Magnesium chloride solutions including providing aqueous magnesium chloride solution with magnesium chloride concentration of 10-30 wt. % to concentration step where water is evaporated, resulting in concentrated magnesium chloride solution with magnesium chloride concentration of 30-50 wt. %, wherein concentration step is carried out in one or more stages, wherein at least one of the stages is conducted at elevated pressure, withdrawing concentrated magnesium chloride solution from concentration step, and providing it to thermohydrolysis reactor of at least 300 C., withdrawing MgO from thermohydrolysis reactor in solid form, and withdrawing a HCl containing gas stream of at least 300 C. from thermohydrolysis reactor, providing the HCl-containing gas stream of at least 300 C. to cooling step, where HCl-containing gas stream is contacted with cooling liquid, withdrawing HCl-containing gas stream below 150 C. from cooling step, circulating cooling liquid through heat exchanger where energy is transferred to heating liquid which circulates from heat exchanger to concentration step.

A method for producing butyric acid and/or a butyrate is provided, wherein the method comprises fermenting a saccharide-containing substrate in the presence of a first strain and a second strain, wherein the first strain is a butyric acid bacterium and the second strain is at least one of a homofermentative lactic acid bacterium and a facultative heterofermentative lactic acid bacterium.

A method for producing butyric acid and/or a butyrate is provided, wherein the method comprises fermenting a saccharide-containing substrate in the presence of a first strain and a second strain, wherein the first strain is a butyric acid bacterium and the second strain is at least one of a homofermentative lactic acid bacterium and a facultative heterofermentative lactic acid bacterium.

The invention provides a method for producing methacrylyl-CoA that converts 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA into methacrylyl-CoA using an enzyme having dehydratase activity as a method for producing methacrylyl-CoA using an enzyme catalyst. In this production method, conversion rate of 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA into methacrylyl-CoA by the enzyme having dehydratase activity is 50% or higher. In this production method, furthermore, the enzyme having dehydratase activity derives from a microorganism belonging to the genus Pseudomonas or Rhodococcus.

The invention provides a method for producing methacrylyl-CoA that converts 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA into methacrylyl-CoA using an enzyme having dehydratase activity as a method for producing methacrylyl-CoA using an enzyme catalyst. In this production method, conversion rate of 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA into methacrylyl-CoA by the enzyme having dehydratase activity is 50% or higher. In this production method, furthermore, the enzyme having dehydratase activity derives from a microorganism belonging to the genus Pseudomonas or Rhodococcus.

Disclosed herein is a composition containing turmeric starch for use as a prebiotic plant fiber. Also disclosed is a method to increase the viable counts of Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 by co-culturing with turmeric starch and the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) by Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 using turmeric starch.

Disclosed herein is a composition containing turmeric starch for use as a prebiotic plant fiber. Also disclosed is a method to increase the viable counts of Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 by co-culturing with turmeric starch and the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) by Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 using turmeric starch.

This invention provides optimized fermentation of cellulosic and hemicellulosic sugars. Biomass-derived hemicellulosic and cellulosic sugars are independently conditioned and separately fermented, utilizing reuse and recycle of microorganisms, metabolic intermediates, and nutrients. Conditioned sugars can be fermented in separate vessels, where excess cells from glucose fermentation are conveyed to hemicellulose sugar fermentation along with raffinate from solvent recovery, to enhance productivity and product yield. Some variations provide a method of fermenting C.sub.5 and C.sub.6 sugars to fermentation products, the method comprising: fermenting a C.sub.6-rich sugar feed to a first fermentation product; fermenting a C.sub.5-rich sugar feed to a second fermentation product; removing microorganism cells from the first fermentor, to maintain a cell concentration within a selected range; conveying microorganism cells to a second fermentor; and removing microorganism cells from the second fermentor, to maintain a microorganism cell concentration that is greater than that in the C.sub.6-rich fermentor.

This invention provides optimized fermentation of cellulosic and hemicellulosic sugars. Biomass-derived hemicellulosic and cellulosic sugars are independently conditioned and separately fermented, utilizing reuse and recycle of microorganisms, metabolic intermediates, and nutrients. Conditioned sugars can be fermented in separate vessels, where excess cells from glucose fermentation are conveyed to hemicellulose sugar fermentation along with raffinate from solvent recovery, to enhance productivity and product yield. Some variations provide a method of fermenting C.sub.5 and C.sub.6 sugars to fermentation products, the method comprising: fermenting a C.sub.6-rich sugar feed to a first fermentation product; fermenting a C.sub.5-rich sugar feed to a second fermentation product; removing microorganism cells from the first fermentor, to maintain a cell concentration within a selected range; conveying microorganism cells to a second fermentor; and removing microorganism cells from the second fermentor, to maintain a microorganism cell concentration that is greater than that in the C.sub.6-rich fermentor.

The description relates to, inter alia, recombinant microorganisms, engineered metabolic pathways, chemical catalysts, and products produced through the use of the described methods and materials. The products produced include methylenemalonic acid and intermediates, as well as their salts and esters.