A Bioquest Project: August 2009Solving the Limitations of Endosperm Breakdown by Beta-Amylase in Barley Plants to make Beer

Authors:

Jason HarrisUniversity of Tennessee- Knoxville

Jianzhuang YaoUniversity of Tennessee- Knoxville

2009 Skills for Success WorkshopPEER: Program for Excellence and Equity in Research

Brief Overview

Research Problem Background Solution Procedures Resources and References

Research Problem

Our assignment is to think like a plant biologist and suggest a research plan for improving maltose production via barley plant genetics.

Background

The starch rich endosperms of barley plants are broken down by their native beta-amylase into maltose sugar. The availability of this sugar for yeast’s metabolism is a limiting factor for the beer brewing process.1

Amylases in the brewery

Adding barley seeds to water is an important step in beer-making.

The seeds germinate and maltose (a disaccharide) is eventually produced from starch by beta-amylase that is abundant in barley. The success of "malting“ directly affects the resulting alcohol yield.

http://plantphys.info/plants_human/seedgerm.shtml

Solution

An alpha-amylase from the fungus Penicillium expansum has been shown to produce maltose at significantly increased levels to other known amylases, as high as 70% conversion.

Transfer of this P. expansum a-amylase gene into the barley plant would theoretically increase the maltose yield by allowing the continued expression of native beta-amylase and the additional expression of P. expansum a-amylase. 2

Penicillium expansum

Procedures

Cloning of P. expansum a-amylase gene into a gene-transferring bacteria.

Transfer of P. expansum a-amylase into barley plant.

Experimental validation of increased maltose production in successfully transferred P. expansum a-amylase.

Patent seeds and make $$$ from barley farmers :p

Genetic engineering

References

Ethel D. Stanley and Keith D. Stanley. “Looking into Glycosidases: A Bioinformatics Resource for Biology Students.” Version 1.2 (8/1/2000). Modified (8/5/2009). Bioquest.org/peer 2009. 8/6/2009.

Evelyn M. Doyle, Catherine T. Kelly, and William M. Fogarty. “The high maltose-producing a-amylase of Penicillium expansu.” Appl Microbiol Biotechnol (1989) 30:492-496.