PoLoPo, a molecular farming company, announced it has moved beyond greenhouse scale and begun planting its genetically modified potatoes in fields, the first wide cultivation of plants derived from PoLoPo’s proprietary metabolic engineering techniques. PoLoPo’s potato plants manufacture and store high levels of protein in their tubers, which will be extracted and dried to produce functional protein powder. The plants can eventually be used in potato chips production.

The current crop is expected to yield about three tons of potatoes when harvested in spring 2025, an increase of its greenhouse-scale capacity of a few tens of kilograms. 

The field growth serves multiple strategic and scientific purposes to further PoLoPo’s innovations in molecular farming: 

Large-scale cultivation of selected varieties that have demonstrated exceptional potential in greenhouse trials, for producing larger-size samples for potential clients.

Testing a diverse range of new genotypes to identify additional varieties that can achieve efficiency in protein accumulation in tubers.

Revalidate the performance of previously selected genotypes in field conditions to ensure consistency, reliability, and quality. 

“To move from the lab to the greenhouse and now to field-growing has been exhilarating, and is an enormous step for us and the field of molecular farming,” says PoLoPo CEO Maya Sapir-Mir. “The increased yield of these field trials will be directed to commercial samples for our partners to immediately begin working with the product in food applications.” 

PoLoPo’s fields are in the Eshkol region of southern Israel, an area notable for field crops such as carrots and potatoes. The company has partnered with a local grower who has been farming in the area for many decades. It uses proprietary metabolic engineering techniques to turn potato plants into micro-biofactories. Potato plants manufacture and store the target proteins in the tuber. Tubers are harvested when they reach sufficient size, then their proteins are extracted and dried into a functional protein powder that integrates seamlessly into current food processing lines and formulations. 

PoLoPo’s first target protein, ovalbumin (egg protein), will present a cost-effective alternative to an industry dealing with increased egg prices, supply chain instability, and avian flu outbreaks. PoLoPo will also supply patatin, the native protein in potatoes, a versatile, allergy-friendly, high-quality protein valued in the food/beverage and nutraceutical industries. 

The company has submitted for USDA regulatory approval, expected within weeks, at which point U.S. partners and growers may begin cultivating PoLoPo’s potato plants.