Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2025

GENPLAT: an Automated Platform for Biomass Enzyme Discovery and Cocktail Optimization
Published on: October 24, 2011
Rumen-Targeted Mining of Enzymes for Bioenergy Production
Isaac Cann1,2,3,4,5, Yanfen Cheng6, Manal A B Alhawsawi7,3,2
1Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
Abstract:
Second-generation biofuel production, which aims to convert lignocellulose to liquid transportation fuels, could be transformative in worldwide energy portfolios. A bottleneck impeding its large-scale deployment is conversion of the target polysaccharides in lignocellulose to their unit sugars for microbial fermentation to the desired fuels. Cellulose and hemicellulose, the two major polysaccharides in lignocellulose, are complex in nature, and their interactions with pectin and lignin further increase their recalcitrance to depolymerization. This review focuses on the intricate linkages present in the feedstocks of interest and examines the potential of the enzymes evolved by microbes, in the microbe/ruminant symbiotic relationship, to depolymerize the target polysaccharides. We further provide insights to how a rational and more efficient assembly of rumen microbial enzymes can be reconstituted for lignocellulose degradation. We conclude by expounding on how gains in this area can impact the sustainability of both animal agriculture and the energy sector.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Environmental Applications of Microorganisms
Bioremediation
Green Algae
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs
Microbial Nutrition

