A Study on the Extraction and Purification of Glutathione from Yeast

During the course of studies on the production of glutathione from yeast, process development and optimization was carried out. The optimal pH for the extraction of glutathione was found to be 2.5 to 4.0 and the maximum yield for glutathione was obtained when the extraction temperature was 25 to $45^{\circ}C$. The cuprous salt of glutathione was recovered maximally at the range of 2 to 4g of cuprous oxide per 10 Kg of compressed yeast. Further purification was needed for the removal of impurities from glutathione. Cation exchange resin, anion exchange resin and Sephadex G-25 were employed for this purpose. 13 to 15 g of glutathione was obtained from 10 Kg of compressed yeast and the purity was above 99.3%.