The corn, developed by Syngenta, contains a microbial gene that causes it to produce an enzyme that breaks down corn starch into sugar, the first step toward making ethanol. Ethanol manufacturers now buy this enzyme, called alpha amylase, in liquid form and add it to the corn at the start of their production process.
Syngenta says that having the crop make the enzyme for its own breakdown — self-processing corn, as it were — will increase ethanol output while reducing the use of water, energy and chemicals in the production process. The company, a seed and pesticide manufacturer based in Switzerland, said it would take various measures to prevent the corn from getting into the food supply.
The corn, which is called Enogen, is one of the first crops genetically engineered to contain a trait that influences use of the plant after harvest. Virtually all past biotech crops have had traits like insect resistance, aimed at helping farmers more than manufacturers or consumers.
The corn contains a synthetic gene derived from micro-organisms that live near hot-water vents on the ocean’s floor. The enzyme is stable at the high temperatures used in making ethanol. The liquid amylase now used by ethanol plants is made in other micro-organisms.
Syngenta said that use of its corn increased ethanol production by 8 percent and reduced natural gas consumption 8 percent in a test at an ethanol plant in Oakley, Kansas.
With the gas prices so HIGH, I can not wait for the this to become more available. For our environment and a better surroundings for us to live in, this is going to be a great idea. It could help in decreasing the global warming situations. There are going to many good benefits come through from this idea.
This could also possibly lead the way for other genetically changed foods to make their way onto the market.
ReplyDeleteThis is a step in the right directions but, at what risk? If this type of corn got into the regular corn supply it could do damage the regular corn that people eat.
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