BIOTEC Thailand Develops Bioprocess for Casava Feedstock

The Enzyme Technology Laboratory at the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC ) Thailand has developed a cost-effective bioprocess for the production of value-added products from different cassava feedstock. This technology will maximize the potential for the starting material for biofuels and chemicals.

Acid hydrolysis and enzymatic process are two general approaches for the saccharification of starch-based feedstock. However, they have limitations such as reduced fermentable sugar yield and being energy-intensive. An alternative non-thermal saccharification process was developed at BIOTEC using multi-enzyme production. Composite non-starch polysaccharide hydrolysing enzyme and raw starch degrading amylolytic activities are produced from a selected fungal isolate from  the BIOTEC Culture Collection. This allows direct saccharification of cassava pulp and other cassava feedstock with no pre-gelatinization and liquefaction steps. The process leads to the efficient production of fermentable sugars, including glucose and xylose with improved sugar yield and energy efficiency, compared to the conventional acid or enzymatic processes.

More information available at the Biosafety and Biotechnology Information Center Thailand at http://www.safetybio.agri.kps.ku.ac.th/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6063&Itemid=47 or http://home.biotec.or.th/NewsCenter/my_documents/my_files/24354_Biotechnology_in_Thailand-final.pdf