Systems and methods that include starch derived from grain as a carbon source for propagation of microorganisms.

The technical field of enzyme immobilization, and particularly, an organic-inorganic hybrid nanoflower and a preparation method thereof. The organic-inorganic hybrid nanoflower is a flower-like immobilized enzyme formed by self-assembly of a layered rare earth compound as an inorganic carrier and a biological enzyme as an organic component. The layered rare earth compound is Ln.sub.2(OH).sub.5NO.sub.3.nH.sub.2O, where Ln is one or more of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, or Y, and n=1.1-2.5. The biological enzyme is one or more of α-amylase, horseradish peroxidase, or laccase. A layered rare earth compound is used as the inorganic carrier for the organic biological enzyme to form the flower-like immobilized enzyme. The immobilized enzyme has better stability and higher catalytic performance when compared with a free enzyme.

The present invention relates to processes for producing fermentation products from starch-containing material, wherein an alpha-amylase and optionally a thermostable protease, pullulanase and/or glucoamylase are present and/or added during liquefaction, wherein a cellulolytic composition is present and/or added during fermentation or simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. The invention also relates to a composition suitable for use in a process of the invention.

In one aspect, the invention is directed to polypeptides having an amylase and/or glucoamylase activity, polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides, and methods for making and using these polynucleotides and polypeptides. In one aspect, the polypeptides of the invention can be used as amylases, for example, alpha amylases, to catalyze the hydrolysis of polysaccharide, oligosaccharide or starch into sugars. In one aspect, the invention provides delayed release compositions comprising an desired ingredient coated by a latex polymer coating. In alternative embodiments, enzymes are used to make biofuels, e.g., ethanol, butanol, propanol, or a gasoline-ethanol mix, including a bioethanol, biopropanol, biobutanol, or a biodiesel, or for any form of fuel or biomass processing.

Disclosed are compositions and methods relating to variant alpha-amylases. The variant alpha-amylases are useful, for example, for starch liquefaction and saccharification, for cleaning starchy stains in laundry, dishwashing, and other applications, for textile processing (e.g., desizing), in animal feed for improving digestibility, and for baking and brewing.

The present invention relates to variants of an alpha-amylase which have an increased exoamylase activity compared to the parent alpha-amylase. The present invention also relates to methods of making the variant alpha-amylase and the use of the variant alpha-amylase in baking, detergents, personal care products, in the processing of textiles, in pulp and paper processing, in the production of ethanol, lignocellulosic ethanol or syrups and as viscosity breaker in oilfield and mining industries.

A process of recovering oil, comprising (a) converting a starch-containing material into dextrins with an alpha-amylase; (b) saccharifying the dextrins using a carbohydrate source generating enzyme to form a sugar; (c) fermenting the sugar in a fermentation medium into a fermentation product using a fermenting organism; (d) recovering the fermentation product to form a whole stillage; (e) separating the whole stillage into thin stillage and wet cake; (e′) optionally concentrating the thin stillage into syrup; (f) recovering oil from the thin stillage and/or optionally the syrup, wherein a phospholipase is present and/or added during steps (a) to (c). Use of phospholipase for increasing oil recovery yields from thin stillage and/or syrup in a fermentation product production process.

The present invention relates to a variant polypeptide having maltogenic alpha-amylase activity wherein the polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence, which, when aligned with an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, comprises an amino acid substitution F188L/I, S200N, and D261G, and optionally a further amino acid substitution T288P, wherein the amino acid substitutions are determined with reference to SEQ ID NO: 1, and wherein the polypeptide has an amino acid sequence which has at least 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or at least 99% identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1. The invention also relates to a process for the preparation of a dough or a baked product wherein the variant polypeptide is used.

A process of recovering oil, comprising (a) converting a starch-containing material into dextrins with an alpha-amylase; (b) saccharifying the dextrins using a carbohydrate source generating enzyme to form a sugar; (c) fermenting the sugar in a fermentation medium into a fermentation product using a fermenting organism; (d) recovering the fermentation product to form a whole stillage; (e) separating the whole stillage into thin stillage and wet cake; (e′) optionally concentrating the thin stillage into syrup; (f) recovering oil from the thin stillage and/or optionally the syrup, wherein a protease and a phospholipase are present and/or added during steps (a) to (c). Use of a protease and a phospholipase for increasing oil recovery yields from thin stillage and/or syrup in a fermentation product production process.

The present disclosure concerns recombinant yeast host cell for saccharification of a biomass. The recombinant yeast host cell has a genetic modification for expressing a heterologous polypeptide having glucoamylase activity (Rasamsonia emersonii glucoamylase). In some embodiments, the heterologous polypeptide comprises the signal sequence associated with the alpha-mating 1 factor. The present disclosure also concerns a process for saccharification of a biomass using the recombinant yeast host cell as well as a process for fermenting the saccharified biomass into a fermentation product.