Smarter Seeds? Equinom’s seed breeding technology boasts "high nutritional value and increased crop yields"

23 Jan 2019 --- Equinom Ltd., a new Israel-based, seed technology start-up, has combined natural breeding techniques with proprietary algorithms to produce high-functioning, non-GMO seeds. According to the company, the seeds have a superior nutritional profile and may boost crop yield, as well as work with food companies to cater to their individual needs.

Equinom says that the ecosystem it has created is able to offer supply chain transparency and is paving the way for responsible sourcing of high-value plant proteins.

“Equinom brings the computational breeding skills to the edible seeds industry. Till’ now only the 5 top crops in the world, such as corn, wheat and soy, enjoyed this breeding process, and mainly for their feed and biodiesel markets,” Itay Dana, Director of Marketing of Equinom tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“We bring back more nutritional values to the seeds – as well as more diversity to the plant protein market. Our aim to breed superior quality seeds that truly meet the needs of food companies and consumers,” he adds.

The seeds need less land and consume less water. Moreover, crop waste is reduced and that makes for a sustainable food supply, according to the company. The seed products are in consistent supply and come at affordable prices so that farmers’ incomes are ensured. 

Recently, Roquette, France, signed a partnership with Equinom for the development and sourcing of new pea varieties with high-protein content. In addition to this new collaboration, Roquette and Equinom’s current shareholder Fortissimo Capital, Israel, will jointly invest US$4 million in the company to support its further development, bringing the company a total of US$10.5 million in investments. 

The company uses DNA sequencing and algorithms to discover genomic crop characteristics. Then it selects breeds for seeds that maximize a plant’s natural abilities. This technology enables the production of non-GMO grains and pulses, such as chickpeas, sesame, and soy, that possess substantially more protein with improved functionality than varieties currently on the market. The technology also led to the discovery of rare varieties and traits that existed in nature but had been lost due to years of breeding, according to Equinom.

“The plant-based protein mega-trend has driven food companies to create more tasty, nutritious plant-based products,” says Gil Shalev, Equinom’s CEO.

“However, meeting demand has presented challenges due to poor organoleptic properties inherent in many plant protein ingredients. The high investment required to develop new, profitable varieties using conventional breeding, coupled with slow throughput, poses more obstacles,” he adds. 

The benefits of Equinom’s ecosystem include advances in computational breeding that could lead to attractive rewards for all involved along the agri-food chain. Farmers may be able to grow more sustainable crops from seeds tailored to desired specifications. At the same time, consumers and food companies may enjoy products of higher nutritional value at competitive prices. Moreover, the project has connected farmers and food companies in favor of traceability and transparency, the company says. 

“A food company that depends on legumes of a certain composition may have to wait anywhere between five to ten years under traditional methods,” explains Itay Dana, Director of Marketing at Equinom. 

“Today, acting in concert with the food company, we can design a target product with all the desired characteristics of taste, quality, and nutrient composition within two to three years,” she notes. 

The company’s breeding techniques are touted as being economical and able to exemplify how genomics may be used to overcome technical difficulties that the agri-food industry is facing, such as supplying the market with protein-rich products and seed oils. The new technology may also reduce the anti-nutritional factors (ANF) inherent in plant proteins already at seed level. This will in turn, increase the proteins’ bioavailability, making them more nutritive and more fully absorbed in the gut, Equinom says.

“The next stage is to improve access of our technology to a wider audience and present our varieties and know-how to the world,” says Dana.

“We are involved in various projects to improve the use of land for agriculture needs, reduce the need for export in some markets and create better food by improving the organoleptic performance/taste of the seeds performance.,” he concludes.

By Kristiana Lalou