TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOTECHNOLOGY - Preferred Method: The utilizing step comprises: fermentation, where the microorganism comprises yeast and the fermentation is conducted at a pH of 4.8-5.2; and comprises saccharification, where the microorganism comprises an enzyme, the enzyme comprises a hemicellulase or a cellulase, and saccharification is conducted at a pH of 3.8-4.2.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - FOOD - Preferred Components: The food-based nutrient source is: grains, vegetables, residues of grains, residues of vegetables, and/or residues of meat products; and wheat, oats, barley, soybeans, peas, legumes, potatoes, corn, rice bran, corn meal, and/or wheat bran.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The product comprises a fuel including hydrogen, alcohols, organic acids, and/or hydrocarbons, where the alcohol is methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, 1,4-butane diol, and/or glycerin, the organic acid is formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, caproic, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, and/or gamma -hydroxybutyric acid, and the hydrocarbon is methane, ethane, propane, isobutene, pentane, and/or n-hexane. The mixture further comprises: a nitrogen source, where the nitrogen source is urea, ammonia, and/or ammonium sulfate; an enzyme system to release nutrients from the food-based nutrient source, where the enzyme system comprises at least one enzymes comprising amylases, and/or proteases, and further comprises a hemicellulase or a cellulase; and a medium, where the concentration of the food-based nutrient source in the medium is 0.1-10 g/l. The cellulosic or lignocellulosic material has been treated to reduce its recalcitrance, where the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material has been treated with radiation and the radiation comprises an electron beam. EXAMPLE - Skid of virgin bleached white craft board (1500 pound) was cut into pieces and fed to a rotary knife cutter. The rotary knife cutter sheared the cut pieces, releasing a fibrous material, thus obtaining the feedstock. Deionized water (4 l) was heated to 50 degrees C and mixed by adding rice bran meal (4 vol/wt.%), urea (3.405 g/l), and Tween 80 (RTM: Polyethylene sorbitol ester) (10 g/l). ACCELLERASE (RTM: Enzyme complex) (0.25 ml/1 g feedstock) was added at 0 hours, and STARGEN (RTM: Enzyme) (1 wt.% based bran weight) and FERMGEN (RTM: Enzyme) (1 wt.% based bran weight) were added at 3 hours to the reaction mixture. The feedstock material was added over a 27 hour period, in increments of 150-275 g. The total amount added was 1096 g. The temperature was maintained at approximately 50 degrees C, and the pH was 3.7. After the last increment of feedstock was added, at 27 hours, the batch was allowed to continue to saccharify to a total of 70 hours from the beginning of the process. The saccharified mixture was transferred to a bioreactor for fermentation. The mixture was inoculated to initiate fermentation with Superstart (RTM: Yeast) (1 mg) to glucose (1 g), where the yeast was added directly to the mixture as a freeze dried inoculum. The temperature was reduced to 30 degrees C and pH control was provided using phosphoric acid (1 M) and sodium hydroxide (1 M). Inoculation was based on the following ratio:. The yeast was added directly to the mixture as a freeze dried inoculum. The reaction mixture was fermented for 20 hours to obtain product of ethanol.