Abstract: To overcome the drawbacks of complex and high cost extraction process for ectoine, this study aimed to establish a simple and feasible method for ectoine extraction and purification. Firstly, different methods for separating ectoine from halophiles were compared to determine the optimal extraction conditions. Secondly, the preliminary extract was desalted and decolorized, and then refined by ion exchange and crystallization to obtain ectoine. The main components and residues in the ectoine extract were identified by UHPLC-MS. The results showed that the ethanol extraction method was the most suitable solutions for rapid extraction of intracellular ectoine. In addition, methanol desalination and activated carbon decolorization had significant effects. The main component of the final sample was confirmed as Ectoine by HPLC and MS. Notably, the purity of ectoine was 95.01%, and the yield was 46.41%. This method was simple and cost-effective, which can not only meet the needs of small-scale ectoine extraction, but also provide technical support for the screening of high-yield strains of ectoine and the development of its application value.

Key words: halophiles, ectoine, separation and purification, ion exchange resin