{"id":45437,"date":"2024-01-08T18:47:04","date_gmt":"2024-01-08T18:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/china-moves-to-derive-protein-from-coal-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2024-01-08T18:47:04","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T18:47:04","slug":"china-moves-to-derive-protein-from-coal-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/china-moves-to-derive-protein-from-coal-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"China moves to derive protein from coal | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nISTANBUL:
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Amid food security concerns, Chinese scientists have developed a method to create protein using methanol derived from coal, a study has revealed.<\/p>\n

Chinese scientists used around 20,000 samples of yeast collected from vineyards, forests, and marshlands across the country to arrive at a successful alternative to meet the demand for animal feed, and the process has been initiated at an industrial scale, daily South China Morning Post reported on Monday.<\/p>\n

The world\u2019s second-largest economy is heavily dependent on imports of tens of hundreds of tons of soybeans required in animal feed.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoal, with a global reserve of about 1.07 trillion tons, can be converted into methanol through coal gasification. Methanol mixes well with water, offering high efficiency in fermentation processes compared to gaseous substrates and eliminating the need for specialised fermentation equipment,\u201d Professor Wu Xin wrote in China Science Bulletin.<\/p>\n

Wu leads a team of scientists at the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).<\/p>\n

After it developed a protein production technology — cheaper than traditional protein biosynthesis \u2013 the scientists \u201cidentified strains capable of efficiently using various sugars and alcohols as carbon sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read also:\u00a0Death toll in China coal firm office rises to 26; at least 38 injured<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

It is not yet known where the scientists have begun demonstrations and producing thousands of tons of this protein.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey engineered a yeast with significantly enhanced methanol tolerance and metabolic efficiency. This engineering dramatically boosted the targeted conversion of methanol to protein,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 And the methanol-to-protein conversion efficiency reached 92% of the theoretical value,\u201d according to the CAS.<\/p>\n

Since the conversion rate is high, it \u201cmakes this protein production method very attractive economically.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t require arable land, is unaffected by seasons and climate, and is a thousand times more efficient than traditional agricultural practices,\u201d Wu said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n