Performing Department
FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Non Technical Summary
Ethanol production is of increasing economic importance to the Midwest US, as well as a contributor to reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Corn-based ethanol production, however, is considered by many to not be as efficient (in converting corn into net energy) as what is desired. It is well known that corn hybrids (and how they are grown) impacts their total starch content as well as other traits. Specific hybrids are thought to be more desirable in terms of net energy production then others. This effort is designed to evaluate the ethanol yield / processing efficiency of corn hybrids that have been identified by seed companies as being ?high fermentable,? ?high extractable,? or both. These hybrids will have been harvested from a range of Nebraska environments, and grown under both irrigated and dryland conditions. It is expected that specific hybrids, and growing conditions, will be identified that will result in higher ethanol (net energy) production yields. If such hybrids were identified, and grown under specific conditions, it is anticipated that additional ethanol could be produced per bushel of corn. Increased production would result in economic savings, greater fuel production capacity, and reduced dependence on foreign energy resources.
Animal Health Component
65%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
65%
Developmental
25%
Goals / Objectives
This project focuses on raw grain supply to and coproducts manufactured by the grain and biorefinery processing industries. Delivering low-cost, food-safe, bio-secure, and high quality cereals and oilseeds for food, feed, fuel, and industrial uses requires a systems approach. Therefore, the NC-213 objectives for the next 5-year cycle are revised to focus on three interrelated goals: 1. To characterize quality attributes and develop systems to measure quality of cereals, oilseeds, and bioprocess coproducts, 2. To develop methods to maintain quality, capture value, and preserve food safety at key points in the harvest to end product value chain, 3. To quantify and disseminate the impact of market-chain technologies on providing high value, food-safe, and bio-secure grains for global markets and bioprocess industries. Expected NC-213 Outputs: 1. Standard procedures for collecting and assessing yield-quality data will be available. 2. Quality factors of corn will be related directly to end use economics. 3. Distance learning content, web-based information services and analytical support services will be created based on the research developments. Many of these activities will be part of the research laboratory's affiliated Extension program. 4. At least one conference/annual meeting presentation and one research article will be published in this area each year.
Project Methods
Corn will be grown in multiple locations in Nebraska for at least two crop years, and under both irrigated and dryland environments representing major corn producing regions in Nebraska. Research will be conducted on University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) research farms, using common production practices for each region, and each environment will be characterized for climate and soils. Nine hybrids will be produced in each environment, consisting of: a) two normal dent, b) two "high extractable starch," c) two "high fermentable starch," d) two that are both "high extractable starch and high fermentable starch," and e) a control hybrid (MO17 x B73). All grain will be in-field replicated; the maize will be hand harvested, hand shelled and uniformly dried/stored. All corn will be analyzed using various quality tests and using full NIR spectral scans. Corn will be ground for use in a dry-grind ethanol production process. Corn to ethanol conversion yields (efficiency, rates, amount) will be determined using mass-balance methods after small-scale fermentations. Corn hybrid, environment, and hybrid-by-environment interactions will be determined after conducting fermentations using a randomized incomplete block design. Relationships between yield and corn quality traits data will be established using correlation and regression analyses; significant differences between hybrids, and the influence of environment (including crop year) and their interactions will be determined using the SAS Proc GLM procedure with mean separation. The best corn hybrids (hybrid x environment) maximizing ethanol yield will be produced in larger batches using a modular fermentor. Digestibility of byproducts from different process treatments (corn samples) will be evaluated using in vitro digestibility and in situ digestibility tests. In vitro DM digestibility will be evaluated over 24 and 96 hours to determine ruminal digestibility using fistulated steers. During the first year, the PI and cooperators from the Departments of Agronomy & Horticulture, Biological Systems Engineering, Agricultural Economics and Animal Science will meet to determine how best to estimate economic value. The determinations will take into consideration grain production costs, fuel ethanol yield values and feed value. Existing economic models for ethanol, crop production, and feed efficiency will be used whenever possible. Research results will be conveyed in scientific publications read by the agronomic and grain processing industries. Results will also be transmitted to students in an on-line/distance education instruction effort through the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture at UNL. Statisticians at the University of Nebraska Dept. of Statistics will verify research statistical designs. Peers, including regional project collaborators and UNL faculty members, will evaluate research methodology. Project success will be measured by evaluating research publication output, research presentation output, student training successes (MS and Ph.D. awarded), and adaptation by industry of the methods and evaluation tools developed.