Equinom, the Israeli seed breeding specialist, has launched a new product profiler app to help food companies select plant protein sources and characteristics from a comprehensive bank of genetically available traits to develop high-value protein products with better functionality.
The app also allows protein sources to be tailored to product specifications in a manner that is faster and more accurate than previous technologies allowed.
“While breeding and seed companies market mainstream seeds to food companies that might not always meet specific needs in terms of different food applications, protein content, and more, the Product Profiler system opens new possibilities to feed consumers with better, more nutritious food,” explained Gil Shalev, Equinom CEO.
A user-friendly mobile toolbox, the app gives food companies the option to choose seed varieties with the precisely desired traits and genetic specifications that are naturally present.
The app draws information from a limitless bank of available seeds,which make sourcing of high-value, non-GMO grain much more accessible and affordable for food companies and farmers alike.
Unique seed bank
Equinom collected and cross-bred thousands of seeds of different crops, from multiple locations and universities worldwide to develop the first seed collection designed specifically for food growers and producers.
“Customers get direct insight into the evolutionary course of the seeds,” Shalev enthused, adding: “They are able to see, in real time, where each specific seed variety stands along the breeding chain, and when it will be available commercially.”
Equinom’s app translates the company's analytical tools for in-depth mapping of seed genotypes and phenotypes, and gene characteristics into functional and nutritive traits.
Food manufacturers can zero in on the precise protein files they are seeking, then practically apply them to their unique food development profiles.
The app serves as a direct communication channel that, for the first time, will strategically link a seed breeding company with food companies, creating a unified language for all stakeholders and along the supply chain from farm to fork.
Equinom believes this technology places the company in pole position to supply food companies with grain varieties that precisely fit each application’s functional needs.
The Product Profiler app enables users to type in a grain of choice as well as distinct desired traits, encompassing parameters such as nutritional profile, protein percentage, and composition of protein, fat, starch, and fibre.
Additional parameters include anti-nutrient factors, protein functionality/solubility, and how the seeds score for organoleptic qualities, such as taste and texture. The app pulls up seed varieties that fit specific requirements.
Equinom will be exhibiting at Seeds & Chips in Milano. The event takes place on 6-9 May 2019.
