Agricultural crops generate large amounts of plant material that can be used to produce fuels and chemicals through biotechnology

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $299,999 to The Trustees of Princeton University on February 1, 2026, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Foundational and Applied Science Program (CFDA 10.310) to conduct laboratory-scale research on enzymes that break down corn fiber and to develop genetic tools for thermophilic microorganisms used in bioprocessing.

The project will study enzymes involved in degrading corn kernel fiber and evaluate how individual enzymes and enzyme mixtures perform under controlled conditions. Concurrently, the research will develop improved genetic tools for thermophilic microorganisms to enable more precise study and engineering of their metabolic pathways for industrial bioprocess applications. The work addresses the underutilization of corn fiber in current bioprocessing by improving material degradation efficiency and reducing waste, while expanding the applicability of high-temperature microorganisms that offer reduced contamination risk and lower cooling demands in industrial settings.

Results will be disseminated through scientific publications and professional forums accessible to academic researchers and industry stakeholders. The project will also provide research training for graduate students in skills relevant to agricultural and industrial biotechnology. Work is performed at Princeton, New Jersey, with a period of performance from February 1, 2026, through January 31, 2028.

In current corn-based bioprocessing, a portion of the corn kernel known as corn fiber is difficult to break down and is often left underutilized, exiting the process as waste. Improving how this material is degraded by utilizing new enzymes could improve product yield while reducing waste, making better use of agricultural resources. In parallel, microorganisms that grow at high temperatures offer advantages for bioprocessing, such as reduced contamination risk and reduced process cooling demand, but their broader use is limited by a lack of available metabolic engineering tools. Research is needed to better understand both the enzymes that break down corn kernel fiber and the microorganisms that convert those materials into useful products. This project will use laboratory-scale experiments to study enzymes involved in breaking down corn fiber and to evaluate how individual enzymes and enzyme mixtures perform under controlled conditions. The project will also develop improved genetic tools for thermophilic microorganisms, allowing their metabolic pathways to be more precisely studied and engineered in the laboratory for bioprocess application. Together, these efforts will generate new scientific knowledge, datasets, and experimental methods that strengthen the technical foundation for agricultural and industrial biotechnology. Results from this work will be shared through scientific publications and professional forums, making them accessible to both academic researchers and industry stakeholders. In addition, the project will provide research training for graduate students, helping to develop technical skills and practical experience relevant to agriculture and industrial biotechnology. The foundational knowledge generated by this project will support future efforts to improve the efficiency and flexibility of biotechnological processes that use agricultural feedstocks, with the potential to expand markets for agricultural products and residues and benefit farmers and producers.