and process parameters on partitioning of cheese whey proteins in aqueous two-phase systems

A practical study is described to characterise some problems encountered in the application of aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) to protein recovery. These factors include practical design of extraction stages and the impact of ATPS compounding methods and biological suspension upon process performance. They were addressed using the recovery of whey proteins as a model. The known effects of system parameters (i.e. tie-line length, volume ratio and system pH) were exploited to define the specific operating conditions of a two-stage ATPS process for the recovery of whey proteins. The partition of whey proteins in ATPS assembled using different methods resulted in changes in the partition coefficient of the proteins. Such changes were associated with the initial location of the proteins in the polymer or salt-rich solutions of the ATPS. Cheese whey loaded into the ATPS caused the displacement of the binodal curve from the origin. Such behaviour was attributed to the residual fat present in the whey. These findings highlight those factors perceived as negative constraints on the wider adoption of ATPS processes for protein recovery from complex biological systems.