ARS researchers use ruminant enzyme to break down biomass

Biorefining Magazine

Researchers at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service are developing an effective way to break down plant fiber using feruloyl esterases (FAEs), a special group of enzymes found in cow rumen.

Previous studies showed that FAEs are capable of breaking down key links between polymers, and that they are produced by certain types of microbes that degrade plant materials, according to Dominic Wong, lead chemist on the project at the ARS Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif. Wong collected the microbial population from cow’s rumen and screened their genetic compositions to find the genes that produce FAE enzymes.

“There are very few gene sequences available for this particular group of enzymes, mainly because there’s no efficient way of screening the genes for microorganisms,” Wong said.

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