GB742634A - Improvements relating to the recovery of fumagillin - Google Patents

Abstract

Fumagillin is isolated from a fermentation broth containing same (i.e. in which Aspergillus fumigatus NRRL 2319 has been grown according to parent Specification) by precipitating the fumagillin on acidifying the fermented liquid to a pH of 1 to 4, and preferably 2. Suitable acids are sulphuric, hydrochloric, acetic, chloroacetic and phosphoric acid. It is preferred to remove the mycelium and to defat the broth prior to the precipitation of the fumagillin. The fumagillin precipitated from the clarified broth may be flocculated by means of a filter aid. The precipitate is extracted with a low boiling (defined) hydrophilic solvent for fumagillin, the solvent removed and the aqueous crude, filtered or not, is extracted with an incompletely water-immiscible solvent for fumagillin. The solution is dried, the solvent removed and the recovered fumagillin recrystallized from a solvent such as methanol to which up to 50 per cent water may be added to speed up crystallization. Specified low boiling hydrophilic solvents are acetone, methanol, propanol ethyl acetate and butanol. Incompletely water-immiscible solvents are chloroform, methylene chloride, methyl - isobutyl ketone and butanol.