Patent Number: 5852196
Docket Number: 8295
Serial Number: 8814674
Date Patented: 12/22/1998

Technology Description:  Agricultural Research Service scientists in Illinois have developed a new way to produce value added products from surplus vegetable oils using a newly-discovered Pseudomonas bacterium strain. The finished product developed from this technology can be used as a coating material, plasticizer, polymer synthesizer, and as an antimicrobial or biomedical product.  No other commercial technologies are available that have the same function as ARS’s invention.  Compared to other commercial chemical processes, this technology uses less energy and is environmentally friendly.  It addresses the U.S. annual vegetable oil surplus problem, by using the waste product and turning it into a value-added product.  This technology could potentially be used in many other products and applications.  This technology is still at the research and development stage.  ARS is seeking a cooperative research partner to scale up this technology and to test this technology in multiple commercial applications.    This invention could be used in many manufacturing and biomedical industries, such as those involved in coatings, plastics, polymers, specialty chemicals, and biomedical functions and devices.   Reference:  Please refer to USPN 5,852,196 (Docket #0082.95), “12, 13, 17-Trihydroxy-9 (Z)-Octadecenoic Acid and Derivatives and Microbial Isolate for Production of the Acid,” issued on December 22, 1998 and USPN 5,900,496 (Docket #0198.96), “Microbial Production of a Novel Compound, 7,10-Dihydroxy-8-Octadecenoic Acid from Oleic Acid,” which issued on May 4, 1999.  Foreign rights are not available.   Inventor:   Ching Tsang Hou Microbial Genomics and  Bioprocessing Research Peoria, IL  61604-3999 Phone: (309) 681-6263    Fax: (309) 681-6672 ChingTsang.Hou@ars.usda.gov