Location: Renewable Product Technology Research
Project Number: 5010-30600-012-001-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Apr 1, 2025
End Date: Mar 30, 2026
Objective:
Identify and utilize novel endolysins that target Leuconostoc species to control and mitigate the detrimental effects of Leuconostoc in the sugar beet industry.
Approach:
Leuconostoc mesenteroides poses significant problems in the sugar beet industry by causing root rot and slime. Current mitigation methods for sugar beet bacterial contamination are lacking and inefficient. Endolysins, which are cell wall hydrolases from bacteriophage (i.e., viruses that infect bacteria), can target and kill specific bacterial species very efficiently. Utilization of endolysins is a novel and promising approach to control Leuconostoc contaminants with post-harvest and processing of sugar beets. In this project, endolysins will be identified using in silico approaches to search for endolysin-containing genes in Leuconostoc genomes. Enhanced endolysins with high specificity for Leuconostoc species will be created through genetic engineering and modular domain manipulation to optimize activity and target efficiency. Modified endolysins will then be tested for their ability to prevent root rot, slime formation, and sucrose loss in sugar beets, thereby improving yield and quality during storage and processing.