Disc ZeaKal Genetic traits of cropsTo improve photosynthesis rates. In soybeans, it claims that its PhotoSeed technology has consistently improved the oil and protein content while improving the sustainability index of the crop.
San Diego Biotech reported that during the 2021 growing season, PhotoSeed soybean juveniles increased oil formation by 12% while increasing protein by 1 point.
batch feed for poultry
For Perdue, through its cereals, oilseeds and poultry production arm, under the Perdue Foods entity, raising the oil and protein content of soybeans is critical.
Perdue AgriBusiness handles approximately three million acres of soybeans annually. Converting this acreage to PhotoSeed soybeans means farmers will benefit from a higher value crop and Perdue will have beans with improved oil and higher protein in the resulting meal, she said.
“As we evaluated our supply chain, it became clear that going upstream to access better seed genes can improve value and sustainability in ways that other solutions cannot. With the development of PhotoSeed soy, we expect it to be a transformation for Perdue across processing soybeans and oils. specialized, while improving feed quality,”Perdue Ole, senior vice president of value-added products, Perdue AgriBusiness, said.
Return on nutritional value
Traditionally, increasing oil or protein means sacrificing the other or reducing yields. This is because soy oil and protein historically have an inverse relationship: if the oil increases by 1%, the protein decreases by 2%, improving the composition usually has a yield penalty.
But Zycal claims PhotoSeed separates the inverse relationship between protein and protein. It increases both of these co-products in plants while maintaining the yields that growers demand.
Historically, the biotech said, farmers have been overcompensated for yields of their crops, which unfortunately has directed seed research and development to prioritize yield, often at the expense of nutritional quality. In soybeans, this has led to a steady decline in protein levels over the past decade, she claims.
“Annual improvements in soy yield come at the expense of nutritional density (the circulation of protein for carbohydrates), forcing end users to find alternatives.
“Deviant incentives along the supply chain contribute to this problem; end users appreciate oil and protein, while farmers – and indirectly, seed companies – are paid on yield (BU/acre). Demand for protein has been met as acreage increases, making It led to the destruction of natural habitats and the displacement of the community.
“These conflicting incentives are leading to a race to the bottom, which is leading to a decline in the value and demand for soybeans.”
Soybean market transformation
Former Bunge purchasing director Gordon Denny, a member of ZeaKal’s advisory board who also advises the United Soybean Council and the American Soybean Export Council, previously commented that the global soybean market was on the cusp of broad structural transformation. “Even when we focus on protein, the pressure on oil is even more pressing. Without new technology like PhotoSeed, which can fairly deliver the desired grain composition, the diet will have a hard time responding to the demand for higher energy and nutrition crops over the next decade without significant pressures on Food security and prices.”
Zykal weighed in on it. Historically, soybean oil provided about 33% of the value of a bushel of soybeans. Soybean oil is now expected to exceed 50% of the bean’s value due to unprecedented global demand for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel.
It expects PhotoSeed’s improved oil and protein to add about $6 billion in value to the soybean crop.
A startup to watch
Michael Lavigne, founder and managing partner of Chicago-based Germin8 Ventures, a goal-oriented investment firm that invests in companies that reform the global food system, this site ,In May of last year, ZeaKal was a company worth watching:
“ZeaKal is a startup with really interesting science. It can boost the nutritional profile of soybeans but without affecting the yield and this is something that is needed in feed markets, this technology can benefit a market like aquaculture, an agricultural sector that will have to increase the scale of traditional fishing. , certainly by 2050 in order to meet demand and create a sustainable food system.”
.
Comments
Post a Comment