Location: Plant Polymer Research
Project Number: 5010-30600-001-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Apr 13, 2025
End Date: Apr 12, 2030
Objective:
This project focuses on increasing the value of established and new crops by developing improved technologies to convert renewable agricultural feedstocks to high value products for food and agricultural applications. Specific goals are as follows:
Objective 1: Establish production of proteinaceous products from novel plant-based sources, such as hemp or sorghum, and enable their industrial utilization.
Objective 2: Enable encapsulation of bio-active compounds for controlled release through novel processing techniques.
Objective 3: Enable commercialization of bio-active and surface-active amylose inclusion complexes.
Approach:
Plant-based proteins are not only used for food applications, but they play an integral role in numerous industries for adhesives, textiles, bioplastics, emulsifiers, and foaming agents. The protein portion of many agricultural crops are underutilized and often wasted because they are difficult to extract. This project will innovate extraction techniques and identify new and improved uses for plant-based proteins from crops such as sorghum and agricultural hemp. It will also utilize these proteins, along with other agricultural feedstocks, to develop superior encapsulation techniques that will allow for controlled release of bio-active compounds, such as antimicrobials and fertilizers. Controlled release for these types of compounds results in improved efficacy by enhancing stability, bioavailability, and targeted delivery. Lastly, this project will utilize a type of plant-based starch, called amylose, and modified vegetable oils to further improve production of high-value amylose inclusion complexes (AIC) using USDA technology. These AIC can be modified for applications with personal care products, water-repelling treatment, and antimicrobial/insecticidal management. Products developed in this project will be tested for production efficiency and performance compared to existing products and technologies. We will collaborate with stakeholders and industrial partners to commercialize the most promising products.
This research will enhance economic growth in U.S. agriculture by developing new products for domestic use and export markets, expanding the market potential of agricultural crops, and creating new job opportunities for American farmers and producers.
