SBIR Phase I: Improvement of the Biofuel Fermentation Process by the Phage-mediated Reduction of Contaminating Lactic Acid Bacteria

SBIR 第一阶段：通过噬菌体介导减少污染性乳酸菌来改进生物燃料发酵过程

• 批准号: 1112969
• 负责人: Elizabeth Summer
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Phage Biocontrol Research, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-07-01 至 2011-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1112969&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Improvement; Biofuel; Fermentation

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be used to optimize biofuel production. The fermentation of biofuel ethanol is frequently disrupted by the growth of competing lactic acid bacteria (LAB). LAB compete for the feedstock, produce undesirable acids and inhibit fermentation. Currently, the LAB control method of choice is to apply antibiotics. Phage Biocontrol is proposing to develop an entirely new, alternative treatment for controlling LAB in the biofuel fermentation industry, based on formulations of bacteriolytic phage. Phage are natural, harmless, ubiquitous bacteriolytic agents that can be found in fermented foods. This project is focused on developing phage as a treatment to control LAB contamination during production of bio-fuels.The broader/commercial impacts of this research are to increase efficiency and profitability of biofuel production while eliminating the industrial use of antibiotics. The most significant commercial impact will be to decrease costly fermentation failure events caused by LAB, thus increasing both ethanol yields and profits. The broader societal impacts are arguably even more significant. First, phage treatment has the potential to increase biofuel yields, a necessary goal as fossil fuel levels diminish. Second, while there is a general agreement that widespread, non-medical antibiotic use should be curtailed, antibiotics are currently the most effective control measure available. Phage formulations have real potential to replace antibiotics for non-medical applications. Thus, the innovative application of phage to control LAB in the fuel ethanol fermentation industry will lead to positive economic and societal impacts.

小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将用于优化生物燃料生产。 生物燃料乙醇的发酵经常被竞争性乳酸菌（LAB）的生长所破坏。 LAB竞争原料，产生不需要的酸并抑制发酵。 目前，LAB控制的首选方法是应用抗生素。噬菌体生物控制公司提出开发一种全新的替代治疗方法，用于控制生物燃料发酵工业中的LAB，基于溶菌噬菌体的配方。 噬菌体是天然的、无害的、普遍存在于发酵食品中的溶菌因子。 该项目的重点是开发噬菌体作为生物燃料生产过程中控制LAB污染的处理方法。该研究的更广泛/商业影响是提高生物燃料生产的效率和盈利能力，同时消除抗生素的工业使用。 最重要的商业影响将是减少由LAB引起的昂贵的发酵失败事件，从而增加乙醇产量和利润。 更广泛的社会影响可以说更加重要。 首先，噬菌体处理有可能增加生物燃料产量，这是化石燃料水平下降的必要目标。 第二，虽然人们普遍认为应减少广泛的非医疗抗生素使用，但抗生素是目前最有效的控制措施。噬菌体制剂具有真实的潜力，可替代抗生素用于非医疗应用。 因此，噬菌体在燃料乙醇发酵工业中控制LAB的创新应用将产生积极的经济和社会影响。