Development of Highly Digestible Grain Sorghum Lines Suitable for Efficient Dry-Grind Ethanol Production

Abstract

Low-world oil prices but supportive government policies provide growing environmental and energy security support favorable for the bioethanol market. The need to generate large and sustainable supply of biomass to make bioethanol will require the development of crops grown specifically for bioenergy production. Given the existing history of genetic improvement and infrastructure available for sorghum, (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) hybrids will be one of the several species dedicated as energy crop and the subject of this study. Texas A & M University Sorghum Breeding Program has developed hybrid sorghum varieties with high protein digestibility and improved starch digestibility. Most of the previous research on grain sorghum focused on the digestibility of sorghum protein from the nutritional point of view.The aim of the current study was to select best sorghum lines from relatively large and diverse sorghum samples that breeders are currently working with for the development of new low energy input liquefaction, saccharification and fermentation methodologies to produce bioethanol. Limited researches studies report on the performance of sorghum varieties in ethanol fermentation in relation to the protein and starch digestibility of sorghum.

Phenotypic Characterization of Citron Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) Genotypes for Bioenergy Production

“…Worldwide production and use of bioenergy as alternative source of energy is significantly increasing in response to environmental concerns posed by using fossil fuel (Hernandez & Capareda, 2019). The growth in the production of biodiesel has been phenomenal because of the general desire to cut down on the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (Hanaki & Portugal-Pereira, 2018).…”

Identification of Unique Aldehyde Dimers in Sorghum Wax Recovered after Fermentation in a Commercial Fuel Ethanol Plant

“…The chemical composition of distillers corn oil has been elucidated and found to be mainly composed of triacyclglycerols and free fatty acids (10-15%), with low but valuable levels of xanthophyll carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin (Moreau et al, 2010(Moreau et al, , 2011. About half of the US supply of DCO has been used as a feedstock to make biodiesel and half has been used as an ingredient in animal feeds, mainly as a source of lutein and zeaxanthin for poultry (Shurson et al, 2012) In recent years, some U.S. dry grind corn ethanol plants have fermented blends of corn and sorghum (milo) when it is economically favorable to do so (Hernandez and Capareda, 2019;Clark et al, 1981). Our laboratory has obtained several samples of distillers oils from US plants that have fermented corn/milo blends.…”