Biopharma cell centrifuge for gentle protein recovery
Ensure gentle cell harvesting and enhanced yield in bioprocessing with state-of-the-art centrifugation, preserving the integrity of shear-sensitive proteins.

Gently Separates and Purifies Cell Cultures
The Culturefuge series from Alfa Laval offers hermetic cell centrifuges designed for gentle separation and purification of sensitive biological materials. These centrifuges feature a unique hollow spindle concept, minimizing cell lysis and maintaining the integrity of valuable proteins and antibodies across various operations. Ideal for applications in biopharmaceuticals and bioprocessing, they handle capacities from pilot-scale to large-scale production, accommodating up to 20,000 liters per hour.
Operating under fully hermetic conditions, the Culturefuge series prevents air entrainment and integrates seamlessly into production lines, with PLC control for automated processing, remote monitoring, and scalability. Engineered with materials that meet strict regulatory requirements, each unit supports CIP/SIP systems for effective cleaning and hygiene, essential in maintaining GMP and FDA compliance.
These centrifuges are available with customization options, including superfine electro-polished surfaces and steam-sterilizable components, ensuring compatibility with specific processing needs. Alfa Laval offers engineering support, ensuring these separators can be tailored to meet diverse processing challenges efficiently.
Benefits
- Enhances yield and purity with gentle cell handling, preserving valuable proteins.
- Scales efficiently from pilot to full-scale production, supporting business growth.
- Maintains sterility and hygiene with CIP/SIP systems, ensuring regulatory compliance.
- Prevents air entrainment, improving downstream processing and reducing contamination risk.
- Offers flexible integration and control, lowering operational costs and increasing process efficiency.
- Applications
- Microbial cells,Fine chemicals,Mammalian cell cultures,Nutraceuticals,Biopharmaceuticals,Precipitated proteins
- End products
- Insulin,Enzyme preparations,Recombinant therapeutic proteins,Monoclonal antibodies,Probiotic supplements,Biologically derived fine chemicals,Protein supplements,Tissue culture media,Growth factors,Vaccine components
- Steps before
- Cell Culture Fermentation,Microbial Cell Cultivation,Protein Precipitation
- Steps after
- Downstream Purification,Sterilization,Cleaning-In-Place (CIP),Filtration,Validation Support Services
- Input ingredients
- mammalian cell cultures,microbial cells,precipitated proteins,shear-sensitive biological material
- Output ingredients
- target proteins,separated liquid phase,collected solids,enhanced protein recovery
- Market info
- Alfa Laval is renowned for its expertise in heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling technologies, providing innovative, energy-efficient engineered-to-order solutions for various industries including food, marine, and energy.
- Capacity
- 200 – 20,000 L/hr
- Speed
- Variable depending on model size
- Automation
- PLC-controlled
- Cleaning Method
- CIP / SIP
- Hermetic Operation
- Fully hermetic
- Feed Type
- Bottom-fed
- Feed Acceleration
- Gentle using hollow spindle
- Discharge Method
- Intermittent solids ejection
- Compliance
- ASME / PED
- Material Compatibility
- Regulatory compliant
- Surface Finish
- Superfine electro-polished
- Skid-mounted Options
- Available
- Pneumatic Unit
- Integrated
- Electrical System
- Integrated with PLC
- Pumping Method
- Steam-sterilizable pump
- Batch vs. continuous operation
- Batch / Inline Continuous / Continuous
- Automation level
- PLC-controlled / Fully Automatic
- CIP/SIP
- CIP 121°C / SIP 135°C
- Cleaning method
- SIP / CIP
- Energy efficiency
- Optimized for Low Energy Consumption
- Air incorporation control
- Hermetic Design
- Biological compatibility
- Shear-sensitive biological material
- Cleanability
- CIP/SIP systems
- Corrosive resistance (e.g. acids)
- Materials meeting regulatory requirements
- Compact footprint
- Skid-mounted
- Discharge method
- Intermittent solids discharge
- Control panel type
- Integrated PLC system
- Design option
- Superfine electro-polished surface
- Feed/discharge method
- Bottom-fed,gentle acceleration
- Shape
- Disk-stack separator
- Material
- Meets pressure vessel specifications
- Control panel type
- Integrated PLC
- Discharge method
- Intermittent solids discharge
- Compact footprint
- Skid-mounted design
- Surface finish
- Superfine electro-polished
- Pump type
- Steam-sterilizable
- Feed inlet type
- Hollow spindle