PoLoPo Unveils Molecular Farming Platform in Potato Plants to Grow Egg Proteins

Israeli startup PoLoPo has unveiled its molecular farming platform, SuperAA, which is deployed in potato plants at a greenhouse scale. The platform focuses on producing ovalbumin and patatin proteins, offering affordable alternatives to the industry amidst rising egg prices and disruptions in the supply chain. The use of potato plants as "micro-biofactories" allows for efficient and cost-effective operations, with the proteins being extracted, dried into a powder, and seamlessly integrated into food processing lines and formulations.

Co-founded by Maya Sapir-Mir and Raya Liberman-Aloni in 2022, PoLoPo aims to economically transform potato farming and processing, as well as broader agriculture and agtech, for a more sustainable and resilient food system. The high-scale production of proteins in plants through molecular farming has the potential to revolutionize the industry and provide allergen-free protein suitable for various food products, from plant-based alternatives to sports nutrition and nutraceuticals. The use of potato plants offers advantages such as adaptability to diverse climates, low growth costs, quick maturation, high yield per unit of land, and ease of harvest and processing.