The invention relates to a process for the preparation of a sugar and/or fermentation product from lignocellulosic material.

The present invention relates to glucoamylase variants. The present invention also relates to polynucleotides encoding the variants; nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides; and methods of using the variants.

The disclosure encompassed herein relates, in part, to a method for increasing energy density of plant biomass that can be used for production of renewable fuel, such as biodiesel oil and/or ethanol. In an aspect, genetic engineering for enhanced sugar accumulation can be achieved by overexpressing a bacterial enzyme sucrose isomerase. Sugars or oils extracted from the plants of the disclosure encompassed herein may be used for industrial purposes such as heating, producing bio-fuels such as biodiesel fuel, or lubricating applications.

The present invention relates to a mutant microbial host cell which has been modified, preferably in its genome, to result in a deficiency in the production of a polypeptide having α-amylase activity AmyC or an homologous thereof. It has been surprisingly found that when the mutant microbial host cell according to the invention is used in a method to produce a compound of interest, for example an enzyme, an improved purity of the product is obtained.

The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having alpha-amylase activity, catalytic domains, carbohydrate binding domains and polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides, catalytic domains or carbohydrate binding domains. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides, catalytic domains or carbohydrate binding domains.

Described herein are recombinant host organisms expressing a fusion protein with a foreign signal linked to the N-terminus of a mature polypeptide, such as an alpha-amylase, protease, beta-glucosidase or glucoamylase. Also described are processes for producing a fermentation product, such as ethanol, from starch or cellulosic-containing material with the recombinant host organisms.

The present invention relates to polypeptides comprising a carbohydrate-binding module amino acid sequence and an alpha-amylase amino acid sequence as well as to the application of such polypeptides.

The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having xylanase activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.

The present invention relates to variants of alpha amylase. The present invention also relates to polynucleotides encoding the variants; nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides; and methods of using the variants.

A fungal alpha-amylase is provided from Aspergillus fumigatus (AfAmyl). AfAmyl has an optimal pH of 3.5 and is operable at 30-75 degrees C., allowing the enzyme to be used in combination with a glucoamylase and an isoamylase in a saccharification reaction. This obviates the necessity of running a saccharification reaction as a batch process, where the pH and temperature must be readjusted for optimal use of the alpha-amylase or glucoamylase. AfAmyl also catalyzes the saccharification of starch substrates to an oligosaccharide composition significantly enriched in DP2 and (DPI+DP2) compared to the products of saccharification catalyzed by an alpha-amylase from Aspergillus kawachii. This facilitates the utilization of the oligosaccharide composition by a fermenting organism in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process, for example.