Project Number: 1935-41440-022-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Sep 01, 2011
End Date: Aug 31, 2015

Objective:
1) Produce functional protein isolates from animal by-products. 1a. Develop a pilot scale process for producing poultry blood-based flocculant. 1b. Increase the yield and molecular weight of soluble peptides extracted from rendered animal protein. 2) Utilize animal-protein isolates in biobased applications. 2a. Broaden the application range for animal protein-based polyacrylamide (PAM) substitutes. 2b. Develop practical processes for the production of fermentation feedstocks derived from animal by-product proteins. Evaluate these feedstocks in fermentation systems.

Approach:
Meat animal processing inevitably yields by-products, which include tissues and organs that are unsuitable for human food, such as feathers and bones, or for which there is low food market demand, such as blood. The current outlets for animal by-products, either through profitable use or disposal in the environment, are limited and shrinking. The proposed project is designed to create new utilization opportunities for these substances and reduce the environmental impact of meat processing. Two groups of promising applications are targeted here, use as fermentation feedstocks and use as renewable alternatives for synthetic polymeric flocculants such as polyacrylamide (PAM). Rendered protein will be processed into forms well-adapted for use in non-pharmaceutical industrial fermentations. Poultry blood and substances derived from rendered proteins will be tested in applications including algae culture flocculation, ethanol whole stillage clarification, mine tailings flocculation, cellulosic fiber flocculation, and municipal sewage sludge settling. At all stages, emphasis will be placed on employing processing techniques that are appropriate to the relatively low value of the products to be produced. Successful completion of this project will yield technologies that can be commercialized in a relatively short time period and produce new revenue streams for renderers and meat processors, while benefiting the environment.