Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for liquefying starch-containing material, comprising treating the starch-containing material with a bacterial alpha-amylase at a temperature between 70-90° C. for 10-120 minutes and a pullulanase at a temperature in the range from 40-60° C. for between 20 and 90 minutes. The invention also relates to a saccharification process for saccharifying liquefied starch-containing material, comprising saccharifying a liquefied starch-containing material in the presence of a carbohydrate-source generating enzyme and a pullulanase. Finally, the invention also relates to a process of producing a fermentation product, such as ethanol, comprising a liquefaction step and/or saccharification step carried out in accordance with the present invention.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process of producing a fermentation product, such as ethanol, from starch-containing material, including i) subjecting starch-containing material to an alpha-amylase, ii) subjecting the material obtained in step i) to an alpha-glucosidase and/or a maltose-generating enzyme, and iii) fermenting the material in the presence of a fermenting organism, such as yeast. Alternatively the invention relates to a process of producing a fermentation product from starch-containing material, preferably granular starch, which process comprises: a) subjecting starch-containing material to an alpha-glucosidase and optionally a glucose-generating and/or maltose-generating enzyme, and b) fermenting the material in the presence of a fermenting organism.

Abstract: The present invention relates to method of liquefying starch-containing material, wherein the method comprises the steps of (a) treating the starch-containing material with a bacterial alpha-amylase at a temperature around 70-90° C. for 15-90 minutes, and (b) treating the material obtained in step (a) with an alpha-amylase at a temperature between 60-80° C. for 30-90 minutes. The invention also relates to a process of producing a fermentation product, preferably ethanol, comprising a liquefaction step carried out according to the liquefaction method of the invention.

Abstract: The present invention relates to pectate lyase variants exhibiting alterations relative to a parent enzyme exhibiting pectate lyase activity as its major enzymatic activity; to a method of producing such enzymes; and to methods for using such enzymes in the textile, detergent and cellulose fiber processing industries. Compared to the parent enzyme, the pectate lyase variants of the present invention exhibit improved stability in detergents.

Abstract: A method for high throughput micro-purification of a library of tag-free biological compounds is claimed wherein a population of discrete liquid samples comprising the library of tag-free biological compounds is contacted with a solid chromatographic material comprising a functional group selected from ion exchange materials, hydrophobic materials, affinity materials and hydrophobic charge induction materials so as to retain the tag-free biological compounds of the library, isolating the chromatographic material retaining the biological compounds, releasing the biological compounds of the library from the solid chromatographic material and collecting the released biological compounds of the library to produce a population of samples comprising the isolated biological compound.

Abstract: Screening method comprising combination of discrete dimension assay testing of actives, gene mutation and application assay testing of selected actives. The present invention relates to a screening method for identifying actives with improved performance comprising: (1) screening a library of actives encoded by nucleotide sequences in at least two different discrete dimension assays employing selected parameters and selecting the actives exhibiting improved properties in the discrete dimension assays, (2) collecting nucleotide sequences encoding the selected actives, (3) mutating collected nucleotide sequences, (4) screening actives encoded by the mutated nucleotide sequences in an application assay and selecting actives, which exhibit improved performance.