Posted by This chapter tells how the cyclodextrin production was started in Hungary in seventies and eighties of the 20st century, at about the same time as in Japan. The difficulties experienced in finding and isolating the proper enzyme, separating the individual cyclodextrins from the conversion mixture, analyzing the products and scaling up to hundred kilograms scale were gradually overcome till the production of several tons beta-cyclodextrin started. The methods for producing alpha- and gamma-cyclodextrins were also worked out and some experimental lots obtained. Similarly the productions of hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin and beta-cyclodextrin bead polymer were ready to be industrialized when the productions were abandoned owing to political changes. The laboratory headed by Prof. Szejtli became a knowledge center of cyclodextrin research and development. After about two decades of break in cyclodextrin production in Hungary, this laboratory, now CycloLab, became a company producing sulfobutylether beta-cyclodextrin using beta-cyclodextrin as starting material.
Fenyvesi, É., Seres, G., Szente, L. (2020) History of Cyclodextrin Production in Hungary. In: Crini, G., Forurmentin, S., Lichtfouse, E. (eds.) The History of Cyclodextrins. Springer, New York. pp. 181-218. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030493073
One comment