Column chromatographic extraction and preparation of cordycepin from Cordyceps militaris waster medium

Large amounts of solid medium containing cordycepin, used in the industrial production of Cordyceps militaris through solid fermentation, are discarded as waste and contaminate the environment. Dr Hai-Hang Li and his team from the Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Biotechnology for Plant Development at the South China Normal University in Guangzhou, China, have developed a new column chromatographic extraction (CCE) method for the extraction of cordycepin from this waste and a preparation method for further separation and purification.