Industrial Sugars Research Articles

Genome-wide identification, evolution, and role of SPL gene family in beet (Beta vulgaris L.) under cold stress

BackgroundSPL transcription factors play vital roles in regulating plant growth, development, and abiotic stress responses. Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.), one of the world’s main sugar-producing crops, is a major source of edible and industrial sugars for humans. Although the SPL gene family has been extensively identified in other species, no reports on the SPL gene family in sugar beet are available.ResultsEight BvSPL genes were identified at the whole-genome level and were renamed based on their positions on the chromosome. The gene structure, SBP domain sequences, and phylogenetic relationship with Arabidopsis were analyzed for the sugar beet SPL gene family. The eight BvSPL genes were divided into six groups (II, IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII). Of the BvSPL genes, no tandem duplication events were found, but one pair of segmental duplications was present. Multiple cis-regulatory elements related to growth and development were identified in the 2000-bp region upstream of the BvSPL gene start codon (ATG). Using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), the expression profiles of the eight BvSPL genes were examined under eight types of abiotic stress and during the maturation stage. BvSPL transcription factors played a vital role in abiotic stress, with BvSPL3 and BvSPL6 being particularly noteworthy.ConclusionEight sugar beet SPL genes were identified at the whole-genome level. Phylogenetic trees, gene structures, gene duplication events, and expression profiles were investigated. The qRT-PCR analysis indicated that BvSPLs play a substantial role in the growth and development of sugar beet, potentially participating in the regulation of root expansion and sugar accumulation.

EU Outlook for Biomass Flows and Bio‐based Products

SummaryThe Bioeconomy Strategy Action Plan calls for sustainable extraction, processing, and use of biological resources in Europe as a pathway to achieve environmental, social and economic goals. However, the transition towards sustainable food systems within and across countries is diverse due to the existing heterogeneous land patterns and agricultural production structures, the variety of potential industries competing for specific biomass feedstocks, and the national policy frameworks in place. Therefore, it is key for policymakers to understand how biomass is supplied, and how it flows through the economy and is used for alternative purposes. This calls for tools that can monitor and quantitatively analyse these aspects. BioMAT has projected the annual growth rate of the EU bio‐based chemical production from 2018 to 2030 to be four times higher than its fossil‐based counterpart. The associated net‐availability of industrial sugars in 2030 is quite balanced, but excess demands for starch and plant oils will increase to fulfil requirements of a growing bio‐based chemical sector. As a vast amount of biological feedstock for material use originates from non‐EU regions (e.g. palm oil), sustainable sourcing and a better use of biological residues should be emphasised. Scenario analyses are helpful to consider consequences of assessing different technical pathways or policies.

The effects of different industrial sugars on royal jelly production

In this study, the larvae acceptance rate and the royal jelly yield in honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies supplemented with different industrial sugars at different locations were determined. For this purpose, feeding groups (1. Sucrose group, 2. Glucose group, 3. Bee feed syrup group, 4. Control group) and locations (1. Battalgazi, 2. Doğanşehir) were formed. In queenless colonies that produce royal jelly, in order to sustain 5-15 day-old young feeder worker bees, two sealed frames with brood from support colonies were added. The royal jelly yield was harvested seven times. Based on the location, the feeding groups, and the location x feeding groups interaction, 12600 larvae were grafted, 9054 larvae were accepted, and the larvae acceptance rate was determined as 71.86%. Based on the location, feeding groups and the location x feeding group interaction, the yield per cell was calculated as 213.15 ± 11.53 mg/cell, the yield per colony as 6.88 ± 0.38 g/col./app., and the total yield per colony as 34.40 ± 1.91 g/colony. In the study, no statistically significant difference was determined between feeding with sucrose, bee feed and the supplementary feeding with glucose. On the other hand, it was determined that the location where the royal jelly was produced affected both the larvae acceptance and the royal jelly yield.

Impacts of corn stover removal on carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions

AbstractHarvesting corn (Zea mays L.) stover for production of biofuels, industrial sugars, bioproducts, and livestock bedding is increasing rapidly, but little is known of the impacts of stover removal on soil‐borne greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study evaluated the impacts of removing surface corn stover (0, 25, 50, 75, 100 wt. % removal) on carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from a sandy loam soil cropped to monoculture corn using conventional moldboard plow tillage (CT) and no‐tillage (NT). Stover removal systematically decreased CO2 emissions from CT, whereas stover removal had little effect on CO2 emissions from NT. In particular, the CT 0% stover removal treatment produced 47% greater CO2 emissions (5.75 Mg CO2–C ha−1) than the CT 100% removal (3.91 Mg CO2–C ha−1) treatment. Stover removal increased N2O emissions from both tillage treatments, producing up to a 75% increase under CT (2.79 kg N ha−1 at 0% removal; 4.87 kg N ha−1 at 100% removal) and up to a 95% increase under NT (1.75 kg N ha−1 at 0% removal; 3.41 kg N ha−1 at 100% removal). Cumulative nitrate exposure increased in comparable patterns to N2O emissions when stover residues were removed. There was a trade‐off in GHG emissions resulting from stover removal under CT, whereby increasing stover removal reduced CO2 emissions but increased N2O emissions. In contrast, stover removal did not affect CO2 emissions under NT but it increased N2O emissions especially at the 100% removal rates.

Process simulation and techno-economic analysis for production of industrial sugars from lignocellulosic biomass

Hexose (C6 sugar) and pentose (C5 sugar) derived from lignocellulosic biomass are the precursors to bio-based fuels, chemicals and materials. This study compares the economic viability of two types of sugar products (mixed or separated C5 and C6 sugar solutions) and finds the impact of a combined heat and power (CHP) system on the economic performance. It also evaluates utilization of the residual biomass for energy recovery or carbon sequestration. For good reliability of process simulation, experimental data in the laboratory was used to simulate the pretreatment of eucalyptus wood in a diluted sulfuric acid solution. The minimum selling price (MSP) of the sugars is used as a key economic indicator. The unity production cost can be reduced by 2.2-fold with the capacity being scaled up by 100 times. A CHP system has dual effects on sugar MSP. It increases the sugar MSP by 0.03 US$ kg−1, but reduces its sensitivity to steam price fluctuation. The sugar MSP is 0.31, 0.34, 0.38 $ kg−1 in three scenarios (I, II and III), respectively, with a capacity of 2,000 metric tons biomass (dry) per day. The sugar MSP is most sensitive to biomass cost, followed by enzymes in Scenarios I and II. In contrast, the steam cost has the greatest impact on the MSP of separated C5 and C6 sugars in Scenario III. If the residual biomass is not burned for energy recovery, a carbon tax credit could be an additional revenue to reduce the sugar MSP by 20 %.

Paper firm to make chemicals from wood

The Finnish pulp and paper producer UPM plans to spend $600 million to build a biorefinery in Leuna, Germany, that will convert wood into ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, industrial sugars, and l...

NMR carbohydrate profile in tracing acacia honey authenticity

The sugar profile in honey can be used as a fingerprint to confirm the authenticity or reveal the adulteration of the product by sweetener addition. In this work, we have accurately determined the profile of 20 minor saccharides in a set of 46 European acacia honeys using a recently proposed NMR approach based on the CSSF-TOCSY experiment. Comparison of this reference profile with the sugar composition of several Chinese honey samples of the same declared botanical origin has revealed important differences. A detailed analysis of the saccharide profile of these Chinese honeys suggests product adulteration by overfeeding bee colonies with industrial sugars syrups during the main nectar flow period.

Renmatix cooks up a new market

Renmatix, a start-up that produces industrial sugars from cellulosic feedstocks, is the unlikely developer of an egg replacement. Renmatix has signed a distribution deal with The Ingredient House to sell what it calls Simple Cellulose to food and beverage makers. Because the cellulose is made from plants, Renmatix says it meets brands’ quest for so-called clean-label ingredients. The firm claims to be able to replace eggs or fat at up to half the cost. The product is ideal for vegan baked goods, it adds.

Comparing Biochemical Properties of Pure and Adulterated Honeys Produced By Feeding Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) Colonies with Different Levels of Industrial Commercial Sugars

Comparing Biochemical Properties of Pure and Adulterated Honeys Produced By Feeding Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) Colonies with Different Levels of Industrial Commercial Sugars

Ethanol fermentation of energy beets by self-flocculating and non-flocculating yeasts

Specialized varieties of sugar beets (Energy Beets™) are being developed for producing industrial sugars in Arkansas' Mississippi River Delta. To evaluate their suitability for producing regional fermentation feedstocks, we report initial cultivation trials and ethanol fermentation of raw beet juice and combined juice with pulp mash (JPM) liquefied with enzymes, comparing ethanol yields under different regimes by self-flocculating and non-flocculating yeasts. Nine varieties produced root yields averaging 115Mg/ha and 18.5% sucrose contents. Raw beet juice fermentation yielded ethanol up to 0.48g/g (sugar). JPM was directly fermented through either a sequential (SeqSF) or simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process. For both yeast types, SSF was a more efficient process than SeqSF, with ethanol yields up to 0.47g/g (sugar) and volumetric productivity up to 7.81g/L/h. These results indicate the self-flocculating yeast is suitable for developing efficient bioprocesses to ferment industrial sugar from energy beets.

Valorization of by-products of the sugar industry: New nanostructured hybrid materials containing sugar derived structures

This article describes some possibilities opened by sugar-derived structures in the field of new materials. We selected commercially available structures, mannitol M, sorbitol S, dulcitol D, which are low cost by-products of industrial sugars used for food. These structures present OH functions regularly distributed on a chiral carbon chain. We report here a valorization of these by-products by incorporating them into new silica hybrids. The synthesis, achieved by direct silylation of polyols M, S and D either with 3-(triethoxysilylpropyl)isocyanate, or 3-iodopropyltriethoxysilane led directly to the corresponding materials. The polycondensation occurred in situ because of the presence of a very tight hydrogen bonds network between the organic cores. Incorporation of gold (0) nanoparticles and lanthanide complexations were successfully investigated.

Enhanced ethanol production, volatile compound biosynthesis and fungicide removal during growth of a newly isolated Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain on enriched pasteurized grape musts

AbstractThe kinetic behavior of a newly isolated Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, grown on pasteurized grape musts enriched with industrial sugars, was studied after the addition of various concentrations [0.0 (reference), 0.4 and 2.4 mg/L] of the fungicide quinoxyfen to the medium. Batch‐flask cultures were carried out. Significant quantities of biomass (10.0±0.8 g/L) were produced regardless of quinoxyfen addition to the medium; therefore, the addition of the fungicide did not seriously inhibit biomass production. Ethanol was synthesized in very high quantities in all trials (highest concentrations 106.4–119.2 g/L). A slight decrease of ethanol production in terms of both absolute value and conversion yield of ethanol produced per sugar consumed was, however, observed when the quinoxyfen concentration was increased. The addition of quinoxyfen led to significantly lower ethylic ester levels, which also pertains to the acetates analyzed in this study. Fusel alcohol synthesis seemed to be activated when 0.4 mg/L quinoxyfen was added, but at 2.4 mg/L of added fungicide, no statistically significant differences were observed compared with the control trial. Volatile acid levels did not present a uniform trend in relation with the added fungicide. Finally, the fermentation was accompanied by a significant reduction of the fungicide concentration (79–82 wt% fungicide removal).

Metabolic flux engineering of l-lysine production in Corynebacterium glutamicum—over expression and modification of G6P dehydrogenase

In the present work, metabolic flux engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum was carried out to increase lysine production. The strategy focused on engineering of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) flux by different genetic modifications. Over expression of the zwf gene, encoding G6P dehydrogenase, in the feedback-deregulated lysine-producing strain C. glutamicum ATCC 13032 lysC fbr resulted in increased lysine production on different carbon sources including the two major industrial sugars, glucose and sucrose. The additional introduction of the A243T mutation into the zwf gene and the over expression of fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase resulted in a further successive improvement of lysine production. Hereby the point mutation resulted in higher affinity of G6P dehydrogenase towards NADP and reduced sensitivity against inhibition by ATP, PEP and FBP. Overall, the lysine yield increased up to 70% through the combination of the different genetic modifications. Through strain engineering formation of trehalose was reduced by up to 70% due to reduced availability of its precursor G6P. Metabolic flux analysis revealed a 15% increase of PPP flux in response to over expression of the zwf gene. Overall a strong apparent NADPH excess resulted. Redox balancing indicated that this excess is completely oxidized by malic enzyme.

Improved quantitative ion chromatography of industrial sugars: removal of interfering amino acids

The effect of interfering amino acids on the accurate quantitation of sugars in sugar industry samples, using ion chromatography with integrated pulsed amperometric detection (IC-IPAD), was investigated. Industrial sugar samples included beet syrup, juice and molasses samples. Using sugar and amino acid standard mixtures, and industrial sugar samples, proline was found to co-elute with fructose and serine with sucrose, and both co-elutions were “additive”, which caused both fructose and sucrose to be overestimated. Conversely, the co-elution of arginine with myo-inositol, and glutamine with glucose had a marked “suppressive” effect on sugar quantitation and both myo-inositol and glucose were underestimated. Various methods were investigated for their efficiency to remove interfering amino acids, but not remove sugars: prefiltering of dilute samples through cation exchange syringe filters proved the most efficient method. Using sugar and amino acid standard mixtures, within experimental error, the cation exchange filter restored the mean concentrations of myo-inositol, glucose and sucrose to expected values, and standard deviations for all sugars were reduced markedly. Removal of interfering amino acids in a beet juice from a sweet water tank caused increases in mean concentrations for myo-inositol (+4.2%) and particularly for glucose (+62.5%), and a decrease for fructose (−7.3%). ©

Catalysis of the electrochemical oxidation of glucose by glucose oxidase and a single electron cosubstrate: kinetics in viscous solutions

Catalysis of the electrochemical oxidation of glucose by glucose oxidase with a single electron mediator (cosubstrate) may be used to transform mixtures of concentrated industrial sugars. How the high viscosity of such media may affect the enzymatic reaction and the transport of the mediator can be mimicked by addition of large concentrations of sucrose to glucose solutions. Cyclic voltammetry then provides a simple means of investigating the effect of an increased viscosity on the kinetics of the enzymatic reaction and the diffusion of the mediator. The diffusion coefficient of the mediator is decreased 10 times by addition of 1.6 M sucrose. At pH 8, in the presence of the same concentration of sucrose, the catalytic activity of the enzyme towards its substrate is only slightly affected. A 35% decrease of the glucose Michaelis constant is observed. The reaction of the reduced enzyme with the cosubstrate is six times slower and the mediator Michaelis constant undergoes a three-fold increase. It follows that glucose oxidase remains an efficient catalyst in such viscous media.