An object of the present invention is to provide a lipopolysaccharide production method that contributes to labor hygiene and environmental conservation and is suited for large-scale production and a lipopolysaccharide produced thereby. The present invention relates to a lipopolysaccharide production method, etc., with which a lipopolysaccharide is extracted and purified from gram-negative bacterium and is a lipopolysaccharide production method that includes a first step of performing extraction from the gram-negative bacterium using hot water to obtain an extract liquid that contains the lipopolysaccharide and a second step of purifying the extract liquid or a solution containing the LPS in the extract liquid by using reverse-phase liquid chromatography to obtain the lipopolysaccharide and in that a reverse-phase column used in the reverse-phase liquid chromatography has a packing material constituted of a material having a functional group of 1 to 8 carbons.

Provided are methods for cleaving polysaccharides, comprising reacting polysaccharides with a Fenton's reagent, and cleaving the treated polysaccharides with a nitrogen-based cleavage reagent, which preferably is also a peroxide-quenching agent. Synthetic oligosaccharide compositions produced by such polysaccharide cleaving methods are further disclosed. Such oligosaccharide compositions are shown to provide utility in various aspects including modulating microbial growth and/or microbial or host metabolism.

Method of preparing a keratin-based biomaterial is provided. The method comprises a) reacting keratin with a polymer having at least one of an amine and carboxylic functional group in the presence of a carbodiimide cross-linking agent to form a cross-linked keratin-polymer material; and b) freeze drying the cross-linked keratin-polymer material to form the keratin-based bio-material. A keratin-based biomaterial thus prepared is also provided.

The present invention relates to a method for separating larvae into a pulp fraction and a liquid fraction, including the steps of introducing living larvae into a grinding apparatus whist adding water, grinding the larvae by means of counter-rotating screws and separating the ground biomass of larvae into a pulp and liquid fraction. In particular, the invention is applicable to the larvae of the black soldier fly and produces a chitin-rich pulp and a fat-and-protein-rich liquid fraction.

The present disclosure relates to synthesis of heparin, which may be bioequivalent to porcine USP Heparin Sodium. The synthesis may involve three intermediates starting from heparosan.

Molded articles are disclosed herein, the molded article comprising a polysaccharide, wherein the polysaccharide comprises i) poly alpha-1,3-glucan; ii) poly alpha-1,3-1,6-glucan; iii) a graft copolymer that comprises (A) a backbone comprising dextran with a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of at least about 100000 Daltons, and (B) poly alpha-1,3-glucan side chains comprising at least about 95% alpha-1,3-glucosidic linkages; or iv) a composition comprising a poly alpha-1,3-glucan ester compound as disclosed herein. Optionally, the molded articles can further comprise a plasticizer and/or starch. The molded articles can be useful as a container, a handle, packaging, a tray, a bottle, a cup, a sheet, a disposable food packaging item, an automotive part, a casing for an electronic device, or a toy.

The present invention relates to an enzyme having α-1,6-glucosyl transfer activity, which can use a partially degraded starch product as a substrate and is heat resistant and suitable for industrial applications; an enzyme preparation for use in manufacturing α-1,6-glucan, comprising the enzyme as an active ingredient; and a method for manufacturing α-1,6-glucan using the enzyme or enzyme preparation. The present invention provides an enzyme having α-1,6-glucosyl transfer activity, which is any one of proteins (a), (b), and (c): (a) a protein consisting of an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3; (b) a protein consisting of an amino acid sequence having at least 90% amino acid sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3; and (c) a protein consisting of an amino acid sequence in which one or several amino acid(s) have been substituted, inserted, deleted and/or added in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3.

A clathrate of 1-methylcyclopropene with α-cyclodextrin, obtained as a solid particulate product, is modified by comminuting, classifying, or both to obtain a modified particulate. When subjected to identical atmospheric disgorgement conditions of humidity and temperature, identical masses of the modified and unmodified particulates exhibit different rates of 1-methylcyclopropene disgorgement. Specifically, we have found that a smaller mean particle size is inversely related to a greater rate of 1-methylcyclopropene release.

An oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose material is disclosed herein, for nanocellulose sponges and other applications. The oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose material comprises lignin-coated cellulose nanofibrils and/or lignin-coated cellulose nanocrystals. In various embodiments, the nanocellulose material is in the form of a 2D coating or layer, or a 3D object (e.g., foam or aerogel). The nanocellulose material may be disposed onto a scaffold. A process is provided for producing an oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose object, comprising fractionating a biomass feedstock with an acid, a solvent for lignin, and water, to generate cellulose-rich solids and a lignin-containing liquor; mechanically treating the cellulose-rich solids to form cellulose fibrils and/or cellulose crystals; generating a nanocellulose object from the intermediate nanocellulose material; exposing the nanocellulose object to the lignin-containing liquor to allow lignin to deposit onto a surface of the nanocellulose object; and recovering the oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose object.

The present invention relates to a water-soluble binder composition comprising at least one carbohydrate component and at least one carbon dioxide reaction product comprising at least the reaction product(s) of carbon dioxide with at least one nitrogen-containing compound. It further relates to a method of its manufacture, its use, a method of manufacturing a collection of matter bound by said polymeric binder, as well as a binder solution or dispersion comprising said binder composition.