Agricultural technology firm Arcadia Biosciences Inc. has successfully attained an Early Food Safety Evaluation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration determining that its functional protein product is safe for humans and animals.
Specifically, the FDA concluded that Arcadia’s isopentenyl transferase (IPT) — a water-use efficiency (WUE) trait — poses no risks. Arcadia’s WUE trait aims to help farmers cope with climate change’s impact on agricultural output. IPT was found to improve crop yields under duress in trials with rice, wheat, cotton, peanuts and alfalfa.
“The FDA’s completion of its evaluation of Arcadia’s WUE trait allows us to expedite the development of our drought tolerance portfolio,” Arcadia Biosciences President and CEO Raj Ketkar said. “This approval reflects Arcadia’s strong regulatory capabilities and our commitment to helping growers reduce the negative impact of water stress and improve on-farm economics.”
The discovery resulted from joint efforts between researchers at the University of California, Davis and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, with Arcadia retaining all technology licensing rights. The Davis firm develops and commercializes plant traits and products to support farm economics and benefit the environment and human health.
“Arcadia’s nutrition traits and products are aimed at creating healthier ingredients and whole foods with lower production costs,” the company said.
Water-use efficiency refers to the ratio of water metabolized by a plant to the water lost by a plant and is key to crop survival under drought conditions.
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