These molecules are remaking manufacturing

"Walk through almost any manufacturing plant today, whether the frontline professionals crushing oilseeds, processing corn, or producing ingredients, and you'll notice something subtle but important. The tools that help turn agricultural crops into products that feed and fuel the world are getting smarter, more precise, and more capable. Most conversations about the bioeconomy focus on what farmers grow or what consumers buy. But the real transformation is happening in the middle, in the molecular steps that quietly make modern, low-carbon manufacturing possible."

"What's changing is their sophistication and the range of industries they can now serve. Advances in enzyme engineering, cleaner processing, and biomanufacturing design are giving companies more precise and adaptable ways to convert plant-based feedstocks. Steps that once relied on heat, pressure, or petrochemical ingredients can now be carried out through approaches that are more targeted and far less energy intensive. For manufacturers working to lower their carbon footprints, these systems are starting to function as foundational infrastructure rather than optional enhancements."

Manufacturing plants are adopting smarter, more precise tools to convert agricultural crops into food, fuel, and ingredients. Catalysts and enzymes are increasingly used to perform molecular conversion steps that reduce energy use and reliance on petrochemicals. Advances in enzyme engineering, cleaner processing, and biomanufacturing design enable targeted conversions of plant-based feedstocks and improve efficiency, value capture, and adaptability across industries. Enzyme-assisted milling and gentler separations reduce mechanical intensity. In biofuels, improved ethanol yeasts are integrating multiple processing steps. These catalytic systems are shifting from optional enhancements to foundational infrastructure for companies reducing carbon footprints.

Read at Fast Company