Background Clavulanic acid is an important beta-lactamase inhibitor produced as a secondary metabolite by the actinomycete Streptomyces clavuligerus. Clavulanic acid is chemically unstable; therefore, it is degraded during bacterial cultivation. In this work, the adsorbents clinoptilolite, activated carbon, calcined hydrotalcite, and Amberlite IRA 400 anionic exchange resin were studied in terms of their ability to adsorb clavulanic acid during extractive fermentation, in order to prevent product degradation and avoid product concentrations reaching inhibitory levels. Adsorption assays were used to investigate the effect of pH, and the decrease in the clavulanic acid concentration in the culture broth was measured for each adsorbent. Results IRA 400 was... |