Baker's yeast mutant can boost ethanol output -MIT (Reuters)

[Eugene]

Baker's yeast mutant can boost ethanol output -MIT
07 Dec 2006 20:16:30 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Timothy Gardner

NEW YORK, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Scientists have engineered baker's yeast to produce ethanol
faster and more efficiently, according to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology research
paper published on Thursday.

The U.S. government is urging greater use of ethanol as a way to stretch domestic motor
fuel supplies and make the country less dependent on foreign oil. U.S. demand for ethanol
has also jumped as the oil industry uses it to replace gasoline additive MTBE, a suspected
carcinogen banned in several states.

The MIT scientists made "super" baker's yeast, by adding a gene already found in the
microbe, to speed up ethanol production by about 50 percent. That could allow ethanol
plants either to make more of the fuel in less time, or make more of the fuel in the same
time, said Dr. Hal Alper, one of authors of the paper, published on Thursday in the
international weekly science journal, "Science."

The mutated yeast could help move U.S. ethanol production beyond its current centralized
location in the Midwest to areas across the country. That's because it can more efficiently
ferment either corn starch, currently the main source of ethanol made in the United States,
or the sugars in woody bits of plants, which are sometimes wasted.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N07268577.htm

[MADem]

1. Wow, that's pretty interesting. It's amazing what ya can learn here! NT

[freethought]

2. Good news in some respects.

Less time to make the equivalent amount or same time to make a greater amount, should translate to lower cost. "Should" is the operative word here because "should" does not always equal "does".
Still, they should maintain a focus on cellulosic ethanol, big potential there. Now if we could legalize industrial hemp that would be even better. There is no plant alive that could beat hemp for cellulose production, unless of course an old growth forest stand. Personally, I would like to avoid touching old-growth or virgin forests.

I do have one concern. What if this mutant yeast gets out into the natural environment, what kind of harm could it do? Using a GM organism like that has consequences, I would like to know more about it.

[NobleCynic]

3. Still, we need to realize that corn ethanol is not the answer

There are much better forms of ethanol out there, and Congress needs to recognize that instead of playing to the midwest corn interests.

[Eugene]

4. The rest of the article goes on to describe cellulosic ethanol.

A yeast that can boost cellulosic ethanol production
is a major goal of this effort.

[NobleCynic]

5. My mistake then

I apologize.

[JohnWxy]

6. VERY interesting.

they haven't actually demonstrated this yet. Kinda surprised. Sounds like they were kinda in rush to get to print.

I will be really interested if they actually demonstate this GMO microbe can deliver as they say it can.

Recommended. (correction. TRied to recommend this but was too late).