China Launched Production Of Food Protein From Coal
China has launched a large-scale pilot production of food protein from ordinary coal. In the future, the new industry will increase the country’s food security.
Now China annually purchases about 100 million tons of soybeans abroad; if the experiment is successful, imports can be reduced to a minimum. In addition, protein from coal will also find application in pharmacology.
Microorganisms can help convert coal into protein. This does not happen directly, but in the process of assimilation of methanol, which, in turn, is obtained during the gasification of coal. Methanol mixes well with water and can undergo chemical reactions with minimal use of specialized fermentation equipment. In a gaseous environment such reactions are less efficient.
Scientists from the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) under the leadership of Professor Wu Xin have developed a technical process for effectively producing protein from methanol. They studied about 20 thousand yeast strains from all over China and isolated the most promising of them – Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris). In subsequent work, the researchers modified the genes of this strain until they achieved the highest level of conversion of methanol into proteins. The genetically modified strain of P. Pastoris is stated to produce 120 g of dry cell mass per liter, which is equivalent to converting 67.2% of methanol into protein. This corresponds to 92% of the theoretical value, which is impressive.
At the first stage, protein from coal will be added to animal feed; in the future, it will be used as a partial replacement for fishmeal, legumes, amino acid and mineral supplements.
