Enzymatic saccharification of defatted corn germ

Commercial defatted germ from wet milled corn was efficiently saccharified by a crude enzyme preparation from Aureobasidium sp. with yields of up to 200 mg glucose, 140 mg xylose, and 130 mg arabinose per g germ. These yields exceeded sugar composition estimates based on trifluoroacetic acid digestion. Neither chemical nor mechanical pretreatments were necessary. Results from independent lots of defatted germ were similar. Enzymatically digested germ residues were enriched to 40% (w/v) protein. Defatted germ from dry milled corn contained approx. 50% more starch than wet milled germ and was saccharified to produce up to 315 mg glucose per g germ with reduced yields of pentose sugars.