This paper reviews the results obtained by studying the sorption of physiologically active substances (PAS) of different types such as, amino acids, nucleotides and melanoidins on ion exchangers and non-ionogenic sorbents. The review is mainly focused upon die mechanisms of interaction of PAS molecules in the sorbent phase. The contribution of ion-ionic, ion-molecular and intermolecular interactions to the overall sorption effect is discussed. The results of studying ion-exchange isothermal supersaturation of amino acid solutions on anion exchangers are reported and discussed. The mechanisms of aging of ion-exchange materials in the course of recovery of PAS from fermentation broths and hydrolysates are proposed.