A A C C   2 0 0 0   A n n u a l   M e e t i n g

Using the natural process of starch biosynthesis in plants, starch encapsulation technology targets valuable proteins inside starch granules for commercial purposes. Granule bound starch synthase (GBSS) is a natural constituent of starch granules in plants. This protein is exclusively embedded inside starch granules and accounts for at least 50% of the proteins in the starch granule. With a transgenic approach, we have identified the starch encapsulation domain of maize GBSS. By fusing the target gene with the starch encapsulation domain of GBSS, we have demonstrated that the target protein can exclusively accumulate in starch granules. For example, we have shown that significant quantities of green fluorescent protein (GFP) can be encapsulated in starch granules from maize endosperm. Our proprietary technology brings together advances in biotechnology and traditional methods of isolating starches from plants. It offers many advantages for production, isolation and utilization of the target protein. Our prime objective is to capitalize on our technology through the development of multiple products in a broad range of industries including agriculture, milling, industrial enzymes, animal feed, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals.