Collaborating scientist H. N. Cheng and laboratory technician Catrina Ford are inspecting data from rheology testing to see if cottonseed protein glue formulations have the appropriate flow characteristics.
Scientist Zhongqi He is analyzing Raman spectral data of cotton fiber and seed samples. Advanced spectroscopic analysis provides chemical information of cotton components which is needed for valorization of cotton biomass products and byproducts.
Collaborating scientist Mike Dowd and support scientist Scott Pelitire are inspecting chromatograms from analysis of cotton seed extracts from different cotton varieties. New varieties not only have different oil composition, they also have properties that allow the rest of the seed to be used for human consumption.
Sugarcane seedlings are grown in greenhouses to investigate the impact of biochar addition to the soil. Hopefully the plants will grow better.
Tulane university students Annie Tir and Margaret Hayes assist scientist Isabel Lima determining the appropriate amount of activated carbon needed to remove enzymes used in sugar processing before crystallization.
Scientists Gillian Bruni and Evan Terrell are sampling juices at a Louisiana raw sugar factory so that they can isolate bacteria that grows in the juices and contribute to sugar loss at the factory.
Laboratory technician Ms. Zianab Yassin is labeling agar plates where she will place a few drops of sugar cane juice collected from a sugar factory. Different microorganisms will appear as little spots and she will pick out unique ones and put them on new plates to isolate them from the mixture of microorganisms that was in the juice samples.
Scientists Evan Terrell (left) and Isabel Lima (right), together with laboratory technician Jean Beacorn, are collecting soil samples for analysis in the laboratory. Biochar had been added to this field to study its impact of plant growth.
Scientist Jay Shockey is genetically transforming a plant called Arabidopsis thaliana by dipping it into a solution of bacteria that can transfer part of its DNA into the plant. This is being done to make changes to which oils accumulate in the seeds from the plant.
Mission
The Commodity Utilization Research Unit develops technologies that enable growth and profitability in the commercial conversion of sugarcane, sweet sorghum, and energy beets. We look at making better, cheaper, and cleaner sugar for food and drinks but also focus on making dirt-cheap sugar solutions for conversion into biofuels and bioproducts, as well as finding uses for sugar processing byproducts and quick methods for screening new cultivars. The Unit also focuses on developing cotton varieties with unique oil composition and “green” oil processing techniques. In addition, we develop high value applications for cottonseed protein (e.g., glues) and carbohydrate fractions (e.g., as fillers for composite materials), and identify new bioactive food ingredients in seeds from new cotton varieties. In short, we develop tomorrow’s products today.
