Production of glutamic acid

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS INVOLVING THE SULFURIC ACID HYDROLYSIS OF A PROTEINACEOUS COMPOSITION, FOLLOWED BY TREATING THE HYDROLYSATE WITH A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALINE EARTH METAL OXIDE, HYDROXIDES, AND CARBONATES TO GIVE THE HYDROLYSATE A PH OF BETWEEN ABOUT 8 AND ABOUT 12 AND SEPARATING INSOLUBLE MATERIAL THEREFROM; THE IMPROVEMENTS COMPRISING ADDING TO THE RESULTANT SOLUTION ACIDIC MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACIDS AND ACID ANHYDRIDES WHOSE SALTS WITH ALKALINE EARTH METALS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY WATERINSOLUBLE IN SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OT COPRECIPITATE A MIXTURE OF GLUTAMIC ACID AND WATER-INSOLUBLE SALTS OF ALKALINE EARTH METALS, SEPARATING THE COPRECIPITATE FROM THE AFORESAID SOLUTION, SELECTIVELY DISSOLVING THE GLUTAMIC ACID IN THE COPRECIPITATE, SEPARATING THE INSOLUBLE SALTS OF ALKALINE EARTH METALS FROM THE GLUTAMIC ACIDCONTAINING SOLUTION, AND CRYSTALLIZING GLUTAMIC ACID FROM THE SOLUTION SO SEPARATED.