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THE RAPID GROWTH OF THE GREEK-STYLE YOGURT MARKET, FROM 1-2% OF THE US YOGURT MARKET IN 2004 TO NEARLY 40% IN 2015, HAS CREATED TREMENDOUS VOLUMES OF LACTOSE-RICH ACID WHEY WASTE STREAMS ANNUALLY - A HUGE UNTAPPED GOLDMINE FOR WASTE VALORIZATION. FOR EXAMPLE, THE LACTOSE MOLECULES IN THESE WASTE STREAMS CAN BE CONVERTED TO VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS SUCH AS GALACTO-OLIGOSACCHARIDES (GOS; PREBIOTIC) AND TAGATOSE (NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENERS WITH A HIGH RELATIVE SWEETNESS VALUE), VIA ENZYMATIC REACTIONS. NEVERTHELESS, THREE ROADBLOCKS KEEP SUCH ENZYME-BASED WASTE VALORIZATION APPROACHES FROM BECOMING ECONOMICALLY VIABLE FOR COMMERCIAL USE: (I) HIGHLY ACIDIC ENVIRONMENT OF GREEK-STYLE YOGURT ACID WHEY (PH ~ 4) IMPAIRS ENZYME ACTIVITY AND STABILITY, (II) DIFFICULTY IN RECLAIMING AND REUSING THE ENZYMES, AND (III) A MISMATCH BETWEEN THE DESIRED TEMPERATURE FOR PROCESSING AND ENZYME PERFORMANCE.PREVIOUS RESEARCH INDICATED THAT COVALENT IMMOBILIZATION OF ENZYMES ONTO SOLID SUPPORTS ENHANCES ENZYME PERFORMANCE BY CREATING MORE FAVORABLE LOCAL MICROENVIRONMENTS AND ENABLING REPEATED USE OF THE SAME BATCH OF ENZYMES. HERE, WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP A SCALABLE NANOENGINEERING PLATFORM FOR ORTHOGONALLY CONTROLLING THE CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF THE ENZYME MICROENVIRONMENTS WITH NANOMETRIC PRECISION. WE WILL USE THIS PLATFORM TO (I) GENERATE FUNDAMENTAL INSIGHTS ON HOW SPATIAL NANO-CONFINEMENT AND CHEMICAL MICROENVIRONMENT INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY INFLUENCE THE PERFORMANCE OF IMMOBILIZED ENZYMES, AND (II) DESIGN AND FABRICATE HIGHLY EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE ENZYMATIC MEMBRANE REACTORS FOR ACID WHEY VALORIZATION AND BEYOND. BROADLY SPEAKING, THIS PROJECT HOPES TO PROVIDE SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES AND TECHNICAL KNOW-HOWS FOR STRENGTHENING THE APPLICABILITY OF ENZYMATIC "UPCYCLING" OF WASTE STREAMS - ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH HARSH CONDITIONS. THE OUTCOME OF THIS PROJECT MAY IMPROVE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF GREEK-STYLE YOGURT PRODUCTION AND HELP REDUCE THE ENVIRONMENTAL BURDEN OF DAIRY FOOD WASTE STREAMS, BUT ALSO DEMONSTRATE A NOVEL APPROACH TO LOWERING THE COST OF VARIOUS ENZYME-BASED SOLUTIONS.

$87,068FY2021National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

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THE RAPID GROWTH OF THE GREEK-STYLE YOGURT MARKET, FROM 1-2% OF THE US YOGURT MARKET IN 2004 TO NEARLY 40% IN 2015, HAS CREATED TREMENDOUS VOLUMES OF LACTOSE-RICH ACID WHEY WASTE STREAMS ANNUALLY - A HUGE UNTAPPED GOLDMINE FOR WASTE VALORIZATION. FOR EXAMPLE, THE LACTOSE MOLECULES IN THESE WASTE STREAMS CAN BE CONVERTED TO VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS SUCH AS GALACTO-OLIGOSACCHARIDES (GOS; PREBIOTIC) AND TAGATOSE (NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENERS WITH A HIGH RELATIVE SWEETNESS VALUE), VIA ENZYMATIC REACTIONS. NEVERTHELESS, THREE ROADBLOCKS KEEP SUCH ENZYME-BASED WASTE VALORIZATION APPROACHES FROM BECOMING ECONOMICALLY VIABLE FOR COMMERCIAL USE: (I) HIGHLY ACIDIC ENVIRONMENT OF GREEK-STYLE YOGURT ACID WHEY (PH ~ 4) IMPAIRS ENZYME ACTIVITY AND STABILITY, (II) DIFFICULTY IN RECLAIMING AND REUSING THE ENZYMES, AND (III) A MISMATCH BETWEEN THE DESIRED TEMPERATURE FOR PROCESSING AND ENZYME PERFORMANCE.PREVIOUS RESEARCH INDICATED THAT COVALENT IMMOBILIZATION OF ENZYMES ONTO SOLID SUPPORTS ENHANCES ENZYME PERFORMANCE BY CREATING MORE FAVORABLE LOCAL MICROENVIRONMENTS AND ENABLING REPEATED USE OF THE SAME BATCH OF ENZYMES. HERE, WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP A SCALABLE NANOENGINEERING PLATFORM FOR ORTHOGONALLY CONTROLLING THE CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF THE ENZYME MICROENVIRONMENTS WITH NANOMETRIC PRECISION. WE WILL USE THIS PLATFORM TO (I) GENERATE FUNDAMENTAL INSIGHTS ON HOW SPATIAL NANO-CONFINEMENT AND CHEMICAL MICROENVIRONMENT INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY INFLUENCE THE PERFORMANCE OF IMMOBILIZED ENZYMES, AND (II) DESIGN AND FABRICATE HIGHLY EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE ENZYMATIC MEMBRANE REACTORS FOR ACID WHEY VALORIZATION AND BEYOND. BROADLY SPEAKING, THIS PROJECT HOPES TO PROVIDE SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES AND TECHNICAL KNOW-HOWS FOR STRENGTHENING THE APPLICABILITY OF ENZYMATIC "UPCYCLING" OF WASTE STREAMS - ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH HARSH CONDITIONS. THE OUTCOME OF THIS PROJECT MAY IMPROVE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF GREEK-STYLE YOGURT PRODUCTION AND HELP REDUCE THE ENVIRONMENTAL BURDEN OF DAIRY FOOD WASTE STREAMS, BUT ALSO DEMONSTRATE A NOVEL APPROACH TO LOWERING THE COST OF VARIOUS ENZYME-BASED SOLUTIONS. · GrantIndex