ARS | Publication request: FATE OF THE BT PROTEIN IN DRY/WET MILLED FOR ETHANOL PRODUCTION

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: June 6, 2001
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Over 600 million bushels of corn were used in the production of ethanol fuel during year 2000. Approximately 55% of this corn was processed by dry milling, with the remainder by wet milling. Some of the corn used for ethanol production was grown from seeds genetically modified to produce Cry1 endotoxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) for control of European corn borer. In this study, genetically modified corn was either dry or we milled using a laboratory scale process. Non-GMO corn samples were also milled and used as controls. The wet milled fractions assayed for Bt include the germ, gluten, starch, and fiber as well as the steep. Bt protein was detected in the following fractions for the GMO corn: whole corn, gluten, germ, fiber, but not the starch or steep. The dry milled samples were tested following liquidification, saccharification, and fermentation. Ethanol yields from fermentation of the dried milled samples swere also compared for GMO and non-GMO corn. No detectable difference in ethanol yield was observed between the GMO and non-GMO corn.