A MOLECULAR farming company that grows egg protein (ovalbumin) in potato crops, has expanded from its greenhouse-scale project to field-scale growing.
PoLoPo has now begun planting its genetically-modified potatoes in fields, the first wide cultivation of plants derived from PoLoPo’s proprietary metabolic engineering techniques. PoLoPo’s potato plants manufacture and store high levels of protein in their tubers, which will be extracted and dried to produce functional protein powder.
The current crop is expected to yield about three tons of potatoes when harvested next spring, a dramatic increase from its previous capacity of a few tens of kilograms.
The field growth serves multiple strategic and scientific purposes to further PoLoPo’s innovations in molecular farming:
PoLoPo CEO, Maya Sapir-Mir, said: “To move from the lab to the greenhouse and now to field-growing has been exhilarating, and is an enormous step for us and the field of molecular farming. The increased yield of these field trials will be directed to commercial samples for our partners to immediately begin working with the product in food applications.”
PoLoPo’s fields are in the Eshkol region of southern Israel, an area notable for potato field crops. The company has partnered with a local grower who has been farming in the area for many decades.
PoLoPo uses proprietary metabolic engineering techniques to turn potato plants into micro-biofactories. Potato plants manufacture and store the target proteins in the tuber. Tubers are harvested when they reach sufficient size, then their proteins are extracted and dried into a functional protein powder that integrates seamlessly into current food processing lines and formulations.
PoLoPo’s first target protein, ovalbumin (egg protein), will present a cost-effective alternative to an industry reeling from increased egg prices, supply chain instability, and avian flu outbreaks. PoLoPo will also supply patatin, the native protein in potatoes, a versatile, allergy-friendly, high-quality protein valued in the food/beverage and nutraceutical industries.
The company has submitted for USDA regulatory approval, expected within weeks, at which point US partners and growers may begin cultivating PoLoPo’s potato plants.
The biotechnology startup was founded in 2022 by scientists with a deep understanding of plant genetics and protein expression. PoLoPo has won multiple innovation awards and has raised $2.3 million from leading food-tech investors including FoodLabs, Milk & Honey Ventures, CPT Capital, Siddhi Capital, Plug and Play, and Hack Capital.
