Process for recovering isoprenoids produced by microorganisms

1. A process for recovering an isoprenoid compound produced by fermentation from a fermentation medium comprising:

(a) demulsifying the fermentation medium or a fraction thereof in presence of a salt and a surfactant by addition of the salt and surfactant, the salt being at a concentration of 0.01 mol/L or more, thereby generating a stream having an organic phase containing the isoprenoid compound and a phase heavier than the organic phase, and

(b) separating the stream obtained in step (a) into the organic phase containing the isoprenoid compound, the phase heavier than the organic phase, and optionally a solid phase containing host cell debris and cells.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the fraction of the fermentation medium submitted to step (a) is chosen from:

a solid/liquid light phase obtained from a solid/liquid separation of the fermentation medium into a solid/liquid heavy phase and a solid/liquid light phase,

a liquid stream obtained by extracting isoprenoid compounds from a solid/liquid heavy phase obtained from a solid/liquid separation of the fermentation medium into a solid/liquid heavy phase and a solid/liquid light phase,

a liquid stream obtained by extracting isoprenoid compounds from a liquid/liquid heavy phase itself obtained from a liquid/liquid separation of a solid/liquid light phase into a liquid/liquid heavy phase and a liquid/liquid light phase, said solid/liquid light phase being obtained from a solid/liquid separation of the fermentation medium into a solid/liquid heavy phase and a solid/liquid light phase,

a liquid stream obtained by extracting isoprenoid compounds from the phase heavier than the organic phase or from the solid phase containing host cell debris and cells obtained in step (b).

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the liquid streams obtained by extraction is submitted to a solid/liquid separation or to a water dilution before step (a).

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein no acid or base is added to the fermentation medium or the fraction thereof prior or during the demulsifying step (a).

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein in the demulsifying step, the pH range of the fermentation medium or the fraction thereof is from 2 to 7.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the surfactant is selected from an anionic surfactant and a non-ionic surfactant and their mixture.

7. The process according to claim 6 , wherein the anionic surfactant is selected from sulfates and sulfonates and the nonionic surfactant is a polyether polyol.

8. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the concentration of surfactant present in the fermentation medium or the fraction thereof in the demulsifying step (a) is from 5.10 −3 to 1% v/v.

9. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the concentration of salt present in the fermentation medium or the fraction thereof in the demulsifying step (a) is from 0.01 mol/L to 5 mol/L.

10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the fermentation medium or the fraction thereof is heated before being submitted to the separation step (b), after addition of the surfactant, at a heating temperature inferior to a temperature at which the isoprenoid compounds are degraded or decomposed.

11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the isoprenoid compound produced by fermentation is a C5-C20 isoprenoid.

12. The process according to claim 11 , wherein the isoprenoid compound is a sesquiterpene.