Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 2/10/16

The challenge of more efficiently transforming raw materials like agricultural waste into useful products – like chicken feed – has moved a step forward thanks to researchers at the University of Minnesota.

A research team led by Kechun Zhang, a chemical engineering and materials science assistant professor at the school, have developed what it calls a pathway to more efficiently turn agricultural waste into several useful products, according to research published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology this week. The process is able to convert inedible biological products – like corn leaves and stalks that remain in the field after harvest and orange peels – into such products as chicken feed and spandex.

The process allows for more efficient conversion of lingocellulosic biomass, usually achieved through bacteria and fungi, which resulted in 70 percent higher yield in a process that is more environmentally friendly, the researchers reported. Beyond more sustainably making spandex – used in 80 percent of all clothing ¬– the new platform could convert agricultural waste to chemicals that can be used to make several other products, including chicken feed and flavor enhancers used in food manufacturing.

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