AgroPages-USDA Deregulates Innate™ Biotech Potato-Agricultural news

USDA Deregulates Innate™ Biotech Potato

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) deregulated biotech potato known as Innate, after 10 years of scientific development, safety assessments, and extensive field tests by J.R. Simplot Company.

Innate™ potatoes are improved versions of three popular varieties – Russet Burbank, Ranger Russet, and Atlantic – made possible by Simplot’s Innate™ technology, a proprietary new plant biotechnology process that works with a plant’s own DNA to enhance desirable traits.

Innate potatoes have ~40% less bruise caused by impact and pressure during harvest and storage than conventional potatoes and have lower levels of asparagine. Asparagine is converted into acrylamide when fried, which is a chemical compound linked to cancer. It is projected that Innate will decrease annual potato waste by about 400 million lbs. in the food service and retail industries and about 3 billion lbs. discarded by consumers.

Simplot is looking forward to the completion of the FDA review process before Innate is introduced into the marketplace in limited test markets in 2015.