Innovation in Biofuels and Bioproducts

Targets:

Innovation

EnaGen develops innovations in cereal grain and stover, by focusing on the major metabolic storage end-products such as starch, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, protein, oil, chlorophyll and photosynthetic function.  Enhanced biomass products will improve the production of feed and biofuels & produce added-value bioproducts. Bioenergy enhancement is focused primarily on process improvements in liquid fuel production from starch and lignocellulosic biomass.  Bioproducts are focused on added-value co-products from processing biomass from crops. With its focus primarily on maize, EnaGen will supply new traits and services that will produce enhanced feedstocks in the form of grain and crop residues. EnaGen believes that it’s know how in maize will also have potential applications in other crops (eg Wheat, Sorghum, Switchgrass, Miscanthus).

EnaGen is working on a portfolio of targets that includes enhancements in biofuels, feed and yield. This is centered on the primary storage “Glucan Biopolymer” components of biomass, namely Starch, Cellulose, Hemicellulose and Lignin.

Structures.

· Lignin is a complex aromatic structure that forms crosslinks between cellulose and hemicellulose.

· Hemicellulose is a mixed glycan polymer of several sugars including xylose, arabinose, glucose, mannose and galactose.

· Cellulose is a homopolymer of glucose, linked together as β-1,4-D-Glucan.

· Starch is a homopolymer of glucose, linked together as either α-1,4-D-Glucan or α-1,6-D-Glucan.