Ethanol Jacks Food Prices--Alternatives Sought

The high demand for corn to produce ethanol fuel is having a major effect on food prices. With corn as the staple food of many groups, as more corn goes "into the tank" prices for daily food are rising. Recently Mexicans took to the streets to protest the skyrocketing prices of tortillas. Even "Norte Americanos" are seeing the impacts--'and it ain't just Orville Rendenbacher' that's going up: Hen fruit is up, and price hikes in beef and chicken are likewise attributed to the sudden popularity of corn in the car.

More research money and effort are now being poured into enzyme research, the Holy Grail of converting cellulose--the thick fiber in plants--into ethanol. Corn to ethanol is easy, but changing cellulose into liquid fuel requires enzymes to break down the thick stuff. Where to get the enzymes? From bug guts to urinary tracts, researchers are looking everywhere. Once the right key is found, some scientists claim making the swap from dino-fuels to plant fuel will be as easy as falling off a log. Provided they haven't already turned the log in ethanol.

For a fuller discussion of ethanol research, check out this Associated Press story.