Study shows where MLG production magic happens within grass cell walls

In Washington, D.C., the U.S. Department of Energy announced new findings that help maximize mixed-linkage glucan production which is helpful for biofuel refineries that depend on glucose from grasses as feedstock. MLG is found within the cell wall of grasses and is a source of glucose that can be converted to biofuels and bioproducts. Researchers found valuable information on where glucose polymers are synthesized in cells and where it accumulates in plants which can help guide engineered increases of MLG levels in plants.

According to Phys.org, “increasing the content of easily digestible, six-carbon sugars can increase the fuel yield from bioenergy crops. Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center researchers tested the various possibilities to establish a better understanding of the fundamentally important mechanisms of plant cell wall biosynthesis.”