PROTEIN RECOVERY

摘要

A process for recovering a protein-containing fermentation agent, comprising: (i) forming an aqueous mixture of an organic material and a protein-containing fermentation agent capable of fermenting the organic material to produce ethanol; (ii) fermenting the aqueous mixture to produce ethanol; (iii) recovering from the fermented aqueous mixture an ethanol stream which is rich in ethanol and a co-product stream comprising unfermented organic material, fermentation agent and an aqueous solution of dissolved solids in water; (iv) subjecting the co-product stream to a first separation stage to recover a first stream rich in the unfermented organic material and a second stream rich in the fermentation agent suspended in the aqueous solution; and (v) subjecting the second stream to a second separation step, capable of recovering suspended solids from a liquid, to recover a third stream rich in the fermentation agent and a fourth stream rich in the aqueous solution. The invention also relates to a new yeast composition obtainable from the process.