Abstract: Agricultural biomass hydrolysate is detoxified by culturing in the presence of the fungus Coniochaeta ligniaria (teleomorph) or its Lecythophora (anamorph) state. This organism is capable of significantly depleting the toxicant levels of furans, particularly furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. A new strain of the fungus has been isolated and deposited in the Agricultural Research Culture Collection (NRRL) in Peoria, Ill., as Accession No. NRRL 30616. The detoxified agricultural biomass hydrolysate is useful as a substrate for industrial fermentation processes, especially in saccharification treatments for bioethanol production.

Abstract: Recombinant bacteria are disclosed which are transformed with heterologous DNA coding for alcohol dehydrogenase (adh) and pyruvate decarboxylase (pdc), and which are effective for use in the production of ethanol, but which do not require the presence of antibiotics in the culture medium to maintain genetic stability and high ethanol productivity. These recombinant bacteria are produced using mutant host strains which are substantially deficient in the ability to fermentatively reduce pyruvate. When grown in an anaerobic environment, the recombinant pyruvate mutants transformed with the adh and pdc genes are genetically stable, maintaining the inserted genes and ethanol productivity even in the absence of antibiotics.

Abstract: Sprouting in stored potatoes is suppressed with sprout control agents of bacterial origin. These agents are typically applied to the potato surfaces as whole culture broths and they prevent softening and necrosis of the tuber. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, selected isolates also have the secondary effect of Fusarium dry rot control.

Abstract: An .alpha.-L-arabinofuranosidase enzyme which is highly thermostable, and is effective for the hydrolysis of arabinofuranosyl residues from L-arabinose containing polysaccharides and hemicelluloses is disclosed. The enzyme is produced by color variant Aureobasidium pullulans strain NRRL Y-21792. This .alpha.-L-arabinofuranosidase may be used in conjunction with xylanolytic enzymes for the treatment of hemicellulosic materials to produce fermentable sugars, particularly xylose and L-arabinose.

Abstract: Bacteria which will suppress fungus-induced potato disease under storage conditions have been screened and selected from soil samples. A method for isolating these antagonists, their use in controlling potato disease, and specific isolates which are inhibitory to potato dry rot disease under post-harvest conditions constitute the essence of the invention. The subject biocontrol agents are considered to be economically-feasible alternatives to chemical agents currently in use for this purpose.

Abstract: A new .beta.-glucosidase enzyme which is tolerant to glucose and cellobiose, and which is effective for the hydrolysis of cellobiose to glucose, is disclosed. The enzyme is produced by Candida peltata, strain NRRL Y-21603. This .beta.-glucosidase may be used in conjunction with cellulolytic enzymes for the treatment of cellulosic materials to convert cellulose to glucose.

Abstract: Bacteria which will suppress fungus-induced potato disease under storage conditions have been screened and selected from soil samples. A method for isolating these antagonists, their use in controlling potato disease, and specific isolates which are inhibitory to potato dry rot disease under post-harvest conditions constitute the essence of the invention. The subject biocontrol agents are considered to be economically-feasible alternatives to chemical agents currently in use for this purpose.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for producing 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde (3-HPA) from glycerol by culturing the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae having the identifying characteristics of NRRL B-4011, under aerobic conditions, in an aqueous nutrient medium containing glycerol and a compound that causes 3-HPA to be accumulated by blocking the conversion of 3-HPA to trimethylene glycol. This process is particularly useful for the production, from renewable resources, of acrylic acid, an industrially important plymerizable monomer used in the manufacture of synthetic polymers and plastics and which is presently derived from fossil fuel sources.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for converting D-xylose to ethanol relying on the unique ability of the yeast Pachysolen tannophilus to ferment this five-carbon sugar without the use of added enzymes. This process will be particularly useful in the production of ethanolic fuel from plant biomass.