Alpha-Amylase Polypeptides for Starch Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current processes for producing fermentation products from starch-containing materials, such as ethanol, suffer from low yield due to unconverted residual starch material, often resulting in non-fermentable Maillard products.
Innovation Solution
The development of isolated or purified polypeptides with alpha-amylase activity, specifically designed for high sequence identity to certain SEQ IDs, which are used in processes involving liquefaction, saccharification, and fermentation to enhance the conversion of starch into fermentation products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional alpha-amylase is used in starch liquefaction, then the starch processing can be carried out, but residual starch material remains unconverted and forms non-fermentable Maillard products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the alpha-amylase enzyme sequence by introducing specific amino acid changes (e.g., at positions 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100) to enhance its catalytic activity and substrate binding affinity, thereby improving starch conversion efficiency and reducing residual starch material
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite enzyme system by combining the modified alpha-amylase polypeptide with other enzymatic components (such as glucoamylase and fermentation organisms) to achieve synergistic effects that maximize starch conversion to fermentable sugars and subsequent fermentation products
2Productivity
If high sequence identity polypeptides are developed to improve starch breakdown, then fermentation product yield increases, but the complexity of enzyme production and purification increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses recombinant DNA technology to copy and amplify the modified alpha-amylase gene in host organisms (such as E. coli or yeast), enabling large-scale production of the enzyme through microbial fermentation rather than complex chemical synthesis or traditional enzyme extraction methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and purifies the functional alpha-amylase polypeptide from the recombinant host cell through standardized purification protocols, isolating the enzyme activity while removing cellular debris and other contaminants, thereby simplifying the overall production process
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
These polypeptides improve the yield of fermentation products by effectively breaking down starch, reducing residual starch, and increasing the efficiency of the fermentation process.
Implementation Method 1
Alpha-amylases (alpha-1,4-glucan-4-glucanohydrolases, E.C. 3.2.1.1) constitute a group of enzymes, which catalyze hydrolysis of starch and other linear and branched 1,4-glucosidic oligo- and polysaccharides
Implementation Method 2
The present invention provides isolated or purified polypeptides having alpha-amylase activity and polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to polypeptides having alpha-amylase activity, alpha-amylase catalytic domains, and starch binding modules, and polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides, alpha-amylase catalytic domains, and starch binding modules, and to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides, alpha-amylase catalytic domains, and starch binding modules. The present invention relates to processes for producing fermentation products from starch-containing material. The invention also relates to an enzyme blend or composition, or a recombinant host cell or fermenting organism suitable for use in a process of the invention.