Agricultural technology company Arcadia Biosciences has received US patent No. 9,150,839, entitled “Wheat with Increased Resistant Starch Levels” from the US Patent and Trademark Office, encompassing the company’s non-genetically modified Resistant Starch (RS) Wheat products.
Arcadia developed its RS Wheat using the company's proprietary wheat genetic diversity library, which has extensive resources of wheat lines with variations in genetic composition and gene functionality.
The RS Wheat project was partly funded by the US National Institutes for Health (NIH).
The project is currently under the Phase four development stage.
Arcadia's RS Wheat has been developed to contain high levels of total dietary fiber in whole grain flour and refined white flour.
Resistant starch is a dietary fiber which can be digested slowly than the regular starch. The slower the digestion process, the slower is the release of glucose into bloodstream. Hence, foods made of this RS Wheat have lower glycemic index.
Arcadia president and CEO Eric Rey said: "Because wheat is the world's largest cultivated crop, it's a key focus for the health-promoting benefits of resistant starch. RS Wheat creates the potential for wheat-based whole foods like pasta, bread and other baked goods with higher fiber and fewer additives.
"Foods like these may taste and perform like those made with refined wheat, but have significant additional health benefits. This could make a great contribution to global health, and represents a major financial opportunity for Arcadia."
With the new patent, Arcadia's global patent portfolio has expanded. The company currently has more than 170 exclusively owned and controlled patents and patent application.
Last year, Arcadia had received a key technology patent for Extended Shelf Life (ESL) tomatoes from the US Patent and Trademark Office. The patent covers non-transgenic modification of a gene in tomato plants that slows the post-harvest ripening of the tomato.