In an effort to increase ethanol production efficiency of corn feedstocks, scientists at the Crop Conversion Science and Engineering Research Unit of the Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC) in the United States are evaluating the effects of adding protease enzymes from bacterial and fungal sources. They report that addition of protease enzymes improves nutrient availability for ethanol-fermenting yeasts, and it also facilitates the dewatering of solid residue after ethanol fermentation and extraction. A field trial at a small wet milling facility in Penang, Malaysia showed that the addition of enzymes after soaking the corn, improved starch recovery, hence more raw material for ethanol..