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Coproducts and Near Coproducts
of Fuel Ethanol Fermentation from Grain
Chapter 3. Current Research Efforts into Coproducts and Near Coproducts formed when Grain is Fermented to produce Ethanol
1. RESEARCH
1.1 Introduction
A survey of the recent scientific literature as well as discussions with a number of people involved in the fuel ethanol industry has indicated that there is a significant amount of research being conducted on coproducts and near coproducts of fuel ethanol fermentation. This represents a major change from the situation reported by Monenco AGRA (1993) when coproduct research was felt to have been relatively meagre. While some of the coproduct research is centred at university and government laboratories, a great deal is being done collaboratively with industry. For this reason, one inevitably runs into the question of confidentiality, which is naturally important to any commercial venture. In some cases, companies would merely acknowledge that they are doing research while in others a brief outline of their project(s) were available.
Information on current research areas can be found from a variety of sources. Conference proceedings such as those from the Biomass Conferences of the Americas, Corn Utilization and Wheat Utilization Conferences contain abstracts and summaries of presentations. Research institutions such as the Research Branch of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada or the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service often publish summaries of their research activities. Another important source of information is that of on-line databases which list research projects. Examples include the Inventory of Canadian Agri-Food Research (ICAR), Current Research Information System (CRIS, U.S.), Australian Rural Research in Progress (ARRIP), Agricultural Research Projects (AGREP, European Union) and Crop Association Sponsored Research Archive (CASRA, U.S.). Patent information may also prove useful.
In addition to research being done specifically on grain-to-ethanol process byproducts, there is the whole area of value-added cereal components or near coproducts that is not necessarily connected to the ethanol industry but is still of significance as the industry may provide a low-cost source of raw material for extraction. This leads one to the concept of a biorefinery which incorporates ethanol production with grain preprocessing technology, chemical extraction using ethanol and/or carbon dioxide produced in plant, and microbial conversions to produce a wide range of products for food and non-food industries.
Discussions with a number of people in the ethanol industry in North America indicated that grain biorefineries appear to be a way of the future. Similarly, in Europe, a project entitled "The Whole Crop Biorefinery Project" is being run under the auspices of the European Collaborative Linkage of Agriculture and Industry through Research (Christensen, 1994). This project involved ten research institutions and industrial partners from five European nations and covered six topic areas, five of which involved wheat straw and kernels.
A large new area of research is that of functional foods (also called nutraceuticals, designer foods, pharmafoods, phytochemicals or medical/medicinal foods) (Food Focus, 1995)). The functional food concept began in Japan and is well established there. Currently eleven categories of functional foods are recognized in Japan for specific health use. The largest areas are dietary fibre and oligosaccharides. Interest is growing in Europe and North America and there have been numerous conferences, symposia and workshops on this topic in recent years.
The cereal grains have been investigated to some extent to elucidate their nutraceutical properties. A recent study by Food Focus (1995) for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada examined the status of the functional food industry in Canada. Of 35 companies surveyed, a number were producing plant products such as fibre, that they believed to have nutraceutical qualities. Because coproducts of fuel ethanol fermentation may provide a source of material for further development into functional foods, a number of research projects and recent discoveries pertaining to this field have been identified in this report.
The development of the functional food or nutraceutical industry in Canada is limited at present by a number of factors including the Canadian government's Food and Drugs Act and Regulations (Food Focus, 1995). If a health claim is made for a product, it is then classified as a drug by Health Canada and requires rigorous clinical testing for safety, efficacy and usage (Micheline Ho, personal communication). Health Canada has received requests for information in regards to classification of different cereal derivatives as functional foods. Details of actual submissions are treated as confidential. Health Canada is presently considering the need for a different means of classification for foods which have proven health benefits.
Canamino Inc. produces value-added oat derivatives for use in cosmetics and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. They use a patented process developed by Dr. Dave Paton and Dr. Bill Collins of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to separate the bran and flour portions of the oat groat. At present, Canamino products are being used around the world by the major household cosmetic and toiletry firms including Avon, Jergens, Estée Lauder and Cheeseborough Ponds. They are also having discussions with a number of the so-called "green" cosmetics firms. Research by Canamino is ongoing at their Nepean, Ontario facility.
Ceapro Developments Inc. of Edmonton, Alberta is active in the functional food area (Pilip, 1995). Working with government research and development facilities, they have developed a number of products containing dietary oat fibre including a Japanese noodle, a type of yoghurt based on fermented oat porridge and a health drink.
Kilborn Inc. was involved in the development of the Multiple Oxygenate Products (MOP) process for the production of ethanol from corn, other grains or other starchy or cellulosic compounds. This process generates an number of coproducts including distillers' dried grains with solubles (DDGS), methanol, ethyl t-butyl ethers (ETEB) and methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE). More information about the MOP process can be found by reaching Gerry Hamaliuk at Kilborn Inc. in Toronto.
Mohawk Oil Company Ltd. recently announced a $1.5 million upgrade of their plant in Manitoba to produce a fibre and protein coproduct called Fibrotein, for use as a food additive for the Canadian market (Rampton, 1995). Mohawk is using technology owned in the USA by Cereal Ingredients Inc. (Dr. E. St. Denis, personal communication). It has taken Mohawk Oil approximately three years to acquire the Canadian rights, undertake research and feasibility studies and get Health Canada approval. Initially 1.5 million kg/annum of the product will be produced with potential expansion to more than three times that amount. Higher quality wheat will be required as a feedstock. According to Mohawk Oil, production of Fibrotein will increase the economic feasibility of fuel ethanol production.
POS Pilot Plant Corporation has been involved in research and development activity for the past 20 years (Dr. Paul Fedec, personal communication). POS is a private, non-profit company serving the agri-food industry and has 48 industrial, associate and government members. Ninety percent of POS (Protein Oil Starch) activity is done on a fee for service basis for industry, both in Canada and the United States. POS has the capacity to wet process cereals including wheat, corn, barley and oats, for fractionation, separation and isolation of protein, starch and minor components. The Corporation also has equipment to modify extracts by extrusion, drying, etc. POS Pilot Plant Corporation has recently added a wholly-owned commercialization arm to carry basic research through to full scale production. In the past, POS worked with Canamino to develop commercial oat-based products based on research conducted at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
TDI Projects Inc. of Edmonton, Alberta is active in the area of value-added wheat processing. They are involved in the technical aspects of a plant to be constructed at Red Deer, Alberta as well as in the construction of a small plant in Washington State for product development. This latter plant will refine process technology and produce food fibre products for testing and market trials.
Tkac and Timm Enterprises Ltd. has developed a value-added wheat fibre product for the human food market called PRIMAFIBRE (Tkac and Timm, 1995). Their patented technology involves the sequential removal of the bran layers from the wheat kernel leaving a starch enriched grain that could then be fermented to form fuel ethanol. PRIMAFIBRE is available in a range of particle sizes and can be used in a variety of food products including breakfast cereals, health foods, bakery products, snack foods and cookies. The Tkac and Timm process lends itself to use in a biorefinery with a number of product streams including ethanol, wheat germ, Vitamin E (extracted from wheat germ), various bran products and other chemicals derived from the bran fractions by further refining (TWG Consulting Inc., 1995).
Dr. Mike Ingledew and his group at the Applied Microbiology and Food Science Department, University of Saskatchewan are researching the use of very high gravity fermentation to produce ethanol. In this process, now at the pilot scale testing stage, the grain can be dry milled before cooking and fermentation to yield a bran fraction which has applications in the food industry (Bioenergy West, 1994). Grain solids (mostly bran) removal after solubilization, of starch but before fermentation, creates an opportunity for production of value-added products.
Dr. R.S. Bhatty at the University of Saskatchewan is involved in a collaborative project entitled "Promotion of hulless barley in food and industry". He and his coworkers are looking at value-added products including ß-glucan and bran.
Dr. John Postlethwaite and Dr. S. Rohani at the University of Saskatchewan were involved with an innovative design project done by a group of four undergraduate students in 1995 (Eggum et al., 1995). This project looked at the application of extraction technology in an integrated ethanol plant and feed-lot operation. Using technology developed at the University of Saskatchewan, it was possible to produce a wheat concentrate for human food use instead of the traditionally produced and lower value wet distillers' grains for livestock consumption. The wheat concentrate was of high protein and fibre content, had low energy and an acceptable flavour.
Extractive fermentation, being developed at Queens University by Dr. Andrew Dauglis and his associates, yields a feed byproduct that includes dried yeast from the fermentation and dehydrated spent fermentation medium, as well as distillers' dried grains. It is at the pilot scale testing stage.
The Alberta Barley Commission is sponsoring a project looking at the functional properties of barley ß-glucan with a long term view to developing a barley biorefinery which would produce a number of value-added products. Dr. F. Temelli at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics is in charge of this study. Her group has isolated and analyzed an enriched fraction (up to 78%) of ß-glucan from barley. The next step will be evaluation and development of the product for potential food usage. Dr. Sam Jadhav of the Alberta Department of Agriculture Food and Rural Development in Leduc, Alberta, is the project leader in a co-study evaluating techniques to separate the starch, beta-glucan and protein fractions of the barley grain and to assess their functional properties.
The Centre for Food and Animal Research, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Ottawa is looking at potential non-food uses of cereal crops as well as extraction of minor components for nutraceutical or functional food usage. There are currently opportunities for collaborative projects to develop niche markets for specific commodities. Some of the projects being conducted with industrial partners are listed below:
Dr. John Mullin is working with an industrial partner in order to characterize the bran fractions that they are able to remove from wheat kernels using patented technology. They are interested in determining contents of soluble and insoluble fibre, phytate, starch, oligosaccharides, and solvent extractable phenolics of the different bran layers.
Dr. Shea Miller is working with an industrial partner to investigate the distribution of ß-glucan in the grains of a number of different oat cultivars with a view to utilizing them for different processing functions.
Dr. Peter Wood is also studying ß-glucan in oats. In conjunction with industry and clinicians he is looking at improving the potential for producing high beta-glucan products for commercial use.
Dr. Bill Collins is involved in the evaluation of phenolic avenanthramides in oats and wheat. Particular emphasis has been on the bound forms of the hydroxycinnamic acids found in oat hulls and groats. He is also investigating the presence of flavonoids in wheat germ. Flavonoids are known to have antioxidant and antitumor activity. In another study, Dr. Collins and his coworkers are looking at the sterol esters found in wheat germ using unique extraction methods.
Dr. Dave Paton at Research Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Saskatoon is working on oats and oat components, identifying and evaluating chemical and functional properties and developing appropriate technology to produce value-added products from oats.
1.3 Research in the United States
1.3.1 Ethanol Coproduct Research
Both the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA-ARS) and the U.S. Department of Energy are involved in fuel ethanol research in the United States. The Department of Energy runs its program through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Biofuels Information Network (BIN).
USDA-ARS has a biofuels research program looking at the use of renewable agricultural feedstocks for the production of fuels and value-added coproducts. They are trying to find solutions to the lack of value-added coproducts currently in the marketplace, and the associated high cost of recovery and separation of potential coproducts that have been identified.
USDA-ARS separates coproducts into three categories - high, substantial and moderate value products. Examples of high value products include medical and veterinary pharmaceuticals; substantial value products include environmentally friendly pesticides, biodegradable plastics, edible films, industrial enzymes and food additives; moderate value products include bulk chemicals and intermediates such as acetate, glycerol, lactate and polyalcohols. Research priorities at USDA-ARS include development of composite materials for non-food uses, non-food uses of protein coproducts, molecular modelling of polymers produced from coproducts and bioconversion of residual carbohydrates (Leathers et al., 1992). Programs and research team leaders located at three USDA-ARS Centres are listed below.
1. New Process Operations and Systems for Refining and Converting
Grains to Value Added Products (Wheat)
George Robertson, Western Regional Research Center, Albany, California
(501) 559-5866
2. New Processes for Generating Valuable Coproducts from Corn Fibre
Kevin Hicks, Eastern Regional Research Centre, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania
(215) 233-6579
3. Value Added Coproducts from Biofuel Conversion
Richard Greene, National Centre for Agricultural Utilization Research,
Peoria, Illinois
(309) 685-4011
A major study of recently completed and ongoing research projects on corn-to-ethanol production and coproducts has recently been completed by Dr. Nicholas Powers (1995) of Powers Agribusiness Research, Shaker Heights, Ohio. This study was funded by USDA-ARS and the Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources and will be available from the principal investigator, Brian Donnelly, at University Park, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. It is part of a larger study to consider the feasibility of establishing a pilot plant for corn-to-ethanol production in order to determine the commercial potential of processes that have been found successful in the laboratories of government, universities and industry.
In his report, Powers presents summaries of 103 projects related to corn-to-ethanol production including, in more detail, those located at the USDA-ARS Regional Research Centres already mentioned. Research projects located in the U.S. concerned with coproduct production are listed below giving title, principal investigator, location, telephone number and a brief statement of research as it concerns coproducts. A great deal of interest is apparent in the development of techniques to ferment corn fibre and derive both greater ethanol yields and higher value coproducts. These projects have been listed separately under the heading, corn fibre. For more information about the different research projects, interested parties should refer to the report itself or contact Brian Donnelly.
1. Refining of Wheat to Value-Added, Purified Components and Ethanol
Dr. George Robertson1 and Ralph Kurtzman, 1Western Regional Research Center,
Albany, California
Tel: (510) 559-5866
(Preprocessing of wheat to produce high quality protein coproducts)
1. Genetic Engineering of Specialized Corn Hybrids with Value-Added
Grain Characteristics
Dr. Torbert Rocheford, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tel: (217) 333-3420
(Development of corn hybrids with high-oil content, altered fatty acid
composition and/or high-starch content for increased or novel coproduct
production)
2. Molecular Genetic Modification of Lysine Synthesis in Corn
Dr. Burle Gengenbach, University of Minnesota
Tel: (612) 625-6282
(Increased quality and quantity of amino acids in coproducts)
3. Value-Added Coproducts in Ethanol Production by the Sequential
Extraction Process
Dr. Lawrence Johnson1, Dr. Mila Hojilla-Evangelista, Dr. Deland Myers
and Dr. Anthony Pometto III, 1Iowa State University
Tel: (515) 294-4365
(Improving the yield and quality of coproducts, including protein, fibre
and oil, produced using the Sequential Extraction Process)
4. Simultaneous Corn Oil Extraction and Alcohol Dehydration, Protein
Extraction, and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Corn Starch after Extractions
Dr. Li-Fu Chen, Purdue University
Tel: (317) 494-8263
(Increased cost-efficiency via corn oil and edible protein extraction)
5. Germ Recovery Process for Dry Grind Corn
Dr. Steve Eckhoff, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tel: (217) 244-4022
(Development of technology to extract germ from corn kernels)
6. Pervaporation of Acetone, Butanol, Ethanol
Dr. Michael Meagher, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Tel: (402) 472-2342
(Development of process to extract acetone, butanol or ethanol from dilute
fermentation broth using membrane technology)
7. Flavorzyme
Mr. Neal Briggi, Novo Nordisk Entotech, Inc.
Tel: (203) 790-2600
(Use of a new protease enzyme to effect hydrolysis of corn proteins into
amino acids that can then be used in the manufacture of meat flavours)
8. Lypase
Mr. Neal Briggi, Novo Nordisk Entotech, Inc.
Tel: (203) 790-2600
(Use of a new enzyme to break down fat or oil molecules into new fats
or oils with desired characteristics)
9. New Protein Coproducts from Corn Milling
Dr. Leland Dickey, Eastern Regional Research Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tel: (215) 233-6640
(Economically feasible technology for deriving a zein-enriched protein
product)
10. Protein-Based Coproducts
Dr. Victor Wu, The National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research,
Peoria, Illinois
Tel: (309) 681-6377
(Development of uses for corn protein products beyond the feed industry,
e.g. zein)
11. Adding Value to Corn Proteins
Dr. Munir Cheryan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tel: (217) 333-9332
(Use of enzymes and membranes to develop corn protein products for human
foods)
12. Higher-Value Corn Proteins
Mr. Sammy Pierce, EnerGenetics, Keokuk, Iowa
Tel: (217) 453-2340
(Production of undenatured corn protein for use in the food industry,
using grinding and membrane techniques)
13. Incorporating Protein and Carbohydrate Residues into Composite
Materials
Dr. Richard Greene1, Dr. S. Imam, Dr. Victor Wu, 1The National Center
for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, Illinois
Tel: (309) 681-6377
(Use of corn proteins and carbohydrates in the production of industrial
biopolymers and composite materials)
14. Converting Residual Carbohydrates to Value-Added Coproducts
Dr. Timothy Leathers, The National Center for Agricultural Utilization
Research, Peoria, Illinois
Tel: (309) 681-6377
(Production of pullulan, astaxanthin and xylitol from corn fermentation
byproducts using fungi, yeast and yeast-like fungi)
15. Value-Added Products from Steep Water and Residual Fiber of
Corn Wet Milling Processes
Dr. George Tsao, Purdue University
Tel: (317) 494-4068 or 494-7022
(Evaluation of adsorption to remove lactic acid, phytic acid, amino acids
and other value-added coproducts from steep water)
16. Separation of Glycerol and Organic Acids in Model Ethanol Stillage
by Electrodialysis and Precipitation
Dr. Munir Cheryan1 and Dr. Sarad Parekh, 1University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tel: (217) 333-9332
(Evaluation of the potential for separating and isolating glycerol and
organic acids (eg. succinic and lactic acids) from ethanol stillage using
electrodialysis and selective crystallization)
17. A Pilot Scale Conversion of Lactic Acid, Glycerol, and Residual
Sugars and Proteins from the Thin Stillage of Starch Fermentations to
Yeast Single Cell Protein
Mr. Bob Lehman and Dr. Clark Dale1, 1Bio-Process Innovation, Inc., West
Lafayette, Indiana
Tel: (317) 494-1195
(Production of yeast single cell protein from components of corn thin
stillage)
18. Production of Propionic and Acetic Acids by Extractive Fermentation
Dr. Bonita Glatz1 and Dr. Charles Glatz, 1Iowa State University
Tel: (515) 294-3970
(Development of extractive fed-batch fermentation with immobilized cells
which allows for cost-effective recovery of propionic and acetic acids)
19. Chemicals from Starch and/or Byproducts of Corn-to-Ethanol Production
Dr. Dick Antrim, Genencor International, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Tel: (319) 368-7602
(Use of genetic engineering techniques to create new enzymes for conversion
of starch and byproducts into chemicals for both food and non-food industries)
20. Recovering Glycerol
Mr. Gary Welch, Pekin Energy Company, Pekin, Illinois
Tel: (309) 347-9271
(Development of effective technology for the extraction of glycerol from
fermentation byproducts)
21. Carbon Dioxide and Yeast Cell Utilization
Dr. Li-Fu Chen, Purdue University
Tel: (317) 494-8263
(Use of super critical CO2 extraction for recovery of food-grade protein
from yeast/Use of CO2 as a sterilant for food and pharmaceutical products)
22. Yeast Invertase as a Coproduct of Continuous Ethanol Fermentation
Dr. Li-Fu Chen, Purdue University
Tel: (317) 494-8263
(Production of extracellular invertase by Saccharomyces uvarum using media
containing corn steep liquor)
23. Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Fuels
Dr. Dan DuBois, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado
Tel: (303) 384-6171
(Conversion of CO2 to methanol using specially developed catalysts)
24. Bioconversion of Carbon Dioxide, the Major Byproduct of Fermentation,
to Ethanol
Dr. F. Tabita1 and Dr. T. Conway, 1The Ohio State University
Tel: (614) 292-4297
(Conversion of CO2 to ethanol using genetically engineered CO2-fixing
bacteria with
cloned ethanol production genes)
25. Corn-Based Fish Feeds
Dr. Victor Wu, Dr. R. Rosati, Dr. David Sessa1, Dr. P. Brown, 1National
Centre for
Agricultural Research, Peoria, Illinois
Tel: (309) 681-6351
(Development of low cost talapia feeds containing corn-to-ethanol fermentation
byproducts including gluten meal, distillers' grains with solubles and
gluten feed)
26. Producing Feeds and Developing New Products from the Coproducts
of Wet Corn Milling
Dr. Robert Friedman, American Maize Products Company, Hammond, Indiana
Tel: (219) 659-2000
(Use of corn fibre, germ, oil and protein for the production of value-added
materials for food and non-food use)
27. Feeds and New Products from the Coproducts of Wet Corn Milling
Mr. Dick Roberts, CPC International, Summit-Argo, Illinois
Tel: (708)563-6706
(Development of new feed, food and other industrial products from corn
fibre and protein, including zein)
28. Stillage Clarification with Membranes
Mr. Gary Welch1 and Dr. Munir Cheryan, 1Pekin Energy Company, Pekin, Illinois
Tel: (309) 347-9271
(Development of membrane technology to separate water from insolubles
in stillage)
29. Membranes
Dr. John Long, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Decatur, Illinois
Tel: (217) 424-5399
(Development of membrane technology for production efficiency and recovery
of coproducts)
1. Alkali Wet Milling of Corn
Dr. Steve Eckhoff, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tel: (217) 244-4022
(Development of a purer and therefore higher-value corn fibre coproduct)
2. Producing Organic Acids from Corn Gluten Feed and Other Plant
Biomass
Dr. Shang-Tian Yang, The Ohio State University
Tel: (614) 292-6611
(Conversion of cellulose and hemicellulose fractions of corn gluten meal
to organic acids including acetic, propionic, butyric and lactic acid)
3. Value-Added Products from Steep Water and Residual Fiber of Corn
Wet Milling Processes
Dr. George Tsao, Purdue University
Tel: (317) 494-4068 or 494-7022
(Fungal fermentation of corn fibre to produce lactic acid)
4. Converting Corn Fiber to Lactic Acid
Dr. George Tsao, Purdue University
Tel: (317) 494-4068 or 494-7022
(Fermentation of corn fibre to value-added coproducts, including lactic
acid, using fungi)
5. New Processes for Generating Valuable Coproducts from Corn Fiber
Dr. Robert Moreau, Eastern Regional Research Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tel: (215) 233-6428
(Development of technology for extraction of lipids and polysaccharides
from corn fibre which have potential use in food, pharmaceutical and other
industries)
6. Improved Feedstocks for Biofuels
Dr. Badal Saha1 and Dr. Rodney Bothast, 1National Centre for Agricultural
Utilization
Research, Peoria, Illinois
Tel: (309) 685-6276
(Pretreatment of corn fibre and evaluation of a number of yeast strains
to broaden the feedstock base that can be converted to ethanol and other
potential products)
7. Novel Ethanol Conversion Technologies for Lower Biofuel Cost
Dr. Robert Hespell and Dr. Rodney Bothast1, 1The National Center for Agricultural
Utilization Research, Peoria, Illinois
Tel: (309) 681-6566
(Development of new microbial strains that can convert corn fibre to ethanol
with a potential coproduct stream including biodegradable polymers, deicers
from acetic acid and food additives)
8. Novel Systems for High-Level Expressions of Fungal Products
Dr. Shelby Freer and Dr. Rodney Bothast1, 1The National Center for Agricultural
Utilization Research, Peoria, Illinois
Tel: (309) 681-6566
(Conversion of corn fibre to ethanol and a number of value-added coproducts
including acetic acid and CO2)
9. Arabinose-Fermenting Yeasts
Dr. Thomas Jeffries, USDA, Madison, Wisconsin
Tel: (608) 231-9456
(Development of arabinose-fermenting yeasts which convert part of the
corn fibre to ethanol thus affecting the quantity and quality of coproducts
produced)
10. Xylose-Fermenting Yeasts
Dr. Thomas Jeffries, USDA, Madison, Wisconsin
Tel: (608) 231-9456
(Development of xylose fermenting yeasts which convert part of the corn
fibre to ethanol thus affecting the quantity and quality of coproducts
produced)
11. Genetic Engineering of Bacteria for Fuel Ethanol Production
from Biomass
Dr. Lonnie Ingram, University of Florida
Tel: (904) 392-5924
(Project includes development of bacteria that may have the ability to
ferment corn hulls and fibres and thereby affect the quantity and quality
of byproducts)
12. Pretreatment, Hydrolysis, and Fermentation of Corn Fiber
Dr. Bruce Dale1 and Dr. Rodney Bothast, 1Texas A&M University
Tel: (409) 845-3413
(Fermentation of hexoses and pentoses in corn fibre leaving a higher quality
coproduct for feed purposes)
13. Corn Fiber Coproducts Derived from Production of Biofuels
Dr. Michael Ladisch, Purdue University
Tel: (317) 494-7022
(Increased content of protein in DDGS and gluten feed by removal of cellulosic
fraction of corn fibre)
14. Ethanol Production from Corn Fiber, Paper, and Other Biomass
Materials
Dr. Jonathan Mielenz, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado
Tel: (303) 275-4489
(Use of corn fibre to produce ethanol and other coproducts including protein)
15. Converting Corn Fiber to Ethanol
Dr. Ting Carlson, Cargill Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
Tel: (612) 742-6508
(Production of ethanol and other products from corn fibre using acids,
enzymes, yeasts, fungi and bacteria)
16. The Breeding of Pentose Fermenting Yeast Strains for Bioenergy
Production
Dr. Roy Thornton, Indiana University
Tel: (317) 455-9290
(Development of a strain of the yeast Pachysolen tannophilus that can
convert pentose (hemicellulose) and hexose (glucose) sugars to ethanol,
yielding feed products with a higher protein content)
1.3.2 Food Use Research
1. Improving the Nutritional and Health Promoting Properties of
Cereal Foods
Dr. W.H. Yokoyama, Dr. T.S. Kahlon and Dr. B.E. Knuckles, Western Regional
Research Center, Albany, California 94710
(Development of value-added cereal grains such as wheat, oats and barley,
that contain compounds, such as beta-glucan, that has been linked to lower
risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases)
2. Processing and Alternate Uses of Hard Red and Hard White Winter
Wheats
Dr. C.F. Klopfenstein and Dr. C.E. Walker, Kansas State University, Manhattan,
Kansas 66506
(Investigation of recovery and utilization of wheat fibre for use in human
food products)
3. A Novel Continuous Production of Value-Added Food Additive, Xanthan
Gum, from Corn Products
Dr. D.B. Min and Dr. S.T. Yang, Dept. of Food Science & Technology,
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. 43210
(Cost-effective production of xanthan gum from corn steep liquor and corn
using a novel continuous fermenter)
4. Value-Added Wheat Products
Dr. R.R. Hahn and Dr. G. Brester, Grain Science and Industry, Kansas State
University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506
(Identification, evaluation, development, technological transfer and market
assessment of value-added opportunities for wheat products)
5. Development of New Oils, Starches and Antioxidants from Soybean,
Corn and Oat
Dr. P.J. White, Family & Consumer Science, Iowa State University,
Ames, Iowa 50011
(Study includes development of new oils with unique fatty acid compositions
and investigation of the antioxidant potential of naturally occurring
compounds from oat)
6. Biomass Refining of Wheat to Value-Added Food Products, Non-Food
Products, Chemicals and Ethanol
Dr. G.H. Robertson, Western Regional Research Center, Albany, California
94710
(Evaluate of the utility of integrating the process of post-fermentation
ethanol dewatering [by feedstock-grain-based adsorption] with the process
of pre-fermentation component separation [by extraction of non-starch
components of wheat using ethanol])
7. New Process Operations and Systems for Refining and Converting
Grains to Value- Added Products
Dr. G.H. Robertson and Dr. R.H. Kurtzman, Jr., Western Regional Research
Center, Albany, California 94710
(Identification and evaluation of potential systems to fractionate grain
into component fractions for value-added usage)
8. Enzymatic Modification of Soybean and Wheat Proteins for Food
and Non-Food Products
Dr. F.F. Shih and Dr. P.J. Wan, Agricultural Research Service, Southern
Regional Research Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70179
(Investigation of enzymatic methods to modify soybean and wheat proteins
for the development of functional properties desirable in new and improved
food and non-food products)
1.3.3 Industrial Use Research
1. Nonedible Wheat Gluten Films for Use as Mulch and Bags
Dr. V.M. Ghorpade; Dr. C.L. Weller, Biological Systems Engineering, University
of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583
(Design of high-strength and low-solubility biopolymer films from wheat
gluten, characterization of molecular interaction between polymers during
film forming processes and study of compostability of cast films)
2. Production of a Corn-Based, Commercially-Emerging Gum Using Cell
Immobilization
Dr. T.P. West, Biochemistry, South Dakota State University, Brookings,
South Dakota 57007
(Production of pullulan by mutant cells of the fungus Aureobasidium pullulans
using immobilized cells on corn syrup)
3. Bioconversion of Ethanol Production Byproducts into Acetate (CMA)
Dr. W.R. Gibbons, Biology & Microbiology, South Dakota State University,
Brookings, South Dakota 57007
(Use of low-value ethanol production byproducts, such as thin stillage,
CO2 and corn steep liquor, for fermentative production of acetate using
the thermophilic anaerobe Clostridium thermoaceticum)
4. CMA from Corn: Scale-Up of the Fermentation and Recovery Processes
Dr. M. Cheryan and Dr. S. Parekh, Food Science, University of Illinois,
Urbana, Illinois 61801
(Scale-up and optimization of calcium-magnesium acetate (CMA) production
in batch, fed-batch and/or continuous membrane bioreactors using selected
membrane technologies to de-water, recover and concentrate CMA/acetate
from the fermentation broth)
5. Modifications of Cereal Starches, Dextrins, and Cycloamyloses
and Their Derivatives for New Uses
Dr. J.A. Rendleman, Dr. J.M. Gould and Dr. H.L. Griffin, Northern Regional
Research Center (USDA), Peoria, Illinois 61604
(Graft/crosslink alpha-glucans with beta-glucans or related biopolymers
and evaluate commercial potential of product for industrial use)
2. LIST OF REFERENCES
Bioenergy West (1994) Volume 1(4)
Christensen, J. (1994) The biorefinery concept - a bridge from farm to industry. Wheat Utilization Summit, Kansas City Missouri, December 8, 1994. 13 pp.
Eggum, A.; Hirsch, C.; Rauch, J.; Wallin, C. (1995) New application of extraction technology for an integrated ethanol plant and feed-lot complex. 4th year Dept. Chem. Engineering Innovative Design Project, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK. Submitted to Dr. J. Postlethwaite and Dr. S. Rohani
Food Focus (1995) Nutraceuticals/Functional Foods: An exploratory survey on Canada's potential. Prepared for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Food Bureau, Market and Industry Services Branch. 71 pp.
Leathers, T.D.; Gupta, S.C.; Hayman, G.T.; Rothfus, J.A.; Ahlgren, J.A.; Imam, S.H.; Wu, Y.V.; Greene, R.V. (1992) New value-added coproducts from biofuel conversions. Proc. U.S.-Japan Cooperative Program in Natural Resources Marine Resources Coordination and Engineering Committee Protein Resources Panel. 21st Annual Meeting, Kona and Honolulu, Hawaii, October 26-30, 1992
Monenco AGRA Inc. (1993) Assessment of coproduct processing and utilization technologies. Report submitted to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Contract No. 01532-2-1045/01-SS
Pilip, K. (1995) Nutraceuticals and functional foods. In: Adding Value to Agriculture. Proc. Agric. Food Council Value-Added Think Tank, Calgary, AB. p. 7-9
Powers, N.J. (1995) A synopsis of recently completed and ongoing research projects on corn-to-ethanol production technologies and coproduct developments. University Park, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. 243 pp.
Rampton, R. (1995) Ethanol leftovers become food additive. The Western Producer, April 13, p. 26
Tkac & Timm Enterprises Ltd. (1995) Value-added products: Ethanol production from grain. Report submitted to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Contract No. 01531-4-6506
TWG Consulting Inc. (1995) Market assessment of bran co-products from wheat. Report to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Contract No. 01531-4-6507 43 pp.
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Date Modified: 2003-08-27 |