Nutritional investigations with cellulomonas flavigena

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Paul Litton Fletcher (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Bruce Eberhart

Abstract: The study of cellulose is particularly interesting because this compound and its related polysaccharides represents the main repository carbon molecules in living systems (20). The degradation of cellulose is particularly interesting in that during the process it is converted to its basic chemical and biological unit, glucose. As the human population of our planet increases, an adequate nutrition source must be maintained. The inability of monogastric animals to metabolize cellulosic carbon sources is due to a lack of enzymes necessary for their digestion. The facilitation of cellulose digestion might easily relieve nutritional deficiences in areas where conventional food stuffs are limited. The availability of cellulose as a carbon source to animals can be effected in several ways. Merely to increase the mean of cellulose digestion in ruminants from 50% to 85% would represent an enormous increase in protein source available for human consumption. Such an increase could be effected by knowledge of the biochemistry of cellulose degradation. Another area important in the study of cellulose degradation lies in the disposal of industrial cellulosic wastes which are among the most difficult to dissolve.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 1967
Subjects
Cellulomonas $x Nutrition
Heterotrophic bacteria

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