Arabinoxylan

1
Cereal Science and Technology in Todays Academic
and Industrial Environments Case of the KU
Leuven Laboratory of Food Chemistry
Professor Jan A. Delcour and colleagues,
K.U.Leuven, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
2
Overview

• Importance of the Cereal Sector
• The Laboratory of Food Chemistry
• Patenting Contributes to the Mission

3
Importance of the Cereal Sector

• Cereals for feed and food
• Wheat, rice, barley, oats, rye
• Bread, pasta, beer, biscuits, cakes
• Wheat processing (sugar syrups)

4
Major Industrial Players/Partners

• Recent Past
• Puratos
• Current
• Amylum Cargill Cerealia
• Danisco-Cultor Master Foods
• Procter Gamble Meneba
• Remy Sedamyl Vamix

5
Mission Lab of Food Chemistry

• To fulfill a role in society by
• 1/ generating and communicating basic
  insights into the starch, nonstarch
  polysaccharide, and storage and physiologically
  active protein constituents of cereals
• 2/ applying and valorizing such insights with
  the aim to understand and improve processing
  and/or final product quality in biotechnological
  processes where cereals are used

6
Research Activities
7
Funding Sources and Staff

• 1/ Public funds staff 20 Basic component
• - Backbone University 5 positions -
  Competitive research positions University
  4 National/regional agencies 9 EU 2
• 2/ Industry funds staff 20 Applied/valo
  rization component

8
Major Fund Sources 2001

• Government, EU and University
• KUL staff 5
• Competitive research positions 15
• Bench fees ca EURO 270,000
• Industry
• Positions 21 bench fees ca EURO 330,000
• Total budget ca EURO 2,350,000

9
Laboratory of Food Chemistry

• Permanent Staff
• Dr J Delcour
• Temporary Post doctoral Staff
• Dr C Courtin Dr W Debyser Dr A-M Loosveld Dr W
  Veraverbeke
• Research Assistants - PhD Students
• ir K Brijs ir F Delvaux ir G Depaepe ir V
  Derycke lic K Fierens ir S Frederix ir K
  Gebruers ir G Geldersir H Goesaert ir W Gys ir
  J Ingelbrecht ir C Maes ir K Moers ir I Trogh
  ir G Vandeputte ir I Verbruggen ir R
  Vermeylen
• Administrative and Technical Staff
• K Bosmans C Jordens K Mélotte H Van Den
  BroeckB Vangeneugden L Van Den Ende

10
Microbial Malting Technology

• Permanent Staff
• Dr J Delcour Dr C Michiels
• Project Leaders
• ir I Noots (ing R. Delrue)
• Research Assistants
• ing K De Bie ir C Garcia ir T Verwimp lic M
  Vandeynse
• lic I Vanderhoeven ir S Vynck
• Administrative and Technical Staff
• K Cornelis S Fondeck C Jordens L
  Schuyten

11
Laboratory Facilities Expertise

• Laboratory Facilities
• Micro Malting Units (1 - 10 kg) Milling
  Units (1-25 kg)
• Bread Making Unit (10 - 100 g) Extruder (1-
  5 kg)
• Differential Scanning Calorimeters Rapid
  Visco Analyzer
• Brabender (High Pressure) Viscographs Bruker
  NMR
• Kofler Hot Stage Brabender Farinograph
• Stable Microsystems TA-TX2 Mixograph
• Phast systems FPLC/Akta Systems
• HPLC System HPAEC System
• Gas Chromatography Systems

12
Laboratory Facilities Expertise

• Expertise
• Protein Isolation and Purification
• 1-D Gel Electrophoresis and iso-Electric
  Focussing of Proteins
• Dough Rheology
• Physico-chemical Properties of Starch
• Viscosimetry
• Nonstarch Polysaccharide Structures and
  Composition
• Cereal Processing
• Chemical Analysis of Foods
• Patenting

13
Challenge

• To create an environment where
• both the basic and applied component are well
  developped
• an efficient transfer of technology is brought
  into practice
• a good team spirit is present

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Classic Technology Transfer Cycle
Research project
Public funding
Private funding
Published results
Unpublished results
University benefit
Industry benefit
15
Win-Win Transfer Cycle
Research project
Incentives
Public funding
Private funding
Intellectual property
Published results
Royalty streams
Win - win joint university - industry benefit
16
Experience with Patents...

• J.A. Delcour, R.C. Hoseney, Rye Extract
  Breadmaking Additives ., US 5,658,606.
• G. Cleemput, J.A. Delcour, M. Hessing, Wheat
  NSP Hydrolysing Enzymes, WO 9709423.
• T. Coppens, J.A. Delcour, D. Iserentant,
  Process for the Production of Malt, EP 0918844,
  WO 9849278.
• W. Debyser, J.A. Delcour, Inhibitors of
  Xylanolytic and Glucanolytic Enzymes, WO 9849278,
  EP 0996709.

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The TAXI Case

• Triticum aestivum Xylanase Inhibitors
• - Introduction
• - Initial evidence, further work
• - Conclusions
• - Patenting and literature
• - Negotiation of transfer

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TAXI Arabinoxylan structure

• non starch cereal cell wall polysaccharides
• hydrolysed by endoxylanases

• D-xylopyranosyl residues
• L-arabinofuranosyl residues
• Ferulic acid residues

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TAXI Initial Evidence

• 1. Arabinoxylan solubilisation during brewing
• Pilsner type beers (100 barley malt)
• Belgian wheat beers (60 barley malt, 40
  unmalted wheat)
• 2. Inhibition of barley malt xylanolytic enzymes
  by wheat extracts

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TAXI Further Work

• 1. Protein purification and characterisation
• 2. Determination of inhibition patterns

21
TAXI Conclusions

• TAXI
• molecular weight 40,000
• pI 8.8
• two molecular forms
• does not inhibit all endoxylanases
• impact on breadmaking

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A B C D
A. Control (50.2 ?1.5 cc) B. Control TAXI (46.3
?1.0 cc) C. Control A. niger Xylanase (60.0
?1.7 cc) D. Control TAXI A. niger Xylanase
(50.8 ?1.2 cc)
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TAXI Conclusions

• Importance in cereal processing
• malting brewing
• breadmaking
• Function ?
• Endogenous endoxylanases
• germination
• Exogenous endoxylanases
• plant defence

24
TAXI Patenting and Literature

• Debyser, W., Delcour, J.A., WO98/49278, filed
  1997
• concept and structure of xylanase inhibitors
  (TAXI type)
• Hessing, M., Happe, R.P., EP 0979830, filed 1998
  structure of a non-TAXI endo-xylanase inhibitor
• Debyser, W., Delcour, J.A., WO98/49278, filed
  1997, published 1998
• Sibbesen, O., Soerensen, J.F., WO00/39289, filed
  1998 structure of TAXI inhibitor
• Hessing, M., Happe, R.P., EP 0979830, filed 1998,
  published 2000

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TAXI Patents
- Debyser, W., Delcour, J.A., Gebruers, K.,
Goesaert, H., European patent, filed 2000
structure of TAXI and HVXI inhibitors - Sibbesen,
O., Soerensen, J.F., WO00/39289, filed 1998,
published 2000

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To patent or not to patent

• Difficulties encountered in patenting
• Different language
• Expensive
• Time consuming effort
• Not sufficiently appreciated internally

27
To patent or not to patent

• Negotiation of transfer
• Difficult to find partners
• Tough negotiations
• Difficult to correctly estimate the value (lump
  sum, research funds, royalty rates)

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To patent or not to patent

• The bright side
• Rewarding intellectually
• Way to increase research funds
• Brings a research group into the picture as an
  interesting partner for collaboration
• Allows to move towards win-win cycles of transfer
  of technology