Process for the preparation of antimycin a

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING ANTIMYCIN A BY PROPAGATION IN A SUITABLE AQUEOUS FERMENTATION MEDIUM CONTAINING CONTAINING ANIMAL OR VEGATABLE OILS OR FATS, A SOURCE OF CARBOHYDRATE, AMMONIUM SULFATE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, AND OTHER NECESSARY NUTRIENTS, OF A STRAIN OF STREPTOMYCES CAPABLE OF PRODUCING ANTIMYCIN A WHEN SO PROPAGATED UNDER AEROBIC CONDITIONS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES OPTIMIZING YEILDS OF ANTIMYCIN A BY A COMBINATION OF STEPS INCLUDING A. CONTINUOUS ADDING TO THE FERMENTATION MEDIUM A SOURCE OF ASSIMILABLE CARBON SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF CARBOHYDRATES, VEGETABLE OILS AND ANIMAL OILS AT THE RATE OF FROM 0.5 TO 2.0 VOLUME PERCENT OF THE FERMENTATION MEDIUM PER DAY WHILE CONTROLLING THE PH OF THE FERMENTATION TION MEDIUM AT A PROXIMATELY 6.0 BY DISCONTINUOUSLY ADDING DURING THE COURSE OF THE FERMENTATION A PH 6 MAINTAINING AMOUNT OF EITHER A MINERAL ACID OR AN INORGANIC ALKALINE SOLUTION, THE ASSIMILABLE CARBON ADDITION BEGINING WITHIN ABOUT 24 TO 36 HOURS AFTER COMMENCEMENT OF FERMENTATION AND THE PH CONTROL COMMENCING WHEN THE FERMENATION MEDIUM PH FALLS TO APPROXIMTELY 6.0, AND B. RECOVERING ANTIMYCIN A BY ADJUSTING THE PH OF THE FERMENTATION MEDIUM TO APPROXIMATELY 9.0, MAINTAINING SAID PH FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES, ADJUSTING THE PH OF THE FERMENTATION MEDIUM TO APPROXIMATELY 2.5, FILTERING THE FERMENTATION MEDIUM IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ADDED SOLID FILTER AID MATERIAL, SEPARATING THE FILTER CAKE HAVING ASSOCIATED THEREWITH THE FERMENTATION MYCELIUM, EXTRACTING THE FILTER CAKE AND ASSOCIATED MYCELIUM WITH METHYLENE CHLORIDE, ETHYLENE CHLORIDE, CHLOROFORM OR BENZENE, DRYING AND EVAPORATING THE SOLVENT EXTRACT UNDER SUBATOMSPHERIC PRESSURE TO OBTAIN AN OILY RESIDUE CONTAINING ANTIMYCIN A, AND SEPARATING THE ANTIMYCIN A FORM THE OILY RESDUE.