COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR PRODUCING FERMENTATION PRODUCTS AND RESIDUALS

• US 20070243235A1
• Filed: 05/16/2006
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gevo Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Gevo Incorporated
• Inventors: David, Peter
• Application Number:
  US11/383,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20070243235A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 424/442
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/18 of live microorganisms
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/38 from distillers' or brewers' waste
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 20/147 Polymeric derivatives, e.g. peptides or proteins
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/87 Re-use of by-products of food processing for fodder production

Abstract

The present invention provides compositions and methods designed to increase value output of a fermentation reaction. In particular, the present invention provides a business method of increasing value output of a fermentation plant. The present invention also provides a modified fermentation residual of higher commercial value. Also provided in the present invention are complete animal feeds, nutritional supplements comprising the subject ferment residuals. Further provided by the present invention is a method of performing fermentation, a modified fermentative microorganism and a genetic vehicle for modifying such microoganism.

Claims

1. A fermentation residual comprising genetically modified yeast cells, wherein:

(a) said fermentation residual is the product of an anaerobic, alcohol producing fermentation reaction;

(b) said fermentation residual comprises a nutrient selected from the group consisting of an amino acid, a cofactor, a hormone, a protein, a vitamin and a lipid; and

(c) the content of said nutrient in said fermentation residual is greater than that in a fermentation residual produced by unmodified, corresponding yeast cells when used in said anaerobic, alcohol producing fermentation reaction.

2. The residual of claim 1, wherein the fermentation residual has a shelf-life that is longer than that of a fermentation residual that is deficient in said modified microorganism.

4. The residual of claim 1, wherein the fermentation residual is enriched in at least one essential amino acid, the majority of which is encapsulated in a cell.

5. The residual of claim 1, wherein at least about 25% of the essential amino acid measured by dry weight is encapsulated in a cell.

6. The residual of claim 1, wherein the fermentation residual results from a fermentation reaction and is enriched in at least one essential amino acid, wherein said essential amino acid is contained in a heterologous polypeptide produced by a microorganism used in the fermentation reaction.

8. The residual of one of the claims 4, 5 and 6, wherein the essential amino acid is selected from the group consisting of lysine, methionine, threonine, isoleucine, methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, arginine, valine, leucine, taurine and histidine.

9. The residual of one of the claims 4, 5 and 6, wherein the essential amino acid is present at an amount exceeding about 3% of the fermentation residual by dry weight.

10. The residual of claim 6, wherein at least about 5% of the amino acid residues contained in the heterologous polypeptide are essential amino acids.

11. The residual of claim 6, wherein the heterologous polypeptide is non-secretory.

12. The residual of claim 6, wherein the heterologous polypeptide is stored in inclusion bodies in the microorganism.

13. The residual of claim 1 that is supplemented with a desirable flavor.

14. The residual of claim 1 that is packaged with instructions for use as animal feed.

15. The residual of claim 1 that is packaged with instructions for use as food supplement.

33. The residual of claim 1, wherein the yeast cells comprise a recombinant expression vector comprising an exogenous nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide and a regulatory sequence that controls the expression of the exogenous polypeptide, wherein expression of the exogenous polypeptide results in increased nutritional content of the fermentation residual compared with that of the unmodified yeast cell.

34. The residual of claim 33, wherein the nutrient is an essential amino acid to at least one domesticated animal and the exogenous polypeptide comprises the essential amino acid.

35. The residual of claim 34, wherein the essential amino acid is selected from the group consisting of lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, isoleucine, tryptophan, valine, leucine, arginine, taurine and histidine.

36. The residual of claim 33, wherein the expression of the exogenous sequence is under the control of a regulatory sequence selected from the group consisting of a regulatory sequence of a heat shock gene, a regulatory sequence of a toxicity gene and a regulatory sequence of a spore formation gene.

37. The residual of claim 1, wherein the genetic modification modifies at least one of the structural genes in the nutrient'"'"'s synthetic pathway.

38. The residual of claim 1, wherein the genetic modification modifies a regulatory control of the nutrient'"'"'s synthetic pathway.

39. The residual of claim 38, wherein the synthetic pathway is for an essential amino acid for a domesticated animal.

40. The residual of claim 1, wherein the genetic modification modifies a structural gene that regulates synthesis of a peptide containing at least one essential amino acid for a domesticated animal.

41. The residual of claim 1, wherein the genetic modification modifies the nutrient'"'"'s transport processes out of or into the yeast cell.

42. The residual of claim 1, wherein the nutrient is an essential amino acid to at least one domesticated animal.

43. The residual of claim 42, wherein the essential amino acid is selected from the group consisting of lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, isoleucine, tryptophan, valine, leucine, arginine, taurine and histidine.

44. The residual of claim 1, wherein the nutrient is a vitamin.

45. The residual of claim 44, wherein the vitamin is selected from the group consisting of vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin B7, vitamin B9, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D1-D4, a tocopherol, and vitamin K.

46. The residual of claim 1, wherein the nutrient is a lipid.

47. The residual of claim 1, wherein the alcohol is ethanol.

48. The residual of claim 1, wherein the alcohol is selected from the group consisting of methanol, propanol and butanol.

49. The residual of claim 1, wherein the yeast is a Saccharomyces.

50. The residual of claim 1, wherein the fermentation residual comprises distillers dried grains.

51. The residual of claim 1, wherein the fermentation residual comprises distillers dried grains with solubles.

52. The residual of claim 1, wherein the fermentation residual comprises condensed distillers solubles

3. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

21. A complete animal feed for mammals, poultry or aguaculture comprising at least about 15% of fermentation residual by weight wherein the fermentation residual comprises genetically modified yeast cells, wherein:

(a) said fermentation residual is the product of an anaerobic, alcohol producing fermentation reaction;

(b) said fermentation residual comprises a nutrient selected from the group consisting of an amino acid, a cofactor, a hormone, a protein, a vitamin and a lipid; and

the content of said nutrient in said fermentation residual is greater than that in a fermentation residual produced by unmodified, corresponding yeast cells when used in said anaerobic, alcohol producing fermentation reaction.

25. A complete animal feed of claim 21 further comprising a flavor palpable to an animal of interest.

26. A complete animal feed of claim 21 having a shelf-life longer than a complete animal feed that is deficient in such modified yeast cells.

27. A complete animal feed of claim 25 or 26 in which the fermentation residual is enriched in at least one essential amino acid, the majority of which is encapsulated in a cell.

28. The complete animal feed of claim 25 or 26, wherein the fermentation residual results from a fermentation reaction and is enriched in at least one essential amino acid, wherein said essential amino acid is contained in a heterologous polypeptide produced by the yeast cells used in the fermentation reaction.

22. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

29. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

31. (canceled)

32. (canceled)