FERMENTATION PROCESS INVOLVING THE USE OF A HYDROCYCLONE

摘要

The present invention pertains to a fermentation process for the production of an organic acid salt including the steps of fermenting a microorganism in a fermentation medium in a fermentation reactor to form a fermentation broth having an organic acid salt, wherein part of the organic acid salt is present in the solid state and part of the organic acid salt is dissolved in the fermentation broth; withdrawing at least part of the fermentation broth from the fermentation reactor, providing the broth to a hydrocyclone, and withdrawing a top effluent and a bottom effluent from the hydrocyclone; providing the bottom effluent from the hydocyclone to a solid/liquid separation step, to form a solid fraction and a liquid fraction, providing at least 30 vol.% of the total of the top effluent from the hydrocyclone and the liquid fraction from the solid-liquid separation step to the fermentation reactor.