Webinar

How biotechnology is shaping corn wet mills of the future

On-demand

Dating back more than 175 years, the corn wet milling industry has seen its share of improvements, including incremental leaps in separation, dewatering and energy efficiencies. While these process enhancements continue today, mechanical separation alone will not deliver the same trajectory of improvements that the industry needs in the coming decades. 

At the same time, shifting demand dynamics for corn-based starch and protein across multiple applications in the food, feed and industrial sectors is placing more emphasis on production flexibility and process enhancements that can deliver yield and higher profitability. 

Traditional corn wet milling facilities are responding to this need by incorporating biotechnology, such as enzymes, into their production process as an enabler for lower cost starch and protein production. Looking ahead, the continued convergence of mechanical milling technologies with biotechnology has the potential to bring about new opportunities for corn wet mills to take advantage of growing demand for renewable bioproducts.

At this webinar, you will learn about:

  • Brief history of corn processing
  • Current state of the market 
  • The opportunity that biotechnology presents for corn wet milling now and, in the future 
  • How IBRL is working with companies to help advance the industry and new technology development 

Dr. Vijay Singh

Dr. Vijay Singh is a Distinguished Professor of Bioprocessing in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Director of Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Deputy Director of the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation. His research is on the development of bioprocessing technologies for corn/biomass to ethanol, advanced biofuels, food and industrial products. Dr. Singh recent research activities are at the nexus of plant biotechnology and bioprocessing and are leading the development of new technologies and renewable products in the industrial biotech space. In his role at IBRL, Dr. Singh provides leadership in developing industrial partnerships, bioprocess pilot-scale proof-of-concept activities and techno-economic analyses to facilitate commercialization of innovative technologies.

Scott McLaughlin

Scott McLaughlin has spent more than two decades in a variety of production, R&D, and commercial oriented roles in the grain processing industry. He has held several senior roles within Novozymes, where he currently leads Technical Service for the company’s Grain & Beverage organization. He previously worked in Novozymes’ Starch R&D department, where is played an instrumental role in early developments of enzymatic corn separation. Prior to joining Novozymes, Scott was an R&D scientist at National Starch & Chemical in New Jersey before moving to the company’s NKC specialty starch plant, where he served as a process engineer, before moving into production management roles for the company’s wet milling operations. Scott graduated in 1996 from SUNY Geneseo and SUNY Buffalo with BS’s in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.

James Cheston

James Cheston is a Business Development Manager with Novozymes. He has been with the company for 3.5 years.