By CAROLYN BOIARSKY A freelance writer residing in Atlanta, Ga., she is the former director of public affairs for Lakeview Center for Arts and Sciences in Peoria. She was also a state house correspondent for United Press International in Charleston, W. Va.

Products expand markets, save energy, increase production and nutrition

Agricultural Research

Northern Regional Research Center in Peoria develops new and improved industrial and food products from agricultural resources. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, its new products and methods are available to private industry for development

DURING the depression, many an Illinois farmer, standing knee-deep in surplus crops, burned his corn to keep warm. Today, Illinois farmers may be able to help keep the entire country warm with corn in the form of Xanthan gum, a corn by-product. The gum offers a solution to one of the major problems of the present energy crisis — recovering a maximum amount of oil from a well.

At present only about 25 to 30 per cent of the oil in a well can be recovered from an initial drilling operation. A small amount of additional oil can be forced out by driving water mixed with an industrial detergent into the ground surrounding the well, but this method of secondary recovery still leaves over half the oil in the ground. Recently, however, scientists discovered that the addition of Xanthan gum, a thickening agent, to the water could increase the amount of oil recovered by as much as 25 or 30 per cent.

Xanthan gum was developed by scientists at the Northern Regional Research Center (NRRC), Peoria, an agricultural laboratory funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop new and improved industrial and food products from the region's agricultural resources. Scientists discovered the gum while searching for a replacement for natural gum, which is derived from trees, when an impending shortage of trees became evident.

The gum, derived by fermenting glucose (corn starch), is a prime example of one of NRRC's major emphases: finding ways to replace finite chemical resources with annually renewable resources derived from agricultural crops, especially corn, wheat, soybeans and sorghum, the major crops grown in Illinois and the Midwest. In conjunction with this goal, scientists at the Center are beginning to study the energy plants store through the photosynthetic process as possible future sources of energy. Illinois farmers had a jump on the scientists in this discovery when they burned corncobs for fuel in the 30's. Eventually corncobs or a by-product of corn may become a major source of heat, since an average acre of corn contains approximately 38 million British Thermal Units(BTU's) of which the plants use less than three per cent.

Expanding world market
This emphasis on discovering annually renewable resources has evolved as the result of a global food shortage. Ten years ago elevators owned by the U.S. government were filled with surplus crops, the bill being footed by the taxpayer in the form of subsidies. Today the problem is not surplus but dearth. While the United States still cannot consume the amount of food produced by its farmers, a world food shortage has provided farmers with an international market. Approximately 25 per cent of U.S. crops are being shipped overseas. Recently, the Soviet Union purchased 1.5 million metric tons (2,205 lbs. per ton) of soy beans from the United States and entered into a five-year agreement to purchase six to eight million tons of wheat annually. A significant portion of those crops could come from Illinois, according to Cargill Inc., which has river terminals at Havana, Ottawa and Spring Valley for grain and soybean loading and a regional office at the Peoria Board of Trade. As a major recipient of the grain and soybean agreement, the firm expects to sell approximately 800,000 tons of U.S. beans to the Soviets this year.

Because of this expanding market, Illinois farmers are attempting to improve both the quality and quantity of their crops. While the amount of arable farmland used in the United States has remained about the same for

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Industries are studying use of Xanthan gum for secondary drilling operations and agricultural chemical companies are developing the Center's new method of applying pesticides

the past three quarters of a century, the productivity of the land has increased tenfold. At the turn of the century, the average farmer produced enough food for himself and six others; today one farmer can feed 56 persons, and new ways are being sought to further increase this output. The Center, responding to the farmers' needs, has placed a major emphasis on ways to increase crop yield and quality. Three discoveries made within the past year may play a significant role in assisting farmers to do just this.

Discovering pesticide methods
Two new methods of applying pesticides, which are safer, more effective and less polluting, were announced within a month of each other this past summer. Both new methods slow the amount and rate of pesticide released over a period of time. Crops are protected from weeds and insects, but such beneficial natural elements as fish and birds are not harmed. Both processes were developed as a result of the increasingly stringent regulations of agricultural chemicals by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A third development would increase the farmer's soybean yield by radically changing the traditional double crop method in which wheat is grown in winter and soybeans in summer only after the winter wheat is harvested. The new method would permit the farmer to sow the soybeans at the most opportune time, even if the wheat has not been harvested, thus maximizing his chances for a good crop. The new technique is made possible by the Center's discovery of a new starch polymer, which has been dubbed "super slurper" because of its ability to absorb up to 1,400 times its weight in water. Soybeans are coated with the polymer and then sown between the rows of winter wheat. Then, instead of harvesting the entire wheat plant, stalk and all, the farmer harvests only the head, leaving the stubble to protect the soybean plant and, thus eliminating the need to spray the beans with herbicide.

Super slurper, the pesticides and Xanthan gum are only a few of a long line of products developed by the research center since its inception. Though NRRC has concentrated on regional commodities, the effects of the research have had global implications. The Center has also developed CSM, a precooked food, composed of 64 per cent processed corn, 29 per cent soybean oil and meal and 5 per cent milk solids. CSM has been the major food shipped overseas to help such countries as Nigeria during its civil war and Pakistan during its civil and natural disasters. Considered one of the most nutritious foods ever produced, three and a half ounces of CSM can provide a 20-to-30-pound child half of the nutrients needed for a day.

Probably the Center's most renowned discovery was the process for mass producing penicillin. Though penicillin was originally discovered in 1929 by British scientist Dr. Alexander Fleming, it was not until 1943 that NRRC scientists found that a cantaloupe mold could permit mass production of the antibiotic. The laboratory was also responsible for developing a second lifesaving drug, dextran, a blood plasma supplement, during the Korean War. The supplement, administered to a soldier on a battlefield, will maintain blood pressure and body processes until a blood transfusion can be administered. The Center received the U.S. Distinguished Service Award for both of these discoveries, and Dr.H. W. Florey, one of the British scientists sent to the Center to work on penicillin after the Nazi blitz halted such work in London, was one of three scientists to receive the Nobel Prize in 1945.

Increasing industrial profits
Laboratory products have also helped to raise the nation's Gross National Product. Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Xanthan gum in 1969, industrial use of the gum has multiplied geometrically. Besides its potential use in oil drilling operations, it is already being used in commercial salad dressings to prevent separation of ingredients, in paints to create a dripless product, and in puddings as a thickening agent. General Mills Chemicals Inc., and Rhone Poulenc SA of France have been producing the gum in France and importing it to the United States. However, General Mills recently announced plans to build a $15 to $20 million plant to produce Xanthan gum in Keokuk, la. Keico also recently began construction of a new $35 million plant to manufacture the gum in Okmulgee, Okla.

Illinois industry has also profited from the laboratory's products. For several years. Corn Products Corporation of Pekin produced a fiber called zein, made from cornstarch, for use in sweaters. The Lauhoff Grain Company of Danville, the nation's largest dry corn miller, plans to market a new flour made from corn germ which can be used as a meat extender and protein fortifier in baking goods, snacks and cereals. And the Inter Seeding Company of Arcola has contracted with farmers to use the new super slurper technique for growing soybeans. All of these products derive from Center research.

Expanding soybean market
In fact, Illinois farmers can thank the Center for dramatically expanding the soybean market which has only recently grown from a minor crop to a major commodity. Until the late 1950's, the primary consumers of soybeans were the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese America was one of their major suppliers, but the American bean was used primarily in oils rather than as foods since Orientals found the American beans distasteful. It was not until 1957 — when a Center scientist, Dr. A. K. Smith, traveled to the Orient to study the reasons for the beans' lack of suitability — that Americans learned how to make soybeans palatable for Orientals. Smith's discovery and the Center's succeeding research resulted in the creating of a new U.S. export industry which concentrated on select breeding of soybean varieties for Oriental food processing. Central Illinois was a beneficiary of this new industry when the Pacific Grain Company in Farmer City became the first American company to contract with farmers to grow "identity preserved" soybeans for export to Japan. A second company to deal specifically with soybeans for

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export was the McLean Grain Company of Bloomington. NRRC was originally called the Northern Regional Research Laboratory and was one of four similar laboratories created by the 1938 Agricultural Act. The idea was to provide some relief for farmers faced with a surplus of crops in a depressed economy. The laboratories were charged with developing industrial nonfood products from the agricultural commodities grown in each of their regions. The Northern Laboratory, which served 13 states, including Illinois, was charged with specializing in wheat, corn and grain sorghum. Later the crops were expanded to include soybeans and flaxseed. Peoria was selected as the site for the Northern Laboratory because of its location in the corn belt and its proximity to significant agricultural processing industries, including four distilleries, three breweries, three feed manufacturers and three malt syrup makers. According to one Laboratory spokesman, however,there has been little local industrial growth due to the Center. Although NRRC contracts with local farmers and grain companies to test its products, many of the final products are manufactured outside the local area. No new plants have located in Peoria because of proximity to the Center.

The $7.4 million laboratory facility, located on land donated by the Bradley College Board of Trustees, contains 135 individual laboratories and 75 special use areas, furnished with the latest scientific equipment, including lasers to study photosynthesis. A branch of the U.S. Patent Adviser is located in the building along with a library housing 40,000 scientific periodicals, about 8,000 books, a computer service and a flavor and odor evaluation laboratory fitted up as a modern kitchen. The Center is divided into six major divisions: (1) the Cereal Products Laboratory, which investigates ways to replace petroleum-based products with cereal grain in industry; (2) the Cereal Science and Foods Laboratory, which conducts research on cereal crops to create protein-rich concentrates: (3) the Horticultural and Special Crops Laboratory, which analyzes new plants, drugs and pesticides; (4) the Oilseed Crops Laboratory, which develops new and improved uses for oilseed crops; (5) the fermentation laboratory, which houses the largest culture collection in the world of bacteria, yeasts, molds and actinomycetes; and (6) the Engineering and Development Laboratory, which develops new processes for industrial production of agricultural products.

Returning research investment
The Center conducts both basic and applied research, but is not involved in commercial production. Super slurper is a prime example of a discovery waiting to become a commercial product. Any parent recognizes the potential use of this starch polymer in a 24-hour diaper, but no firm has produced such a product yet. One of the major deterrents is the cost of conducting extensive allergenic and toxicity tests required by the FDA.

Once a product has been determined, it is offered to private industry for development, production and distribution. Industries such as Pennzoil, Cities Service and Shell are presently studying the use of Xanthan gum for secondary drilling operations and ten agricultural chemical companies are developing the Center's new method of applying pesticides. All products developed by the laboratory are patented, but the patent is in the public domain and any company may obtain a nonexclusive license to produce the product under the procedure developed. Many industries, however, alter the product sufficiently to patent it themselves, eliminating the need to credit the Center and distinguishing them from other companies using the original patent. Of all the industries which have profited from NRRC's research. General Mills has been the most outspoken in crediting the laboratory for its contributions. Dr. Dwight Miller, NRRC assistant director, believes that the consumer ultimately pays less for products which originate in the Center than if a private firm had paid for the research. He estimates that taxpayers are receiving a twenty-to-one return on their investment in agricultural research, and in the case of Xanthan gum, a return as great as ten-to-one per year.

Decreasing Center budget
At present the Center operates under a $9.5 million annual budget. The majority of the funds, $8.7 million, are allocated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of a total $263 million budget assigned to the Agricultural Research Services Division. The remainder of NRRC's funds comes from "soft money," small grants from private organizations and foundations for specific projects related to research already underway at the Center. No funds, however, have ever been accepted from private industries. The Center's 1976 budget is down approximately $500,000 from the previous year and is expected to drop another half million in the coming fiscal year. Continuing inflation, coupled with a decreasing budget, has forced the Center to cut back on research and staff.

The present full-time staff totals 375 persons, down 50 from several years

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"We must reduce our crop losses and improve the quality of the crop, not only on the farm but in the way we process, distribute, store and handle what is produced'

ago. Of that total, one-half are categorized as scientists, 80 have Ph.D.'s. All staff personnel are under the U.S. Government's Civil Service, including the director, who is appointed by the administrator of the Agricultural Research Service with the assistance of a committee composed of members of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. All of the directors have worked at the Center prior to their appointment. The majority of the staff are natives of the Midwest region. Most of the technicians are from Illinois, while approximately one-fourth of the scientific staff are from Central Illinois. Dr. Robert Dimler, who was director of the Center from 1964 to 1974, is a native of Pekin, across the river from the laboratory.

From its creation, the Center was designated to find uses for agricultural wastes: hull, cob, stalk and leaf. Since corn and wheat are essentially starch crops, the major research projects of the laboratory centered on developing new industrial uses and markets for starch and its derivatives. During the past eight years, however, the Center has slowly changed its focus from industrial products research to food research because of global food shortages. At present, one-half of the staff is engaged in food research while only one-fourth is concerned with the industrial use of agricultural products (another fourth is involved with crop and antipollution research). The Center's future course could emphasize food research even more, especially with the recent appointment of Dr. William H. Tallent as director. Dr. Tallent is especially concerned with world food problems.

Tallent says: "We must reduce our crop losses and improve the quality of the crop, not only on the farm but in the way we process, distribute, store and handle what is produced." Explaining that in the United States over ten per cent of the harvested crop is lost in processing and shipping and that over-seas the percentage is as much as a quarter or a third of the crop, Tallent believes that the quickest way to increase food supply could be by improving the post-harvesting techniques of processing food.

Since 1968 when the Center first began to alter its purpose, numerous products aimed at bringing relief to third world countries have been developed. Most of these have centered around the soybean. According to former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture George Mehren, 50 to 60 per cent of the world population is short on protein. Soybeans, which are rich in protein, may be the answer to world hunger. CSM, a precooked high nutrient food, is one example of the Center's attempt to create a soy-nutritious food for export. A more recent development, however, could provide an even better product. Scientists at the Center have found that Xanthan gum, when added to starch — whether from corn or wheat — and then combined with yeast, can make a leavening dough or batter which can be fortified with soybeans to provide a bread rich in protein. Since most of the emerging nations produce mainly sorghum, rice and tapioca, the scientists were searching for a product which could utilize the by-products of these crops, thus maximizing the use of their raw materials while improving the nutritional quality of their diets.

Improving 'junk' foods
The new batter, which was quickly dubbed "Starzan," is also expected to play an important role in the American diet by putting nutrition into America's "junk" foods. The new batter may produce a hamburger sandwich in which the "bread" is more nutritious than the meat. The effects of this discovery upon the nation's children, whose diets often consist of hamburgers, hot dogs and pizzas, could be tremendous - especially in light of recent discoveries linking food additives with hypertension, since the Center's dough is composed entirely of natural elements.

The Northern Regional Research Center is almost totally unheralded, but it has had and will continue to have a powerful effect on Illinois agricultural economy and the food the world eats. ž

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