Characterisation of recombinant factor IX before and after GlycoPEGylation.

The effect of the GlycoPEGylation process used for prolonging the half-life of recombinant factor IX (rFIX) has no impact on the primary and higher order structure of activated factor IX. Characterisation work performed on recombinant factor IX and on the GlycoPEGylated form of rFIX (N9-GP), confirm that the primary structure as well as the post translational modifications (PTMs) (disulphide bonds, γ-carboxylation, β-hydroxylation, sulphation and O- and N-linked glycan structures) were comparable for rFIX and N9-GP. Three O-linked glycan sites were identified in the activation peptide (Thr159, Thr163 and Thr169), where Thr163 has not been reported previously.

Evaluation of wet oxidation pretreatment for enzymatic hydrolysis of softwood.

The wet oxidation pretreatment (water, oxygen, elevated temperature, and pressure) of softwood (Picea abies) was investigated for enhancing enzymatic hydrolysis. The pretreatment was preliminarily optimized. Six different combinations of reaction time, temperature, and pH were applied, and the compositions of solid and liquid fractions were analyzed.

Pretreatment of corn stover using wet oxidation to enhance enzymatic digestibility.

Corn stover is an abundant, promising raw material for fuel ethanol production. Although it has a high cellulose content, without pretreatment it resists enzymatic hydrolysis, like most lignocellulosic materials. Wet oxidation (water, oxygen, mild alkali or acid, elevated temperature and pressure) was investigated to enhance the enzymatic digestibility of corn stover.

Characterization of degradation products from alkaline wet oxidation of wheat straw.

Alkaline wet oxidation pre-treatment (water, sodium carbonate, oxygen, high temperature and pressure) of wheat straw was performed as a 2(4-1) fractional factorial design with the process parameters: temperature, reaction time, sodium carbonate and oxygen. Alkaline wet oxidation was an efficient pre-treatment of wheat straw that resulted in solid fractions with high cellulose recovery (96%) and high enzymatic convertibility to glucose (67%). Carbonate and temperature were the most important factors for fractionation of wheat straw by wet oxidation.

Lactic acid production from wheat straw hemicellulose hydrolysate by Lactobacillus pentosus and Lactobacillus brevis.

Lactic acid production by Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus pentosus on a hemicellulose hydrolysate (HH) of wet-oxidized wheat straw was evaluated. The potential of 11-12 g/l fermentable sugars was released from the HH through either enzymatic or acidic pretreatment. Fermentation of added xylose in untreated HH after wet-oxidation, showed no inhibition on the lactic acid production by either Lb.