Two DA
programs should boost rice production
EDITORIAL
Updated January
18, 2020, 8:49 AM
At the start of the new year, Secretary William Dar of the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced plans that are expected to boost the country’s rice production .
At the center of the
program is the distribution of certified palay seeds as early
as October last year for planting in 947
rice-producing towns in 57 provinces. The certified seeds can
produce 4.54 million tons of palay per hectare. This is so
much more than the traditional yield of 2.13 metric tons per
hectare produced by Filipino farmers using their usual rice
varieties.
The
high-yielding seeds are being distributed free to farmers
nationwide tilling a total of one million hectares
of land, at 40 kilos of seeds per hectare. This
is forecast to increase the national yield in 2020 by 3
percent over 2019.
This
program of developing and distributing high-yielding
and disease-resistant varieties of rice is being
carried out by the Philippine Rice Institute. The amount of
P3 billion is set aside each year for the free distribution of
certified seeds to farmers until 2024.
The
DA has another program – farm mechanization – being carried
out with the Philippine Center for Post-Harvest Development
and Mechanization. Under this program, P5 billion worth
of tractors and other farm equipment will be distributed
to qualified farmers’ cooperatives and associations
as well as local government units. Mechanization
is expected to reduce production costs by P4 per
kilo from the current average cost of P12 per kilo.
Rice
production by Philippine farmers has never
been able to meet the needs of the nation’s consumers,
necessitating the annual importation of hundreds of millions
of tons from Vietnam and Thailand. The
closest we got to self-sufficiency was at the height
of the Masagana 99 program of the Marcos
administration.
The
needs of the booming Philippine population have far outgrown
the production capacity of Filipino rice farmers. In
2018, when inflation hit a high of 6.7 percent in September, the
government had to resort to various measures to stop the
zooming market prices and one of these was the Rice Tariffication
Law. All quantitative restrictions on rice imports were
lifted; they were simply subjected to a tariff. The
result was massive importation that brought rice prices down.
This was good for consumers but not for farmers.
This
year, Secretary Dar hopes, will be a good year for
Philippine agriculture in general, rice production in particular. The
twin programs of free distribution of high-yielding rice seeds
and farm mechanization should increase local production
and lower costs. We may not yet reach the goal of self-sufficiency
but we should be taking a big step towards it.
Plant-Based Movement: From Trendy to Mainstream
By Cameron Jacobs
ARLINGTON, VA -- The term "plant-based" was first coined
in 1980 by American biochemist Thomas Colin Campbell, who specializes in the
effect of nutrition on long-term health. Campbell has been a long-time advocate
of a low-fat, whole foods, plant-based diet, and his food philosophy is
suddenly gaining a lot of traction within the culinary, nutrition, and consumer
trends space. Rice, and more specifically, U.S.-grown rice, marries seamlessly
into the philosophy, though proponents need to be reminded why.
Plant-based is a broad term that
today indicates expanding one's diet to include plant-based proteins in place
of meat., think the no-meat Whopper from Burger King. While someone adhering to
a plant-based diet, may be vegan or vegetarian these are not requirements to
live plant-based.
"It's more about making a
conscious decision to include alternative proteins as part of your diet while
not completely eliminating meat," said Michael Klein, USA Rice vice president
of domestic promotion who admits to eating a plant-based "burger"
about once per month. "Think of it as a rotation as opposed to a direct
swap."
Plant-based products have become
competitive in both taste and texture, and have seen real buy-in and investment
from foodservice and corporate America.
Domestic retail sales of plant-based
foods greatly outpaced overall grocery sales in the past year, surging 11
percent, according to data from the Good Food Institute, an independent
non-profit that seeks to accelerate the acceptance of plant-based and
cell-based meat, eggs, and dairy. According to industry analysts Datassential,
more than half of U.S. consumers say they are eating more plant-based foods and
looking for both healthier and more sustainable diets. Add that data to the
massive corporate investment within the retail space and it's clear the
plant-based movement is nowhere close to peaking.
"The plant-based movement has
inspired a lot of consumers to incorporate alternative proteins into their diet
and this opens the door to additional consumption of rice," said Missouri
rice farmer Blake Gerard who sells a packaged, high-protein rice called
Cahokia. "Whether it is pairing rice with legumes to make the perfect
protein, complementing a plant-based protein, or simply blending with animal
meat, this movement is perfect for the inclusion of U.S.-grown rice. It's an
awesome time to be in the rice industry as the 20's are going to be roaring
with rice!"
Led by Millennials and Gen Z, (those
born after 1981), there has also been a notable shift to the "Conscious
Consumer," someone who is actively aware of where their food comes from
and the environmental impact of sourcing that food.
"This is where the great
opportunity is for U.S.-grown rice," said Klein. "Sustainably-grown,
transparent farming practices, unparalleled food safety, and limited food miles
- and oh right, a plant! This whole movement is about providing alternative
protein options that meet taste and texture expectations while using familiar
ingredients. We intend to capitalize on this."
THE DISH: Dinnertime at Smitten, Two Goats &
The Goose
·
Charred shishito peppers at Smitten are part of the restaurant's
dinner service.
·
Chicken skewers served with grilled onions and tomato are part
of Smitten's new dinner service.
·
You can order the classic Muertos burger options or
customize your own at Two Goats & the Goose, which also offers sautéed
green beans as a side option.
·
Tri-tip fries enjoyed a slight name change but the
same tasty flavor at Two Goats & The Goose, formerly Muertos, in downtown
Bakersfield.
·
In addition to reporting food
news, I, like all humans, also eat. Often taking inspiration from the stories
covered and restaurants previewed, I can be spotted out in the dining wild
looking for the next great bite. Here's a look at what's been going on my plate
lately.
Finally made it out for Smitten's dinner
service, which started last month at the Seven Oaks location. There are a
number of entrees and smaller dishes on the new menu that make good use of
Smitten's Josper charcoal oven.
The charred shishito peppers ($9)
are a great starter, with blistered, glistening peppers piled high, brightened
by lime juice and topped with Himalayan salt and cilantro. The herb can be
divisive but I am firmly pro-cilantro, so the more leaves the better,
especially given the slight saltiness and fresh flavor of the peppers.
The peppers are a bit longer than
at other places so it may be more well-mannered to cut them on your plate and
eat with a fork. Hunger outweighing any such discretion, I managed to eat them
by hand.
For dinner, I had the chicken
skewers ($22). Co-owner Stasie Bitton previously said that the chicken dish was
one of the last that husband Shai finalized on the menu, trying to find the
best presentation and flavors for the meat.
This dish was lovely, with a
generous portion of moist, flavorful chicken served on two skewers atop a bed
of basmati rice and grilled onions and tomato. The smokiness from the oven was
evident in the meat. It was easier to cut the chicken on the small plate used
with the shishito peppers since I didn't want to knock any rice or veggies off
the larger plate.
Another night, I headed downtown
to try Two Goats & The Goose,
which was formerly Muertos. It's the same owner and crew with many popular
dishes remaining and some new items. Had the tri-tip fries ($12.95), which may
be familiar to longtime customers as the carne asada fries. Really crisp fries topped
with an ample portion of melted cheese and well-seasoned meat. One thing in the
past that has disappointed me was getting fries (as a side with a sandwich)
with cheese that wasn't melted. No problems this time. The meat is chopped
small enough that this is a job for a fork once you've consumed the fries on
the outer ring.
Also had the cauliflower tacos
($9.75), which are topped with lettuce, jack cheese and Thai chili sauce. You
can have the veggie sauteed or fried. I opted for the latter but tasting how
good the pan seared mushrooms and green beans — available as a side option or
in Tidwell's tacos — were it seems prudent to make another visit. The menu also
states that other vegan and vegetarian options are available so it's really
just a matter of checking with your server.
The restaurant has been active on
social media to get the word out about specials and updates, including the new
sign out front. Follow it at instagram.com/twogoatsandthegoose for the latest.
Smitten is at 1407 Buena Vista
Road. Two Goats & The Goose is at 1514 Wall Street Alley.
Basmati Rice Industry in
Panic since Iran Payment Concerns
Basmati Rice industry is in a panic
since Iran payment concerns. Pending payment of basmati rice export to Iran
increased to more than Rs 1000 crores. Further, the execution of Iran General
Qassem Soleimani created nervousness amongst basmati rice industry. Iran
remains the biggest importer of basmati rice from India.
AIREA Advises Caution over Exports
to Iran
With US-Iran tensions picking up
heat, All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA) advised exporters to suspend
exports to Iran. Exporters are still waiting for payment of around Rs 900
crores for exports till June 2019. The authority warned the exporters not to
execute any shipments until the situation clears. During April and November
2019, India exported 23.64 lakh tonnes of Basmati rice worth Rs 17,700 crore.
Out of this, only quantity worth Rs 4,500 crores was for Iran. AIREA President
Nathi Ram Gupta stated that even exports of two lakh tonnes of rice ordered by
the Iranian government through the letter of credit is laying on ports. The
trade body predicts around Rs 1500 crore stuck in Iran. The delay in exports
will decrease basmati rice prices, result in decreasing farmers income and
acutely affect the basmati rice industry.
Iran the Biggest Basmati Rice
Importer from India
Despite the opening of fresh tenders
of basmati rice by Iran, trade set to severely get affected in 2020. Rice being
Iran’s staple cereal, the country is the biggest importer for Indian basmati
rice. It accounts for more than one-third of the total rice exports of India.
Though Iran imported 1.48 million tonnes of basmati from India in 2018-19, this
year the imports are set to fall. Exporters are avoiding taking any further
risk due to hostilities between the US and Iran. Basmati rice Industry severely
affected by the deteriorating relations between the US and Iran.
Future of Basmati Rice Industry?
Iran imported half a million tonnes
of rice till October 2019. The growing tension between the US and the Islamic
Republic is likely to hit Indian rice industry. Moreover, the Indian government
is planning for an alternative source of crude oil supply since further
sanctions by the USA. The officials are looking forward to trading with the
West Asian region to reduce dependence on the Gulf countries. In all, with due
payments soaring high, the basmati rice industry may suffer a fallback amid
Iran sanctions and political tension.
https://www.grainmart.in/news/basmati-rice-industry-in-panic-since-iran-payment-concerns/
La. rice industry weighs in on phase
one of trade agreement with China
by:
Sylvia Masters
Posted: Jan 16, 2020 / 06:26 PM CST Updated: Jan 16,
2020 / 06:26 PM CST
CROWLEY, La. (KLFY)- President Donald Trump
signed a trade agreement with China Wednesday committing the country to
purchase hundreds of billions of dollars in American goods and services.
This agreement opens the door for the United
States to ship rice to China.
“It’s a big deal for the rice industry as a
whole. Fifty percent of the U.S. rice is exported so any export markets out
there is a big deal and so China is a big buyer,” Robert Trahan, director of
sales and business development with Falcon Rice Mill, said.
The trade agreement is phase one in a two-part
negotiation.
For the rice industry, this helps create a
demand in the market.
“Far beyond this deal, it’s going to lead to
even more world peace. We now have a big investment in each other,” said
President Trump.
Trahan added, “Our mill specifically is
domestic, but most of the mills sell internationally so we all have to move the
crop somehow and so this thing is a big, big deal for the industry. Time will
tell. China is a new market so as soon as they start buying rice that would be
good.”
Louisiana grows about 400,000 acres of rice.
“Fifty percent of the U.S. crop is exported and
in Louisiana, it’s probably even more. It’s probably 60 or 70% of the crop is
exported so any market out there outside of the United States that’s opened up
for us is a big deal. It helps get the rice moved. It creates demand and
creates better prices,” explained Trahan.
Louisiana is the third-largest rice producing
state in the country.
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2020 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be
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Rice exports forecast to fall to
lowest in 7 years
Rice
fields after the rain in Ayutthaya provinces on Monday. (Photo by Sunthorn
Pongpao)
Thailand's
rice exports in 2020 are forecast to drop to their lowest in seven year, the
country's rice exporters group said on Thursday, as the strong baht reduces the
competitiveness against other shippers. Exports from Thailand, the world's
second-biggest exporter of the commodity after India, are expected to drop to
7.5 million tonnes this year, the Thai Rice Exporters Association said. That would
be the lowest volume since Thailand exported 6.6 million tonnes of rice in
2013. The grim forecast came after Thailand fell short of its initial 2019
target by exporting 7.8 million tonnes of rice last year.
Thai
rice export volumes have declined for two consecutive years since hitting a
record 11.60 million tonnes in 2017. "We're being optimistic when we give
the 7.5 million tonnes forecast," Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president
of the exporters association, told Reuters.
- Outlook turns
negative for Asia-Pacific
- Amazon's Bezos Pledges
New $1 Billion India Investment Amid Pushback
- Optimism for rice
export forecast maintained
"This
year looks worse than the last, because of even more apparent price
differences."
Thai
benchmark 5% broken rice prices have remained high well into 2020, after
trading significantly higher than the Vietnamese variety throughout 2019 mainly
because the baht rose in value relative to other currencies. Thai prices were
about $75 a tonne higher than Vietnamese cargoes last week. The baht was Asia's
strongest-performing currency in 2019, appreciating by nearly 9%. It is
currently trading near the highest in more than six years. Drought — which has
been declared in 18 provinces in the central, northern and northeastern farming
regions — also threatens to reduce supply in 2020, driving up local rice
prices. Dry season started in November and usually lasts through April,
although authorities said it could go on through June this year. Earlier this
month, the US Department of Agriculture estimated Thailand's total output this
year at 18.5 million tonnes of milled rice, down 9% from last year. Last year,
the Commerce Ministry gave a similar forecast for 2020 rice exports of 8
million tonnes.
Nigeria: Cross River to Fund 160,000
Rice Farmers
17 JANUARY 2020
By Eyo Charles
Calabar — As many as 160,000 rice farmers in Cross River State
will enjoy substantial support and funding from the government in the next
three years.
As part of the support, the farmers will receive farm inputs
including fertilisers, equipment as well as clearing of forest, preparing the
land, leveling the land, and providing the seedlings.
Governor Ben Ayade disclosed this when he signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Rice Farmers
Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) for the supply of multi- billion Naira rice
seeds to farmers in Nigeria.
Ayade reiterated his commitment to ending unemployment in the
state through Agro-industrialisation policy of his administration.
The governor said his government intends to produce 1000
millionaires from rice production, adding that "Once Nigeria is able to
feed Africa, hunger will reduce, and poverty will reduce."
To succeed in empowering local farmers, Ayade said they need the
support of CBN, "We need the support of RIFAN and CBN. CBN has a major
role to play in ensuring peace and stability in this country through food
security.
"Agriculture is one of the major means to knock out
unemployment. Today, we are signing a multi- billion Naira contract for the
supply of rice seedlings to rice farmer."
RIFAN National President, Alhaji Aminu Muhammad Goronyo signed
on behalf of the association. The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Okon
Nyong Owuna signed for the state while CBN representative, Tony Ifechukwu
signed on behalf of the apex bank.
Curbing rice imports not the solution to
farmers’ woes, research group says
Philippine Daily Inquirer /
05:20 AM January 17, 2020
Limiting the
country’s rice imports during the harvest season would not help rice farmers
but would only stir a “disaster,” according to a nongovernmental economic
group.
Action for
Economic Reform (AER), a group engaged in research and advocacy, issued the
statement after President Duterte promised Filipino palay farmers that his
administration would help them cope with falling palay prices by controlling
the inflow of imported rice during harvest and by buying their produce even if
that would bring losses to the government.
“This policy
pronouncement of curbing rice imports will erode the gains from the Rice
Tariffication Law,” AER said. “This will not stabilize prices … it is the
manipulation of import controls that has created volatile and high prices for
the overwhelming majority of Filipinos.”
The group
added that the move would only bring higher prices to farmers over the short
term, but would eventually “aggravate their long-standing problem of
inefficiency and low productivity.”
“If we wish
to really help our farmers, the intervention should be creating the conditions
for our farmers to increase their productivity, to make them competitive, which
in turn will increase their income. To rely on import control will not solve
the problem of weak productivity,” AER said.
It urged the
President “to stay the course in implementing the law,” adding that resorting
to import restrictions would only breed complacency on the part of the
country’s producers.
“President
Duterte got it right when he proposed rice procurement, but to combine this
with import restriction will be a disaster,” it said.
Last year,
the country’s rice imports reached a record of 3 million metric tons (MT) or
more than double the country’s supply gap of around 1.2 million MT, but AER
said the surge was only part of a “process of seeking a new normal” where
importers, buyers and consumers would all benefit.
Nonetheless,
the huge spike in rice imports brought farmer groups to the streets, and they
have continuously appealed to the administration for more meaningful interventions.
The
country’s economic managers and most industry stakeholders have been sitting on
the extreme sides of the spectrum, with the former wanting the law to be
implemented fully without amendments to it, while the latter has been pushing
for additional tariffs on imported rice to curb its arrival.
Duterte,
despite several pronouncements, has yet to issue an order that would bring his
promises to action.
https://business.inquirer.net/287216/curbing-rice-imports-not-the-solution-to-farmers-woes-research-group-says#ixzz6BNFttyDA
Growing
Rice and How to Plant it in Your Home Garden
· POSTED JANUARY 17, 2020
Take a look in
your kitchen pantry and there's a very good chance you have a bag of white rice
or brown rice sitting on the shelf. The most widely
consumed food staple, many cultures have been growing rice and cultivating rice
varieties since around 7000-5000 BC as a means of nourishment. According to Britannica, the principal rice-growing
countries are China, India, Japan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, and Myanmar
(Burma), with the United States close behind. But how do you grow rice and can
you grow it in your home garden?
GROWING RICE: IT TAKES A VILLAGE
Back in
September, I was given the chance to visit Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale, California and
experience their rice harvest along with learning about how they grow, harvest,
and produce over 20+ different grain varieties for consumers. And let me tell
you, there's a lot of research and thought that goes into rice production.
To make it
easier, I've added some step-by-step instructions to grow your own rice at home
following Lundberg's lead.
RESEARCH & SELECTING A PLOT
Before you
can even call yourself a rice farmer you need to spend some time with your head
in a book (or surfing the web). The growing
season for
rice is from March to September - October, with a 190-day growth, which means
you should start thinking about your rice crop at the beginning of the year.
You also have to decide what type of rice you would like to produce. Long-grain
rice or short-grain? Be forewarned that you might be underwhelmed with the
amount of rice you may be able to harvest; only large rice growers will be able
to produce pounds and pounds of rice.
Lundberg Family
Farm uses a team of researchers to understand their rice plants and rice
cultivation, testing crops and using science to figure out the perfect time
to plant on their rice fields. We'll just have to stick with
intuition.
PLANTING RICE SEEDS
When planting
rice you have two options; either plant them in an area you can flood or grow
them in raised beds. The easiest way to grow rice at home is actually in gallon
buckets you can find at your local hardware store. Along with the buckets, pick
up some fertile, nitrogen-rich potting soil. Compost works great with rice if
you have any access to some.
SLOW-RELEASE
NITROGEN FERTILIZER
5
GAL. BUCKET
When it comes
to larger rice production, rice fields are placed on natural wetlands with
access to constant water. Once the rice is planted, the water is allowed on the
field to prevent weeds from growing. Throughout the growing season, the water
level is around 2-inches around the plants.
HARVESTING RICE
It's time to
harvest! The rice should be ready to harvest when it is dry and golden brown.
Cut the entire plant as close to the ground as possible or cut just the seed
head. Thresh and winnow the rice to remove the husk. Once this is done you can
cook your rice like normal.
In the
fields, farmers use large machinery to harvest the grains. The grains are then
transported to additional machines for threshing and hull-removal.
While it is
possible to grow rice at home, it's much easier to go to the grocery store and
pick up a bag of Lundberg Family Farm rice, and let them do the rice farming
for you.
Novel protein positioning technique improves functionality of yeast
cells
This 3D image was created by stacking a set of
optically-sliced images taken using a confocal fluorescence microscope. It can
be seen that eGFP is immobilized along the budding yeast's characteristic cell
shape. Credit: Kobe University
A research team at Kobe
University has developed a method of artificially controlling the anchorage
position of target proteins in engineered baker's yeast (Saccharomyces
cerevisiae).
The group, consisting of academic
researcher INOKUMA Kentaro, Professor HASUNUMA Tomohisa (both of the
Engineering Biology Research Center) and Professor KONDO Akihiko et al. (of the
Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation) demonstrated that this
technique could be utilized to improve the amount of ethanol produced from
hydrothermally-processed rice straw by 30%. It is expected that these results
will contribute to improved yeast functionality
in cell surface engineering, which is utilized in a variety of fields such as
bio-production and medicine.
The journal paper for this
research was published in Metabolic Engineering on November 9,
2019. This study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the
University of the Western Cape and Stellenbosch University under the JSPS
(Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) bilateral program with South
Africa.
Cell surface engineering is a
technique with applications in a variety of industrial and biotechnological
fields. This technique can create microorganisms that can degrade biomass
efficiently, allowing biofuels to be produced. In medical fields, cell surface
engineering can also be utilized for the screening of antibodies with high
antigen-binding capacity. Baker's yeast (or Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is often
used as a host microorganism for this technique because its characteristics are
well understood. This yeast has a cell wall that
is between 100-200 nm thick and consists of a microfibrillar array of glucan
chains. The cell wall provides space to display functional proteins.
Figure 1. Above : confocal fluorescence microscope
image of yeast cells. Image shows the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP)
(in green) and the vacuolar membranes (in red) in the cells. The Sed1-anchored
eGFPs (left) are mainly located on the cell surface, whereas a part of the
Sag1-anchored eGFPs are located in the intracellular vacuoles and the amount of
Sag1-anchored eGFP transported to the cell surface is comparatively low. Below:
Immunoelectron-microscope image showing the yeast cell wall The arrowheads
indicate the location of the eGFP. Sed1-anchored eGFP is mostly located outside
the cell wall, whereas Sag1-anchored eGFP is mostly positioned inside the cell
wall. Credit: Kobe University
In order to immobilize a
target protein to the
yeast cell wall, it is necessary to fuse the target protein to the
"anchoring domain," which is a part of the yeast cell wall protein.
Selecting the appropriate anchoring domain is important for efficient
cell-surface display. A previous study by Inokuma et al. found that the degree
to which activity was improved through changing the anchoring domain varied greatly
depending on the target protein displayed. From these previous results, the
research group hypothesized that changing the anchoring domain affected not
only the display efficiency but also the anchorage position of the target
protein in the cell wall and conducted the current study to verify this
hypothesis.
The experiments were conducted
using the two anchoring domains (the Sed1-anchor and Sag1-anchor) often
utilized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell surface engineering. Enhanced green
fluorescence protein (eGFP) was used as the target protein.
Confocal fluorescence microscopic and immunoelectron-microscopic analyses were
performed to investigate how the anchoring domains affected where the eGFP was
localized in yeast cell. These analyses revealed that the eGFP that fused with
the Sed-1 anchoring domain were mainly located on the outermost layer of the
cell wall, whereas the Sag1-anchored eGFP were predominantly positioned inside
the cell wall (Figure 1). This result suggested that it was possible to
artificially manipulate the location of the proteins on the yeast cell wall by
changing the fused anchoring domain.
Figure 2: Improvement of cellulose degradation
ability by applying anchorage position control. This technique allowed the
enzymes to be placed in the optimal positions for their functions-
endoglucanase, which requires direct contact with large cellulose molecules,
was anchored to the outside layer of the yeast cell wall, whereas β-glucosidase
was anchored to the inside because it doesn’t require the direct contact. This
allowed more efficient use of the yeast cell wall space and succeeded in
increasing the cellulose degradation ability. Credit: Kobe University
Next, an experiment was carried
out to demonstrate if this method could be utilized to increase the ethanol
productivity from hydrothermally-processed rice straw. Saccharomyces
cerevisiae cells were used
in the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of the pretreated rice
straw. This process converts the cellulose contained in the rice straw into
ethanol. In this experiment, β-glucosidase (BGL) and endoglucanase (EG) were
displayed on the yeast cell surface. These enzymes play different roles in
breaking down the cellulose. EG breaks down large cellulose molecules at
random, whereas BGL dissolves the smaller sugars (oligosaccharide) into
glucose. Sed1- and Sag1-anchor domains were used to reposition the enzymes-
with EG on the outermost layer and BGL on the interior of the cell wall. This
efficient positioning resulted in a 30% greater yield of ethanol (Figure 2).
Discussions on how to improve
cell surface engineering efficiency have often centered on anchoring a large
number of target proteins to the surface. The current study revealed that
controlling the location of the target proteins played an important role in
cell functionality, and this could provide a new strategy for improving this technology.
The ethanol fermentation experiment of pretreated rice straw demonstrated in
this study indicates that it is possible to position the two enzymes (EG and
BGL) in locations suitable for them in the yeast cell wall. In addition, this
strategy could also be utilized in other applications; for example in medicine,
placing antibodies on the outermost layer of the cell wall could improve their
accessibility to large antigens. Therefore, it is expected that this new
strategy will improve the functionality of cell-surface engineered yeast across
a wide range of fields.
