Water solubilization of DDGS via derivatization with phosphite esters.
Ethanol production from corn starch in the corn dry milling process leaves Distillers' Dry Grains and Solubles (DDGS) as a major by-product from which additional ethanol may be economically obtained from its glucan content. A challenge in processing the cellulose content of this material lies in its extensive inter-cellulose chain hydrogen bonding, which inhibits access of enzymes capable of cleaving glycosidic bonds, a transformation required for providing fermentable sugars. The phosphitylation of cellulosic OH groups using a reactive bicyclic phosphite ester is utilized to disrupt cellulosic hydrogen bonds, thus providing access to cellulose chains for further processing. We describe a method of pretreating DDGS with commercially available trimethylolpropane phosphite [P(OCH2)3CEt] in the presence of a slight molar excess of water to afford greater than 90% DDGS solubility in the reaction mixture in methanol and in water. Preliminary results using a model compound [D-(+)-permethylated cellobiose] indicate that glycosidic bonds are cleaved as a consequence of this pretreatment.
Midwest Research Institute, 425 Volker Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64110-2241, USA.
Reed E
RE
Oshel
Mecheril V
MV
Nandakumar
Sameer
S
Urgaonkar
David G
DG
Hendricker
John G
JG
Verkade
D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry; D004952:Esters / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D007220:Industrial Waste; D007536:Isomerism; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D017905:Phosphites / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D012995:Solubility; D012997:Solvents; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism*; D003313:Zea mays / Q000378:metabolism*
D004952:Esters; D007220:Industrial Waste; D017905:Phosphites; D012997:Solvents; D014867:Water; D002482:Cellulose