Background

Non-food specialty proteins extracted from corn show enormous promise in the development of high quality pharmaceuticals such as antibodies, vaccines, hormones, and enzymes. The high promise is both for the economic growth for rural areas and the impact these special proteins can have on the nation's health.   Byproduct components include industrial proteins that can be used in bio-diesel and ethanol production.

These proteins are extracted by degerming the kernel in a pretreatment process that separates the germ from the endosperm. This allows the two components to enter different processing streams. The quick germ process isolates the non-food protein from the germ and the oil extracted for biodiesel and other products.

The distinct advantages of plant protein production are low cost and enhanced product quality. These special proteins cannot be produced through other methods.  On the ethanol end, the quick germ process yields higher ethanol concentrations due to increased relative starch percentages.

Project Goals

This project will evaluate the market and business impacts of pretreatment system adoption for non-food proteins (pharmaceuticals, industrial proteins) located in the germ and endosperm.

Analytical tools will be developed to identify the financial implications of implementing a degerming process that captures non-food proteins and the potential impact on an ethanol facility.

The research team will also seek to identify and evaluate the economic benefits of degerming kernels for non-food protein extraction prior to the dry grind ethanol process at various corn and ethanol price levels. Evaluation will be made using a biodiesel plant simulation model.

The analytical tools will assist with two key factors in the value chain, the range of premiums acceptable to producers to grow the non-protein corn products and the range of price levels that support production to meet regulatory requirements. Feasible premiums levels will be determined from the added market value that can be derived from the non-food protein and oil components in the germ.

Objectives

1. Identify the marketable products from a non-food protein corn product located in the germ and estimate a range of potential returns for the products in the value chain.
2. Identify the marketable products from a non-food protein corn product located in the endosperm and estimate a range of potential returns for the products in the value chain.
3. Identify and evaluate the economic benefits of degerming kernels for non-food protein extraction prior to the dry grind ethanol process at various corn and ethanol price levels.
4. Evaluate feasible premium levels for the non-food protein corn product value chains identified in objectives 1 and 2.
5. Evaluate the economic benefit to producers of the non-food grade protein corn products at feasible premium and yield levels.

Expected Outcomes

1. Economic models will be developed and an analytical tool will be created that will assist business and government entities in the evaluation of non-food protein trait production in corn for use in pharmaceuticals and industrial products.
2. The systems outlined dovetail with the evolving biofuel manufacturing sector, adding value to the traditional product streams. This is to be done by creating a higher value use for the kernel protein, allowing a more pure starch fraction to enter ethanol plants. An important bonus to this process will be the additional oil that will be available for industrial uses, e.g.,to biodiesel plants.
3. Since the remaining distillers dry grains and solubles (DDGS) will not be suitable for animal feed it will be evaluated financially as a fertilizer for corn production and/or as an energy source for ethanol plants.