US 2016/0097062 A1Published application

Methods for fermenting carbohydrate-rich crops

OwnerEdward Brian HAMRICKinventor

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Abstract

A method for fermenting carbohydrate-rich crops is provided. Sugar beet, sugar cane, sweet sorghum, tropical maize hybrids and fruits are rich in simple sugars; potato, sweet potato, cassava and yam are rich in starch; and Jerusalem artichoke is rich in inulin. This method uses vacuum infusion to infuse yeast into the intercellular space (apoplast) of the parenchyma tissue. The simple sugars diffuse into the apoplast, come into contact with the yeast and produce ethanol. Ethanol can be extracted from the crop by vacuum stripping or crushing or can be left inside the starchy crop to preserve it. In some variants, pectinase enzymes degrade the parenchyma cell walls to speed up diffusion of simple sugars to the yeast, speed up diffusion of amylase to starch granules or speed up diffusion of inulinase to insoluble inulin.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A process for producing fermentation products from carbohydrate-rich plant parenchyma tissue, said process comprising the steps of:

(a) providing carbohydrate-rich plant parenchyma tissue at a crop temperature;
(b) combining said carbohydrate-rich plant parenchyma tissue with an aqueous reagent solution at a reagent temperature containing a fermentation organism;
(c) exposing said carbohydrate-rich plant parenchyma tissue to a gas-phase preparation pressure for a preparation time, either prior to step (b) or following step (b), wherein said gas-phase preparation pressure is less than atmospheric pressure;
(d) exposing said carbohydrate-rich plant parenchyma tissue to a gas-phase infusion pressure for an infusion time, wherein said gas-phase infusion pressure is greater than said gas-phase preparation pressure;
and
(e) maintaining a gas-phase fermentation pressure for a fermentation time to produce fermentation products within said carbohydrate-rich plant parenchyma tissue, wherein said gas-phase fermentation pressure is greater than said gas-phase preparation pressure and wherein at least 25% of the mass of said fermentation products is ethanol.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/966,650Filed 11 Dec 2015
Priority: 3 Mar 2015
Published: 7 Apr 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

C12P 7/06
Acyclic: ethanol, i.e. non-beverage
C08B 30/04
Preparation of starch, degraded or non-chemically modified starch, amylose, or amylopectin: extraction or purification
C08B 37/0003
Preparation of polysaccharides not provided for in groups C08B1/00 - C08B35/00; Derivatives thereof: general processes for their isolation or…
C08B 37/0054
Beta-D-Fructofuranans, e.g. beta-2,6-D-fructofuranan, i.e. levan; Derivatives thereof: inulin, i.e. beta-2,1-D-fructofuranan; Derivatives thereof

Family

Application62/127,637Us provisional application · filed 3 Mar 2015
Application62/139,881Us provisional application · filed 30 Mar 2015
Application14/940,390Continuation · filed 13 Nov 2015
Application14/966,650Continuation
US 2016/0068870 A1Published application
US 9,499,839 B2Related patent
US 2016/0097062 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.