University of Minnesota

Quest International B.v.

Larry L McKay

Ebenezer R Vedamuthu

Daniel J O'Sullivan

Jeffrey K Kondo

Barbara J Holler

Petronella A Vlegels

Declan MacFadden

Kayla M Polzin

Carla Gabriela Sanchez-Fernandez

Bruce E Schmidt

Francis F Busta

Purbita Ray

An atypical Bacillus subtilis strain NRRL B-21974 from Pozol, a Mexican beverage, is used in controlling molds and other spoilage flora in various materials, particularly foods including dough, tortillas, moist grains and cheese. The Bacillus subtilis strain can be used in living or non-living form in the materials. The materials can include packaging for foods.

Method and culture for inhibiting undesired microorganisms with culture

The present invention is directed to integration vectors including food-grade integration vectors, a method of increasing the stability of the inheritance of genes in microorganisms and transformed microorganisms containing an integrated vector and which exhibit an increase in the stability of inheritance of a gene. The integration vector is comprised of a first DNA sequence encoding a temperature sensitive plasmid maintenance and replication region, a second DNA sequence encoding at least one selectable marker gene, a third DNA sequence encoding an insertion sequence, and a fourth DNA sequence which encodes an unstable gene. The method of increasing the stability of the inheritance of a gene includes introducing the integration vector into a host microorganism, selecting transformed microorganisms, and confirming that selected microorganisms exhibit an increase in the stability of inheritance of a gene encoding a trait. Transformed microorganisms are provided which have at least one integration vector integrated into the genome and which exhibit an increase in the stability of the inheritance of a gene encoding a trait. The invention also provides DNA sequences substantially corresponding to a temperature sensitive plasmid maintenance and replication sequence, a nisin resistance gene, and a novel lactococcal insertion sequence.

Food-grade integration vectors for industrial bacterial strains

A method of production and recovery of protein from food wastes according to which a medium composed of various combined food wastes and containing both a protein source (such as collagen) and a carbohydrate source (such as starch) is modified by the action of selected microbial species (such as Bacillus subtilis). The resulting Bacillus-modified enriched liquid medium permits the growth of more fastidious organisms (such as Lactobacillus acidophilus) that are acceptable as a single cell protein source. As an alternative and prior to the introduction of the Lactobacillus, the modified medium may be fortified by the addition of other food wastes, (such as cheese whey or spent brewer's yeast cells). The final recovery of protein from the fastidious organisms may be accomplished by any one of the established methods of protein or food recovery and/or isolation.

Method of production and recovery of protein from food wastes

Growing community of inventors

Saint Paul, MN, United States of America

Larry L McKay