Process design and techno-economic analysis of 2′-fucosyllactose enriched distiller's dried grains with solubles production in dry grind ethanol process using genetically engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae

2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) has been linked positively with piglet gut health. Genetically engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains producing 2′-FL can be used in the dry grind process to enrich Distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) with 2′-FL and supplement swine diets with 2′-FL. The objectives of our study were to modify dry grind ethanol process for 2′-FL enriched DDGS production and evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of the process. Concentrations of 19.8 g 2′-FL/kg dry DDGS were achieved in the dry grind process using engineered strain without negatively affecting the ethanol yield. Process models for conventional and modified dry grind processes producing 2′-FL enriched DDGS (1150 MT corn/day capacity) were developed using SuperPro Designer. Capital and ethanol production costs for modified dry grind processes were higher than the conventional process. The internal rate of return for the modified processes was higher than the conventional process for $300/MT 2′-FL enriched DDGS selling price.