| Product stabilisation (Freeze & spray drying) |
Larger capacity for freeze drying of speciality biochemicals (including enzymes) into vials NOW available. Call +44 (0) 1443 843712 for more information.
Many enzymes can be stabilised to the point where they can be transported and stored for many months at ambient temperatures.
The removal of water is usually the first approach. Two common methods are:
Despite the fact that spray drying requires heat for the removal of water by evaporation, a well optimised spray drying operation can protect a thermo-labile enzyme from heat-damage by ensuring that the enzyme is protected by evaporative cooling during its residence in the drying chamber, and that it is removed from the drying chamber as soon as it is dried. Biocatalysts has laboratory scale spray drying equipment that can demonstrate the suitability of this technology for your product before the product is manufactured at large scale. This proof of principal can be very important in avoiding expensive large scale "trials" and improving the accuracy of forecasts of product costs. When an enzyme cannot survive spray drying it usually can be freeze dried. Freeze drying (or Lyophilisation) involves freezing the enzyme solution to be dried in a vacuum chamber. Under sufficiently high vacuum the water sublimes. This means that the water goes from the solid state to the vapour state without passing through the liquid state (ie thawing) leaving the dried product. Biocatalysts has equipment for freeze drying at several scales up to 30kg with a high degree of process control and automation to accelerate the drying process as much as possible. |
