What are the main steps in downstream processing?

Downstream processing (DSP) recovers and purifies products from fermentation broth. Main steps include: cell harvesting (centrifugation or filtration to separate cells from broth), cell disruption (for intracellular products using homogenization, bead milling, or lysis), clarification (removing cell debris by filtration or centrifugation), primary recovery (precipitation, extraction, or ultrafiltration), chromatography (ion exchange, affinity, size exclusion for purification), and polishing steps (sterile filtration, formulation). The specific steps depend on product location (intracellular vs secreted), required purity, and scale. DSP often represents 50-80% of total manufacturing costs.