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Title: Sustainability of low starch concentrations in sugarcane through short-term optimized amylase and long-term breeding strategies

Author
item ZHOU, MARVELLOUS - LSU Agcenter
item KIMBENG, COLLINS - LSU Agcenter
item Edme, Serge
item Hale, Anna
item Viator, Ryan
item Eggleston, Gillian

Submitted to: American Chemical Society Symposium Series
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2010
Publication Date: 12/18/2010
Citation: Zhou, M., Kimbeng, C., Edme, S., Hale, A., Viator, R., Eggleston, G. 2010. Sustainability of low starch concentrations in sugarcane through short-term optimized amylase and long-term breeding strategies. In: Eggleston, G., editor. Sustainability of the Sugar and Sugar-Ethanol Industries, ACS Symposium Series 1058. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society. p. 229-250.

Interpretive Summary: Starch negatively affects the quantity and quality of raw sugar produced in a sugarcane factory which also affects the refining of this sugar. The problem of starch in sugarcane juice has been made worse by the widespread adoption of sugarcane harvesting with leaves still attached and by breeders not taking starch into account when they develop new sugarcane varieties.. Use of '-amylase enzyme to break down starch during processing should be viewed as a short-term solution as the enzyme is relatively expensive and not always efficient. Availability of sugarcane varieties low in starch content should present a more sustainable, long-term solution to the starch problem. This chapter highlights problems caused by starch during the processing of sugarcane, as well as presents data suggesting how to breed for sugarcane varieties that are low in starch content.

Technical Abstract: Starch negatively affects the quantity and quality of raw sugar produced. Starch reduces crystallization and centrifugation rates, occludes into sucrose crystals, and impedes refinery decolorization processes. The problem of starch in sugarcane juice has been exacerbated by the widespread adoption of green cane harvesting and also, perhaps by the necessity to incorporate useful traits from wild Saccharum germplasm into cultivated sugarcane. Use of '-amylase to hydrolyze starch during processing should be viewed as a short-term solution as the enzyme is relatively expensive and not always efficient. Availability of sugarcane varieties low in starch content should present a more sustainable, long-term solution. This chapter highlights problems caused by starch during the processing of sugarcane, as well as presents data suggesting that it would be possible to deploy sugarcane varieties low in starch content.