QUALITY AND VALUE OF CO-PRODUCTS OF THE ETHANOL PRODUCTION INDUSTRY
First Claim
1. A process for improving the nutritional quality of a feed co-product, resulting from the fermentation of a grain, sugar beets, or sugar cane to produce ethanol, the process comprising:
- combining water, a source of nitrogen, a source of phosphorus, a feed co-product comprising a cellulose and/or a hemi-cellulose, and a microbe to form a fluid fermentation mixture suitable for submerged fermentation, wherein the feed co-product is derived from the fermentation of a grain, sugar beet, or sugar cane to produce ethanol and wherein the microbe is a microbe capable of breaking down the cellulose and/or the hemi-cellulose to one or more sugars and then utilizing the sugars to proliferate;
fermenting the fluid fermentation mixture such that the microbe converts at least a portion of the cellulose and/or the hemi-cellulose to at least one sugar and uses the sugar to proliferate thereby increasing the concentration of microbes in the fermentation mixture.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A process for improving the nutritional quality of a feed co-product, resulting from the fermentation of a grain, sugar beets, or sugar cane to produce ethanol. The process comprises combining water, a source of nitrogen, a source of phosphorus, a feed co-product comprising a cellulose and/or a hemi-cellulose, and a microbe to form a fluid fermentation mixture suitable for submerged fermentation, wherein the feed co-product is derived from the fermentation of a grain, sugar beet, or sugar cane to produce ethanol and wherein the microbe is a microbe capable of breaking down the cellulose and/or the hemi-cellulose to one or more sugars and then utilizing the sugars to proliferate; fermenting the fluid fermentation mixture such that the microbe converts at least a portion of the cellulose and/or the hemi-cellulose into at least one sugar and uses the sugar to proliferate thereby increasing the concentration of microbes in the fermentation mixture.
32 Citations
104 Claims
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1. A process for improving the nutritional quality of a feed co-product, resulting from the fermentation of a grain, sugar beets, or sugar cane to produce ethanol, the process comprising:
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combining water, a source of nitrogen, a source of phosphorus, a feed co-product comprising a cellulose and/or a hemi-cellulose, and a microbe to form a fluid fermentation mixture suitable for submerged fermentation, wherein the feed co-product is derived from the fermentation of a grain, sugar beet, or sugar cane to produce ethanol and wherein the microbe is a microbe capable of breaking down the cellulose and/or the hemi-cellulose to one or more sugars and then utilizing the sugars to proliferate; fermenting the fluid fermentation mixture such that the microbe converts at least a portion of the cellulose and/or the hemi-cellulose to at least one sugar and uses the sugar to proliferate thereby increasing the concentration of microbes in the fermentation mixture. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A process for producing a high protein feed mixture from a cereal grain, the process comprising:
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combining water, an enzyme and a cereal grain comprising a carbohydrate to form a hydrolysis mixture wherein at least a portion of the carbohydrate is converted by enzymatic hydrolysis into one or more sugars to form a hydrolysate mixture; adding yeast to the hydrolysate mixture such that at least a portion of the sugar is converted by fermentation to ethanol to form a first fermentation mixture comprising ethanol, a cellulose and/or hemi-cellulose and water; distilling the first fermentation mixture to remove at least a portion of the ethanol from the first fermentation mixture thereby forming a distillate product comprising ethanol and a whole stillage fluid mixture comprising water, a cellulose and/or hemi-cellulose; adding a source of nitrogen, a source of phosphorus and a microbe to the whole stillage mixture to form a second fermentation mixture, wherein the microbe is a microbe capable of breaking down cellulose and/or hemi-cellulose to one or more sugars and then utilizing the sugars to proliferate; and fermenting the second fluid fermentation mixture during which the microbe breaks down at least a portion of the cellulose and/or hemi-cellulose in the second fermentation mixture to at least one sugar and uses the sugar to proliferate to form a high protein feed mixture, wherein a substantial portion of the protein in the high protein feed mixture is microbial protein.
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44-85. -85. (canceled)
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86. A feed mixture resulting from the fermentation of a grain, sugar beets or sugar cane to produce ethanol, the feed mixture comprising:
a protein, at least a portion of which is in the form of a microbial protein, wherein the total concentration of protein present in the feed mixture is at least about 30 percent by weight of the feed mixture on a dry basis, and wherein the concentration of microbial protein in the feed mixture is at least about 10 percent by weight of the feed mixture, on a dry basis.
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87-102. -102. (canceled)
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103. A feed product comprising grain carbohydrate, grain ash, grain oil, a nitrogen source selected from the group consisting of grain protein and amino acids, and a further nitrogen source comprising microbial protein, wherein the total protein content is at least about 30 wt. % on a dry basis.
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104-105. -105. (canceled)
Specification