With the patent in hand, Arcadia Biosciences aims to introduce the reduced gluten wheat variety to retails consumers later this year
Image: Arcadia wins US patent on wheat. Photo: Courtesy of $uraj tripathi/Pixabay.
Arcadia Biosciences, a developer of nutritional value for crops and food ingredients, announced the grant of the patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office for reduced gluten grains.
Arcadia claims to have developed the reduced gluten variety at its in-house breeding platform. The patent is Arcadia’s 17th in its GoodWheat portfolio of non-genetically modified (non-GM) wheat varieties and includes high-fibre resistant starch, extended shelf life and now reduced gluten.
Arcadia Biosciences research and development vice president Randy Shultz said: “This patent reaffirms Arcadia’s position as a leader in crop innovation, particularly in optimizing crops for higher nutritional value.
“We continue to bring valuable and healthy innovation to wheat – one of the most widely consumed crops in the world – through our GoodWheat portfolio.”
Arcadia’s new variety has 75% less allergenic gluten
Arcadia’s reduced gluten wheat is claimed to include 75% less allergenic gluten content compared to traditional wheat and it could also deliver improved protein quality and increased levels of essential amino acids such as lysine and histidine.
Furthermore, the foods made from Arcadia’s reduced gluten wheat flour are also expected to offer a baking quality, taste and texture, similar to traditional wheat.
The company plans to bring a retail version to consumers later this year, which will be its first-ever direct-to-consumer product offering.
Arcadia chief commercial officer Sarah Reiter said: “This is really an exciting time for Arcadia’s GoodWheat portfolio. Our dedicated investments and proprietary scientific research into wheat are finally coming to fruition through commercialisation of our high fibre, extended shelf life and reduced gluten wheat flour ingredients.
“Our newest offering caters to a growing number of consumers looking to reduce their gluten intake, either as a result of a wheat sensitivity or simply because they feel or perform better when following a diet with lower levels of gluten.”
Earlier this month, Arcadia closed nearly $10m (£8m) through direct offering of 1,318,828 shares at $7.52 (£6).
Additionally, in a concurrent private placement, the company issued unregistered warrants to buy up to 659,414 shares, representing 50% of the shares of common stock bought in the registered direct offering. Each warrant was sold at a price of $0.125 per underlying warrant share, bringing the gross proceeds to nearly $82,000 (£65,878).