AGROW INFORMATION ENTERPRISES OF CANADA

Feed, food, energy and drugs.
PoCo Brit. Columbia
Canada

Phone: 1 (604) 941-9022
Fax: 1 (604) 941-9022
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Areas of pharma, energy, food and feed.

Areas we are currently working with collaborators in industry in the drug trade, a very lucrative area of work, with drug candidates in pig feeding using "greens" in the diet to improve animal welfare and zoonoses, it's been observed, take Vietnam with pigs and chickens with "greens" in SE Asia, biologic discovery and organic discovery with great promise for proteomics with a new protein separation technology (cf. electrophoresis) quicker and more convenient than the competition [e. g. Bio-Rad(R)] in future and drug inhibitors (competitive and non-competitive to the enzyme technology) to feed processing technology, silage being an e. g., process conservation in the compartmentalized digestive tract, a future area of research. Recent finds studying cellulolytics in the rumen and their interaction with pre-formed amino acid nitrogen (PFAA-N) and attempts to tie in treatments to slow protein degradation and make them more available for rumen microbial uptake during digestion show in certain cases stimulation of PFAA-N uptake by cellulolytics and also for water soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) in perennial rye grass varieties where digestibility and later lactation is significantly improved accompanied by increased dry matter digestibility (%DMD), neutral detergent fibre (%NDF) and acid detergent fibre (%ADF) digestibilities. The current approach to biologically or biochemically-controlled or restricted silage in grasses and legume fodders independent of weather conditions at harvest has been via the addition of sugar substrates such as molasses and concentrate (e. g. milled grain) although genetically modified biocrops are a possibility using current tools of maternally mitochondrial segregated DNA 'encapsulated' from genetic drift and safely with biolistic transformative techniques that only act when released at harvest, i. e. those enzymes that degrade buffering capacity from citrate, malate and glycerate.  Malate dehydrogenase is one example of such an enzyme.  Other microbial systems are currently being investigated to find and annotate via bioinformatic genomics the correct genes for the enzyme(s) responsible for buffer degradation. The other approach to decreasing buffering capacity in ensilage is to down-regulate synthetic genes, not mentioned here.  An area usually not dealt with in proteomic technology as a product are the Igs of the immune system. In fermentation technology a spin-off of the humeral response mechanism is a Hygienic Spray Delivery System (HSDS) against bacterial and odour contamination on solid surfaces, solid wastes and soils. Monoclonal mixtures (idiotypic specific) to strains in humans and the environment will be screened for IgG, IgA, IgD and IgM production that have been lyophilized (stored prior at -5 degrees C) and reconstituted and delivered on a carrier of buffered-saline and preservative. Organic farming and increased use of animal body fluids and wastes for horticultural gardening will ensure against exposure to pathogens in the environment including waste handlers, solid waste treatment operators and decontamination of physical plant areas, equipment and materials. One approach already in the market is an in vivo delivered vaccine against E. coli contamination in meat and dairy products.  This fine-grade industry cleaner can be used to decontaminate farm equipment, implements and materials from farm handlers used in nematode infected soils designed to kill their eggs and cysts in roots by washing, a current problem being addressed. In reservation, drug designed agents that activate the enzyme process is also available but less probable based on structure-function probablistics. The search for idiotypic determinants on protozoan cell surfaces to control them immunologically in the rumen will be used first with use of fluorescent-tagged anti-bodies (Abs) in an assay for transport, structural and enzymatic surface proteins.  Those closest to the surface with greatest surface area and affinity will be chosen and possibly porins or ion channel and other transport system proteins.  Monoclonals will be used for this assay.  The question arises what correlates between in vivo and in vitro studies of this reaction, i. e. an assay with fluorescent tagged immunoglobulins (IGs) derived from rumen fluid will be used for this correlation. The technology as it stands is still in its infancy (cf. Pakistan).

Areas to open with bioenergy: (1) Ionic liquid pre-treatment deconstruction of the ligno-cellulose backbone fibre to the saccharolific fractions and ligninous fraction with further downstream processing with process flow engineering technology and recycle of the ionic fluid, considered v. effective and advanced as a separation pre-treatment technology for developing countries at this time, (2) The saccharification and subsequent fermentation of sugars from switchgrass, wheat straw, sorghum straw and stover, and bagasse, etc. from ionic liquid treatment, using open algal vat solar fermentors in large arrays in iso-environmental zones producing, iso-butanol and iso-pentenol monomers and biodiesel polymer fatty acid chains, and (3) Convert-starch production using enzyme technology that 'reverses' the production of beta-glucan polymers chains for alpha-glucan as an economical commodity in countries like the Philippines where farm byproducts are plentiful as fibre and yet starches in flours have a premium in supply and demand from crops such as rice, corn and wheat imports. 

Technologies involving bagasse would help diversify the production of cane sugar milling towards energy from iso-monomers (iso-butanol and iso-pentenol) as opposed to direct fermentation of sucrose sugars to potable ethanol as petrol substitute in sugarcane growing areas and where algal cultures can be maintained through iso-envirofermentative conditions, at this time in locales such as Queensland AU, New Mexico USA and the Central Asian 'Stans in open solar-arrayed vats. 

Energy policy and global climate change has been discussed recently (2009) leading to suggestions of zero to negative carbon fingeprinting and use of ligno-cellulosic feedstocks.  It has been speculated that a policy be targeted set by 2050 for use of fuels exclusively from non-fossil fuel sources.  This policy includes the use of C-sequestration strategies and continuing expansion of solar and wind turbine power. Cellulosic-ethanol as a C-sink source is one example (there are other e.g.s. of higher density polycarboxyols or alcohols that may be fermented) and so with biodiesel for transporation fuels.  Heating/cooling may be a combination of solar-based technology and carbon sequestration in addition to C-sink sources.  There is also the question of safety of nuclear-based technologies based on advances in this are that is continuing and expansion of geothermal plants where they are needed. There will be a need to derive energy from sustainable means based on agronomic/energy inputs vs. weighing on inputs more directly from the sun's energy source.

The activity for food production will compete with urban clustering of life sciences bio-hubbing, e. g. food mfging., processing/packaging, trade, and biopharma. This is discussed here with SkyeBlue's contention under the topic of the "Fraser Hi-Tech Mainland" (FHTM) of B.C. As with Manitoba CANADA's resource base of a vast and diverse land base, feedstock availability, highly-skilled workforce and value-added processors, it is claimed that the province is positioned to take advantage of a broad array of innovation in future. The same would hold true for the FHTM including a diverse mix of agri-food landbase throughout the island and mainland. In addition to feedstock conversion to high-grade animal feedstock for dairy and meat, feedstock can be shipped in from vast renewable reserves in the prairies, for e. g. pulp from beets and residuals from fermentation and the conversion of ligno-cellulosic fibre to convert starch for wafered/pelleted feeds in aquaculture/capture fisheries or poultry broiler or layer production applications. The above arguments using resource bases from other countries will apply where foreign investments can accrue in places like continental Africa as a future for renewed bio-hubbing in this potentially new breadbasket of the world (e.g. Europe, Japan, China, Korea, Middle East-Arabia, Brazil, USA). (See: also stories covering SkyBlue's contention for an 'SHTM' region in the Soviet-Asia Far East on the Asia-Pacific rim.)

Comparative approaches to feeding and feed improvement are beneficial in the following order: (1) pre-treatments (viz. biological, chemical, physical and thermal, of which chemical is the most cost-effective), (2) genetically modified (GM) pre-biotic approaches to feeds which benefit digestive fermentation (e. g. water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) and non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), surrogate proteins, ionophores and low-lignin), (3) protein, energy concentrate supplementation (e. g. by-product feeds such as rice pomace, cassava pomace, palm kernel, leucaena leaf meal) and (4) theoretical/practical feeding of GM pro-biotics boosted for digestion of structural carbohydrates and lignin and 'storage' proteins.  This subject matter is still new and requires considerable input which we invite from our viewing audience. The whole movement in biotech feed cropping and plant protection with pest management has been as recent with Bt corn, wheat resistant to rust infestation and now just in soybean and nematode infection.  It was noted by one of our researchers that wheat rust resistance is a world stage issue in food security and time is running to find cultivars resistant with the so-called multiple resistance factors both in wild type and inbred strains and defining their mechanisms at the molecular level. Both foundations in the U.K. and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Inc. USA have undertaken grant funding.  Nematode research is beginning at Monsanto with interests in soybean research in places like Brazil and finding ways to assay the egg count in infected planted soils with advanced biotech (there is an invitation from IdeaConnection.com to submit leads for research in this area) and finding mechanisms in natural nematocides in soybeans against the eggs which are the likely target of such agents.

The renewed use of proteomics should be directed to a 'holy grail' of cereal biology regards the grain and its constitutive parts and protein products that can accelerate productive output comparing known 'models' from earlier research on cancer and development applied to plant crops and their growth as well as species in weeds and other plants such as the daffodil, bamboo or the sunflower. Gene-specific promoters and specificity will play a key role in providing means for search of such mechanisms.  It is with great speculation as to the fecundity that can be obtained from results of such research on hyper-accelerated crop yield and production and 'pleiotropy' or its effects on the metabolosome and with its perturbed regulation. The yield increment vs inputs [urea for nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium (N-P-K) and other energy inputs] ratios will measure the sustainabilities obtained with innovation.

The bioengineering of plants for biomass for plant-based drug factories, feed, food & energy (viz. in marginalized lands) (e. g. root crops, corn, sorghum, sugarcane, miscanthus & switchgrass) for Carbon-cropping is now projected.  Crops in temperate climes where photosynthetic activity is boosted for production and for less H2O loss (transpiration) in the more humid, night hours, allowing for diminished rainfall in America's breadbasket by 2080 will be possible with CAM (Crassulacean acid metabolism) photosynthesis, a type of photosynthesis that evolved in plants that grow in arid conditions where transpiration occurs during the night (rather than day time) and around the Rubisco protein, for greater photosynthesis.

Livestock byproduct feeding and processing are under development.  These include probiotics for feeds (e. g. tropical and temperate ensilage) including ground-breaking research on lignase enzymes currently undertaken at Skye Blue and ruminal probiotics including conjugal transposon technology and with fungal culture (reported from Australia).

Bioengineered cellulases are currently under development with research on their catalytic domains and site-specific mutagenesis and structure/mechanism, cooperativity of amongst these class of carbohydrases and their 'scaffolding' with carbohydrate dockerin molecules to be applied to feed biomass processing of ligno-cellulose together with lignase enzymes to produce glucose converted to fructose/glucose feedstock with molasses (from beet or sugarcane) for bio-butanol production and for animal feeding converted to glycogen or starch, a hypothetical process at this time, using known enzymes, Candida utilis (var. Major) and Trichoderma viride cellulases applied with yeast bagasse and/or lignase-cellulases in combination as top dressed enzymes or in microbial Lactobacillus plantarum culture for temperate ensilage.

The issue of probiotics in the rumen vis-a-vis other means of supplementation on low-quality feed byproducts such as pre-treatment and energy/protein byproduct concentrate feeding presents the following comparisons: 1) the use of boosting fibrolysis (e. g. with cellulases/hemicellulases and lignases) is of use especially with low planes of nutrition (e. g. with v. fibrous feeds or diets and water buffaloes who characteristically consume them), 2) the use of SCP in yeast fermentation and essential amino acid nitrogen (E.A.A.-N) and with probiotics with boosted branched-chain amino acids (br-A.A.s) can boost microbial cell protein (MCP) synthesis and 3) total nitrogen (TN) which includes non-protein-N (NPN, A.A.-N and other N) in  comparison presents no added benefit at certain levels with ammoniated straw and straw supplemented with protein concentrate, except, as has been hypothesized when the protein A.A.-N is protected which apparently effects more efficient uptake with greater efficiency of MCP synthesis and stimulation of cellulolytic activity and fibre digestion in the rumen.

The means of increasing digestibility, and especially, fibre digestibility would be first to remove the first barrier of enzymatic attack on fibre, lignin, either by: decreasing lignin content genetically as has been done with certain varieties of forage, physically dissociating bonds between lignin and fibre (specifically hemicellulosic moieties) by steam explosion (elevated moist temperature and pressure), ammoniation pre-treatment of fibrous residues, bio-bleaching with aerobic type-III lignase or lacasse, as they are called, and finally use of anaerobic lignases (there are outstanding issues of the level of enzyme production and the efficiency or Kcat of the enzyme) from rumen stomachs which participate in digestion of fibrous ingested feeds and from human waste municipal collection sites.  After the first action here there is then the issue of the addition of the cellulase gene as with genetically modified (GM) processed feeds as with: temperate silage, yeast bagasse fermentation and compounding and ammoniation with symbiotic species. (Solid-substrate fermentation (SSF) using Basidiomycetes might require genetically improved aerobic lignases that act quicker to depolymerize lignin so much as to spare organic matter loss due to fungal spp.). Freeing fibre from lignin by physical treatment or decreasing the lignin content by about half has led to a 15-20% increase in digestibility points and it is only estimable at this point what cellulase (and other fibrolytic enzymes) would do to further improve performance.

Bio-crops (Gen) varieties still have not been produced for markets and has at this time been regulated for use only with pesticide control and herbicide tolerance although it also has been  proposed that widespread research activity on boosting sugars beneficial to microbial digestion and other prebiotic effects (e. g. anti-protozoal forage, low-protease forages wilted when harvested and ionophoric peptides coded feeds) with animals be produced with forage spp. using both marker identification and mapping to important gene determinants and used in molecular assisted selection (MAS) or breeding and genetic modification (GM).

An area that has now reached considerable attention with hopes that a robust crop that is safe, pest resistant, environmentally adaptable, possesses good seed nutrient composition and has good heritability can be developed.  The seed is already a reality and shows no adverse pleiotropic effects (due to possible imbalance in metabolic flux) on seed development.  The high free threonine (Thr) soybean developing seeds was developed by introducing bacterial XbAK [aspartate kinase in the amino acid branched pathways with Thr, Lysine (Lys), Methionine (Met) and Isoleucine (Ile)] gene variants that was site-directed mutated with the replacement of Thr-359 for Ile and Glutamic acid-257 (Glu-257) for Lys showing less allosteric feedback inhibition but no changes in other kinetic parameters except a lower KmATP.  The alleles called XbAK-T359I and XbAK-E257K with the use of high speed genomics and tagging and gene markers where introduced into seeds using seed-specific promoters 7Sa' or USP997 and a chloroplast plastid targetting sequence CTP1.  The bacterial gene XbAK was recovered by HPLC.

It has been proposed that GM feed processing together with GM crops might present new approaches to improved feeding practices including the ammoniation with GM symbionts of GM low-ligin forages and their residue byproducts which would be more cost-effective to another alternative of feeding energy supplements and in addition supply the requirement for crude protein-N for microbial fermentation to be used with GM-feeds with bypass or escape protein.  Also, introduction of WSC and NSC in the GM biocrop would improve microbial efficiency and yield on the energy in biomass fermented further, as was mentioned. 

It is expected that it would be possible to approach the problem of boosting chorophyll a & b content and the prospect of boosting production of biomass in crops for feedstock such as has been proposed with high efficiency sugarcane and sorghum species.  The multiple trait-linked expression of chlorophyll production and its overproduction will prove a daunting challenge to scientists including possible pleiotropic effects. The photosynthetic action of chlorophyll is believed like energy metabolic pathways to be boosted in turnover when genetically expressed.  Further to this are the phototropic pigments in photosynthetic organisms like algae which have a greater efficiency in photo conversion which can be architecturally (i. e. structurally) stacked to complement plant photosynthetic activity.

Industrial pre-treatment (IPT) of low quality residues (PQRs) with IPT technologies (e. g. including steam explosion (SE) which disrupts the ligno-cellulose and makes it amenable to exposure and permeation by type II lignases and bio-bleaching wood pulp with lacasse-type III lignases, yeast fermentation to increase availability of cellulose and balance nutrients in bagasse, straw, and legume leaf haulms and for saccharification and fermentation to bioethanol; leaf meal pelleting with grain/molasses-based binder and heat extrusion) will increase with adoption or importation of technologies where physical plants are established (e. g. wood pulp, feed and sugarcane mills and cereal granaries, amongst others) that can also supply co-generated energy in electricity from bagasse and straw. 

Sugarcane is the queen of C-sink crops in the future and should be developed for flooding, drought-resistance, nitrogen fertilization, rate of photosynthesis and weeding management, as important agronomic traits to cultivate in places the British should be contracted not in neo-colonialitic style or modern imperialistic overtones but entrepreneurially with inclusive developmental strategy in mind as they have the geo-political spirit and drive and perhaps arguably know-how to develop the "Stans". It is arguable that the British could participate in ventures as these as with soya ventures (Africa, China, and Brazil), coffee trade (N. America vis-a-vis S. America) and now the sugarcane trade for feed, food and energy as in tropical areas like S. China and SE Asia, Indian sub-continent and African continent in the area of the globe to augment the current production of beets in Russia and former Soviet socialist republics for sugar and in N. America, as well.

A recent find reported in the literature were studies in the journals BioResources and Chem. Eng. Res. & Design involving solid substrate fermentation (SSF) in particular wheat straw (WS) and pineapple leaf fibre (PALF), amongst other agri-wastes (e. g. rice and wheat straws, corn stove, banana stalk and sugarcane bagasse), reporting a breakthrough earlier discussed by Flores (2013) on the SSF Process with enzymes and fermentation processing of bagasse (Chap. 11) where as much as 47.2% less Klasson lignin was achieved with no change in cellulose or hemicellulose content with basidiomycetes spp. Ganoderma lucidum.  It still remains to be seen if uneconomicabilities in the process can be overcome although in more industrialized settings and where ambient environmental conditions allow this may be feasible. Also, in industrialized settings such as in developed countries lignase enzyme production will of course be on the rise with these type-I (LiP, MnP) and type-III (Lac) enzymes with new sources showing greater potency and higher yields which are substrate dependent (e. g. rice straw shows an advantage amongst agri-wastes mentioned).

^{Future Topics to the Application for Agrow Biologics Biotech:}

1.  Book Monograph. D. A. Flores, 2009.  "The Future of Agro/biotechnology Research in Various Fields." (In press.) 

4. Peer-reviewed Paper. 2025. (In press or submission). There is a new possibility with endocrine and humeral, with greater specificity, systems regarding ageing as a process with the male vs female sex as different models and perhaps adding to the hypothesis that the unique difference in physiology in males could be marked considerably when manipulated with both stress and sleep related hormones and healthy protein levels enriched in the diet including other immune balancing regimens with dietary nutritionals such as PUFAs, complex CHOs, at this time, unknown at this time, oligopeptides and oligosaccharides (including chosen disaccharides and monosaccharides) of animal (tuna is one studied protein and processed for per os encapsulized delivery) and vegan origin (beets is one studied and commercialized). We know in general in their late 70s or early 80s that people are gradually ageing more and that males live about 2 years shorter than their female cohorts. If we plumb the basis of the 2 cases we will know how to increase longevity effectively in addition to lifestyle habits - stress, dietary and exercise perhaps additionally with medical supervision together with requisite pharma dispensed for health reasons (e. g. cholesterol, blood sugar, hypertension, sleep (for deeper sleep), hi-protein supplementation, PUFA supplementation, VitD2,3 for immune support and bone density and various other vitamines & minerals). It is believed by "SkyeBlue" that "bulk" action of complex-CHOs and other simpler sugars are best addressed by more rationale approaches like specific oligsaccharides, and other sugars in modicum dietarily, in capsule form, and there is conjecture to believe that even dietary pectin as from fruit is invaluable for its healthy nutrition as with heart health, heart pumping action (regulated with hypertension) and in and around it with arterial atherosclerotic development. As the adage goes: "an apple a day keeps the doctor away."  

Last update of this entry: December 09, 2023