ARS | Publication request: EFFECT OF DECORTICATION OF SORGHUM ON ETHANOL PRODUCTION AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF DDGS

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: May 1, 2005
Publication Date: July 17, 2005
Citation: Corredor, D.Y., Schober, T., Bean, S., Wang, D. 2005. Effect of Decortication of Sorghum on Ethanol Production and Composition of DDGS [Abstract]. ASAE Annual International Meeting, Tampa Bay, FL. Paper #056137.

Technical Abstract: The use of renewable biomass that contains considerable amounts of starch and cellulose could provide a bio-resource platform for numerous bioproducts. Pretreatment technologies have been developed to increase bioconversion rate for both starch and cellulosic based biomass. This study investigated the effect of a decortication process as a pretreatment method for ethanol production and improving DDGS quality. Eight sorghum varieties with 0, 10, and 20% of the outer layer removed were used as raw materials for ethanol production. The decorticated samples were liquefied, saccharified, and fermented to ethanol by using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Removal of germ and fiber prior to fermentation allowed for higher starch loading for ethanol fermentation and resulted in increased ethanol production. The ethanol yields increased as the percentage of decortication increased. The decortication process resulted in DDGS with high protein contents and low fiber contents, which may improve the feed quality.