Aqueous two-phase systems strategies for the recovery and characterization of biological products from plants

The increasing interest of the biopharmaceutical industry to exploit plants as economically viable production systems is demanding the development of new downstream strategies to maximize product recovery. Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) are a primary recovery technique that has shown great potential for the efficient extraction and purification of biological compounds. The present paper gives an overview of the efficient use of ATPS-based strategies for the isolation and partial purification of bioparticles from plant origin. Selected examples highlight the main advantages of this technique, i.e. scaling-up feasibility, process integration capability and biocompatibility. An overview of the recent approach of coupling ATPSs with traditional techniques to increase bioseparation process performance is discussed. A novel approach to characterization protein from plants combining ATPSs and two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) is introduced as a tool for process development. In the particular case of products from plant origin, early success has demonstrated the potential application of ATPS-based strategies to address the major disadvantages of the traditional recovery and purification techniques. This literature review discloses the relevant contribution of ATPSs to facilitate the establishment of bioprocesses in the growing field of high-value products from plants. (C) 2010 Society of Chemical Industry