PoLoPo Adds Potato Protein (Patatin) to Product Lineup
The pioneer of molecular farming, PoLoPo, stated recently that, once regulatory clearance is received, it would start providing commercial customers with patatin, the natural protein found in potatoes.
Potato plants are transformed into micro-biofactories by PoLoPo using patented metabolic engineering processes, which produce the target proteins. Its platform not only boosts the naturally occurring protein in potatoes but also produces egg protein (ovalbumin) in them. PoLoPo anticipates that its method will be able to reasonably create huge quantities of functional patatin.
Patatin is a versatile, allergy-friendly, high-quality protein (PDCAAS value of 0.99) with all essential amino acids that are valued in the food/beverage and nutraceutical industries. It is used in plant-based meat and dairy products for emulsifying, gelling, and texturizing as well as bakery and protein drinks.
“We are keeping our eyes on the prize, which is bringing molecular-farmed egg protein to market, but conversations with clients revealed an additional demand for patatin in large quantities at a fair price. Because patatin is the potato’s native protein, we expect it will be a relatively easy regulatory process and a fast time-to-market,” PoLoPo CEO, Maya Sapir-Mir, PhD, mentioned.
Most potato proteins on the market are non-functional, as manufacturers destroy the proteins while extracting potato starch. Non-functional potato protein is commonly directed to animal feed including pet foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
Current prices of functional patatin are high, more than USD100 per kilogram (more than USD220 per pound). It is cost-prohibitive to extract and dry with existing food processing infrastructure, however, because PoLoPo transgenic potato plants produce such high levels of patatin, this becomes far more economical and returns better yields of protein.
PoLoPo’s plants produce proteins and store them in their tubers. Tubers are harvested when they reach sufficient size, then their proteins are extracted and dried into a powder that integrates seamlessly into current food processing lines and formulations. While derived from genetically engineered plants, the resulting protein powder contains no genetic material and is considered non-GMO.
