Investigation of methods of physically disintegratingActinomyces streptomycini cells

Conclusions

• 1. The use of static pressure, extrusion in a continuous frictional disintegrator, and electric methods is unsuitable because they are not effective.

• 2. Extrusion in a DCM-1 disintegrator can be used successfully under laboratory conditions; it allows 100% of the cells of the microorganisms (actinomycetes) to be disintegrated and reduces the viscosity by a factor of 5–13, depending on the initial viscosity, while releasing the antibiotic from the cells (up to 10% activity increase).

• 3. The disintegration of the microorganism cells can be carried out on a semiindustrial scale by extrusion in a continuous disintegrator of the DCM-1 type having a high throughput (up to 100 liters/h). The creation of a disintegrator with such a capacity operating with a pressure drop from 1500 atm to atmospheric required slight constructional modifications to the extrusion head and its cooling system. The production of an industrial disintegrator of this type is desirable from an economic point of view.