A flexible automated apparatus for isolating and purifying viruses, proteins
and
peptides of interest from a plant material is disclosed, the apparatus being applicable
for large scale purification and isolation of such substances from plant material.
The flexible automated apparatus provides an efficient apparatus for isolating
viruses, proteins and peptides of interest with little waste material. The automated
apparatus for isolating viruses, proteins and peptides of interest includes a grinding
apparatus for homogenizing a plant to produce a green juice, a means for adjusting
the pH of and heating the green juice, a means for separating the target species,
either virus or protein/peptide, from other components of the green juice by one
or more cycles of centrifugation, resuspension, and ultrafiltration, and finally
purifying virus particles by such procedure as PEG-precipitation or purifying proteins
and peptides by such procedures as chromatography and/or salt precipitation.
