Location: Renewable Product Technology Research
Project Number: 5010-30600-012-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Jul 21, 2025
End Date: Jul 20, 2030
Objective:
Objective 1: Production of value-added carbohydrate and chemical products from agricultural feedstocks.
Sub-objective 1.A: Production of novel oligosaccharides for food and biotechnology.
Sub-objective 1.B: Develop complex human milk oligosaccharides for infant formula.
Objective 2: Development of novel biobased antimicrobials for biorefining and agricultural applications.
Sub-objective 2.A: Production of antibiotic adjuvants to combat antimicrobial resistance.
Sub-objective 2.B: Develop novel endolysins for bacterial contamination control.
Objective 3: Conversion of agricultural feedstocks, food waste, and processing byproducts to microbial protein and targeted molecules for food and animal feed applications.
Sub-objective 3.A: Develop microbial strains and animal cell lines that enable commercial production of alternative protein.
Approach:
This project will include process improvements to enable commercial production of a rare sugar found in honey, called isomelezitose, using sucrose from sugar beet and/or sugarcane. Isomelezitose has properties suitable for numerous potential food and pharmaceutical applications. Researchers will also develop new technologies to convert agricultural sugars into human milk oligosaccharides, a key component of infant formula that supports the establishment of a healthy gut microbiome in nursing infants. This research will continue efforts to commercialize modified tunicamycins, a novel antibiotic enhancer that improves the efficacy of antibiotics against resistant animal pathogens. It will develop new antimicrobial proteins, called phage endolysins, that can be engineered to specifically target bacterial contaminants that reduce production efficiency in bioethanol refineries. Finally, this research will advance technologies to convert agricultural commodities into diversified proteins that provide more choices for consumers and ensure protein security. Researchers will work closely with industrial partners, stakeholders, and customers to ensure that these goals are compatible with market needs and to facilitate commercialization of these products. The bioproducts developed by this project will create new markets for agricultural producers, job opportunities for rural populations, and support growth of domestic industrial, pharmaceutical, and food businesses.