The present invention relates to the use of a defoaming agent for preventing pellet morphology of thermophilic fungi when grown at acidic pH in chemically defined media. The invention pertains to processes for producing a fermentation product, wherein the thermophilic fungus, e.g. a Rhizomucor species, is grown in submerged culture at acidic pH in a chemically defined medium and wherein the strain is cultured in the presence of a defoaming agent. The defoaming agent can be a vegetable oil such as olive or sun flower oil and the fermentation product can be single cell protein in the form of biomass of the thermophilic fungus for use as a dietary source of protein.

The present invention relates to the use of a defoaming agent for preventing pellet morphology of thermophilic fungi when grown at acidic pH in chemically defined media. The invention pertains to processes for producing a fermentation product, wherein the thermophilic fungus, e.g. a Rhizomucor species, is grown in submerged culture at acidic pH in a chemically defined medium and wherein the strain is cultured in the presence of a defoaming agent. The defoaming agent can be a vegetable oil such as olive or sun flower oil and the fermentation product can be single cell protein in the form of biomass of the thermophilic fungus for use as a dietary source of protein.

The present invention is related to variants of fungal serine protease enzyme, which have serine protease activity of Malbranchea protease. Also disclosed are isolated nucleic acid molecules, comprising polynucleotide sequences which encode variants of fungal serine protease enzyme, nucleic acid sequences encoding said protease variants, a host cell and a process of producing polypeptides having serine protease activity. Said protease variants are useful as enzyme preparations applicable in detergent compositions and for treating fibers, wool, hair, leather, or silk, for treating food or feed, or for any applications involving modification, degradation or removal of proteinaceous material.

The present invention is related to variants of fungal serine protease enzyme, which have serine protease activity of Malbranchea protease. Also disclosed are isolated nucleic acid molecules, comprising polynucleotide sequences which encode variants of fungal serine protease enzyme, nucleic acid sequences encoding said protease variants, a host cell and a process of producing polypeptides having serine protease activity. Said protease variants are useful as enzyme preparations applicable in detergent compositions and for treating fibers, wool, hair, leather, or silk, for treating food or feed, or for any applications involving modification, degradation or removal of proteinaceous material.

A microbial composition for improving the conditions in animal farms comprising: a slow-releasing carrier base having a first predetermined percentage by weight (w/w %); and a mixture of microorganisms identified in a 16S rRNA gene sequence so that the composition is capable of denitrification, feces decomposition, and hydrogen sulfide (H.sub.2S) oxidation.

A monokaryotic mycelium sheet producing system for creating a sheet of monokaryotic mycelial material. The mycelium sheet producing system includes a culture unit, a spore stock unit, a plating unit, a section unit, a sub-plating unit, an expanding unit and a colonization unit. The culture unit prepares a monokaryon culture. The spore stock unit grows a plurality of fruit bodies in sterile laboratory conditions to create a spore stock. The plating unit performs a peroxide-based spore rescue and a plating process. The section unit is adaptable to section robust hyphae. The sub-plating unit sub-plates and expands the robust hyphae onto a spawn grain master. The expanding unit subsequently expands the spawn grain master into appropriate production of spawn volume. The colonization unit is adaptable to perform a subsequent colonization of mycelium substrate thereby creating a substantially defect free sheet of mycelium.

The present disclosure relates to engineered microbial cells that have been engineered to include a uricase, a uric acid transporter, or both a uricase and a uric acid transporter. The engineered microbial cells of the present disclosure are useful in degrading uric acid inside the engineered microbial cell. The engineered microbial cells of the present disclosure are useful in methods of treating hyperuricemia. The engineered microbial cells of the present disclosure are also useful in methods of treating gout, and in particular chronic refractory gout.

Methods and compositions relating to the engineering of an improved protein with methionine-γ-lyase enzyme activity are described. For example, in certain aspects there may be disclosed a modified cystathionine-γ-lyase (CGL) comprising one or more amino acid substitutions and capable of degrading methionine. Furthermore, certain aspects of the invention provide compositions and methods for the treatment of cancer with methionine depletion using the disclosed proteins or nucleic acids.

Methods and compositions relating to the engineering of an improved protein with methionine-γ-lyase enzyme activity are described. For example, in certain aspects there may be disclosed a modified cystathionine-γ-lyase (CGL) comprising one or more amino acid substitutions and capable of degrading methionine. Furthermore, certain aspects of the invention provide compositions and methods for the treatment of cancer with methionine depletion using the disclosed proteins or nucleic acids.

The present invention provides a method of controlling bacterial contamination using synergistic interactions of antimicrobials. The invention consists of combinations of chlorine dioxide and organic acid whose combined antimicrobial effect is greater than the sum of their individual activities, i.e., synergistic.