Maximizing distillers corn oil (DCO) yields is a goal for many ethanol producers as they seek to get the most out of every corn kernel. Reaching DCO production’s full potential entails the utilization of a variety of solutions throughout the production process, including biotechnology, chemical and mechanical means, explains Jaclyn DeMartini, lead scientist with IFF. Enzymes are one of the valuable allies for ethanol producers in their pursuit of higher oil yields.Unlike ethanol, where optimizing yields largely focuses on the fermenter, corn oil maximization requires producers to examine the entire process, DeMartini explains. “All the way from corn quality, grind and liquefaction to whole stillage decanting, syrup evaporation and corn oil centrifuge performance. Literally every single step along the way can impact corn oil recovery,” she says. Ethanol producers have the potential to extract up to 85-90% of the crude fat content found in a corn kernel, but in reality most plants extract less than 60-65%.That 20% difference in yield represents a significant margin difference for a producer. Although corn oil prices are not at the record highs of 2020, when they reached 80 to 90 cents per pound, they are still at 40 to 50 cents per pound, significantly higher than the 20 to 30 cents per pound that producers were seeing a decade ago. “[That price is] still higher than it was ten years ago, and at that level, really a valuable coproduct for ethanol producers to extract,” DeMartini says.DeMartini has spent over 15 years working with enzymes. She explains that cellulases and xylanases are two classes of enzymes that can play a key role in reducing the amount of oil that leaves the plant with the wet cake, instead directing it to the centrate and oil recovery system.“You add cellulases and xylanases into fermentation typically, and their main role is to disrupt the interaction between fiber and corn oil,” she says. “The fiber in wet cake can act like a sponge, and soak up free oil, and as a result, instead of oil going with your centrate at the decanter, the oil gets stuck to the wet cake and goes out with the feed, that’s basically lost value. Cellulases and xylanases, they disrupt that interaction between the oil and the fiber, [allowing] the oil [to] go with the centrate, as opposed to with the wet cake.”However, one of the potential issues with adding these enzymes, particularly xylanases, is that they can increase the amount of suspended solids in the centrate, and potentially cause viscosity issues, explains DeMartini. “It’s really critical to understand the baseline conditions of a plant, understanding where they’re running in terms of their centrate solids, their syrup solids, their syrup viscosity,” she says. “That type of information will impact what dosages and ratios of ... cellulases and xylanases are the right fit for a given plant.”IFF offers producers an experienced perspective when considering what biotechnology options will be the optimal fit for their unique process conditions.

2024-08-06 - SPOTLIGHT | Extracting Every Drop (Ethanol Producer Magazine)

thumbnail_SpotlightIFF--Jaclyn-DeMartini.jpg

SpotlightIFF--Jaclyn-DeMartini.jpg

thumbnail_SpotlightIFF-Oil.jpg

SpotlightIFF-Oil.jpg

An IFF scientist outlines how enzymes can help producers maximize distillers corn oil extraction 
in fermentation.

SPOTLIGHT | Extracting Every Drop

Related Stories

EIA weekly data: Ethanol production 1%, stocks down 1%, exports down 8%

EIA: Total US biofuel capacity at 24.878 billion gallons in April

USDA: Ethanol exports at 185 million gallons in May

New study: Ethanol saves US drivers over $50 billion each year

Preliminary agenda released for 2025 North American SAF Conference & Expo

Upcoming Events

North American SAF Conference & Expo

2026 International Biomass Conference & Expo

SPOTLIGHT | Extracting Every Drop.css-7jxktu{position:absolute;bottom:0px;left:0px;right:0px;height:3px;border-radius:3px;background-color:var(--chakra-colors-brandBlack);}