Production of antibiotics (Penicillium)


 
In 1928, at St. Mary's Hospital, London, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin.

*Principle:-
       Penicillin is a secondary metabolite of certain species of Penicillium and is produced when growth of the fungus is inhibited by stress. ... The biotechnological method of directed evolution has been applied to produce by mutation a large number of Penicillium strains.Penicillin, which remains an important part of our antimicrobial armamentarium, had a significant impact on the second half of the twentieth century. Deep-fermentation methods, which were primarily developed for the production of penicillin during the war, gave rise to the development of antibiotics and contributed to the nascent biotechnology industry which appeared in the 1970s.
*Protocol :-
 Transfer of the mold to the fermenter from the test tube where it has been stored..      
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The fermentation is carried out over 4 or 5 days at 25-27°C.   (The whole process is aerobic.)
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The mycelium, the mold cells plus insoluble metabolites, is filtered off in a coated drum filter.
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 The filtrate is adjusted the pH 2 with sulphuric acid.           
       At this pH, the penicillin exists as an undissociated acid; consequently, it is soluble in organic solvents.
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   After extraction the solution is decolourised and impurities are removed by activated carbon in a second drum filter. 
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The penicillin is then precipitated by addition of a solution of potassium acetate. This converts the penicillin into a negative ion.
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  In the final steps the penicillin is crystallized and dried

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