Method of stillage clarification using transglutaminase

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021108163-A1
Application number	US-202017071794-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 15, 2020
Priority date	Oct 15, 2019
Publication date	Apr 15, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods, compositions, and systems for fermentation, particularly large scale operations for production of ethanol and dried distiller's grain are provided. Addition of a transglutaminase source to a process stream aids in removing protein from the system in order to provide a high protein feed product and/or provide clarified backset for fermentation. Transglutaminase can be in reagent form or can be produced by microorganisms added to the process stream.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A composition comprising: a feedstock, a transglutaminase source, a microorganism, and water.

2 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the transglutaminase source is a microorganism that expresses transglutaminase.

3 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the transglutaminase source is in reagent form.

4 . A method of decreasing stillage protein levels, the method comprising adding a transglutaminase source to a fermentation reactor or to post-fermentation stillage and isolating the protein.

5 . A method of isolating protein from post-fermentation stillage, the method comprising adding a transglutaminase source to a fermentation reactor or to post-fermentation stillage and isolating the protein.

6 . A method for producing a fermentation product comprising:
grinding grain to provide ground grain; combining the ground grain with water to form a slurry; providing the slurry to a fermenter; inoculating the slurry with an ethanologen, filling the fermenter to provide a fermentation broth; fermenting the slurry to form a beer containing a fermentation product; separating the fermentation product from the beer; adding transglutaminase to at least one process stream selected from the slurry, the fermentation broth, the beer, or a process stream after the fermentation product is separated from the beer; allowing the transglutaminase to bind proteins in the process stream; performing solid-liquid separation to isolate solids, including at least proteins, from the process stream to yield one or more solids streams and liquid streams including a clarified liquid stream.

7 . The method of claim 6 further comprising:
producing a high protein feed product from a solids stream.

8 . The method of claim 6 further comprising:
recycling a portion of the clarified liquid stream as water to form a new slurry.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the ethanologen is a yeast that produces lysine.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the high protein feed product is lysine rich.

11 . A method for processing whole stillage in an ethanol plant, comprising:
adding transglutaminase to whole stillage or thin stillage; separating a thin stillage liquid from the whole stillage; separating a clarified liquid stillage from the thin stillage liquid; and sending a portion of the clarified liquid stillage to a fermentation apparatus for utilization as backset.

12 . A composition comprising: a stillage stream obtained as a by-product of fermentation and transglutaminase.

13 . The composition of claim 12 , wherein the transglutaminase is added in the form of a microorganism that expresses transglutaminase.

14 . The composition of claim 12 , wherein the transglutaminase is added in reagent form.

15 . The composition of claim 12 , wherein the stillage is a by-product of fermentation performed using yeast which produces excess lysine.

16 . A polypeptide encoding a transglutaminase which functions at a pH range between about 3.0 and about 5.0 and/or a temperature range of about 80° C. and 95° C.

17 . A vector comprising a polynucleotide encoding the transglutaminase of claim 16 .

18 . A microorganism engineered to express the transglutaminase of claim 16 .

19 . The microorganism of claim 18 , selected from the group consisting of Streptoverticillium mobaraense and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Assignees

• Poet Res Inc

Inventors

• Lewis Stephen M
• Hepner Tad Scott

Classifications

• Y02P60/87

  Re-use of by-products of food processing for fodder production · CPC title

• A23K50/30

  for swines · CPC title

• A23K50/10

  for ruminants · CPC title

• A23K20/147

  Polymeric derivatives, e.g. peptides or proteins · CPC title

• A23K10/14

  Pretreatment of feeding-stuffs with enzymes · CPC title