Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** taurine, an essential nutrient…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** taurine, an essential nutrient for human and animal health, naturally occurs in meat and other animal products. As we shift to more plant-based food and feed diets, taurine must be added as an ingredient or a supplement to maintain healthy taurine levels. Currently, three foreigncompanies produce 85% of the world's taurine supply using a petroleum-based process that harms humans, animals, and the environment. The overall project goal is to produce a cost-competitive non-petroleum source of taurine using a BIO-based solution with renewable resources. Our approach uses recombinant microbes as BIO-factories in a fermentor with simple sugar and natural compounds to produce taurine. The BIO-based taurine could be added as a nutritional ingredient in alternative protein products or used in a broad range of market sectors, including food, feed, and personal care. Thisproject aims to establish a minimum viable process for the commercial production of pure BIO-based taurine. To achieve this goal, (1) genetic modifications will be applied to increase taurine production by overexpressing genes in the serine precursor pathway, deregulating genes in the sulfur pathway, and constructing ordered assemblies of peptides in the taurine pathway, and (2) a downstream processing (DSP) protocol will be developed. This project addresses the USDA nifa goal to contribute to the nation's energy independence through sustainable production of BIO?based products and with the aim of the food science and nutrition topic area to develop new and improved technologies and products that enhance the nutritional quality of foods.