New insights into fermentation enzyme will lower the chemical industry's carbon footprint

Researchers have determined the atom-by-atom structure of the fermentation enzyme phosphoketolase by cryogenic electron microscopy. They identified details that were mistakenly characterized by X-ray crystallography yet are essential for correlating enzyme structure with enzyme function. These findings will help researchers produce chemical feedstocks in an environmentally sustainable manner, and thus lower the carbon footprint of the chemical industry.