In Switzerland, researchers at ETH Zurich’s Institute of Agricultural Sciences created a first in biochemistry – they produced starch from yeast in a non-plant organism. They hope to study the results to better understand starch, how it is formed and how it interacts with enzymes. Why is this important? Starch was only created by plants and algae in the past in a painstaking way, so by being able to produce it from yeast it allows researchers to create starch much faster and easier than from plants. By studying the starches, they can find ways to improve the starch properties for applications in things like biodegradable materials made from maize, rice or potatoes, which contain starches that can be optimized.
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