In an effort to develop a better soybean that could produce oils serving as a commercial alternative to palm oil, Minnesota-based Calyxt Inc. is teaming up with an Asian food ingredient manufacturer to come up with the plant.
The soybean would provide health benefits and the oil could address some of the challenges that palm oil presents, including its impact on biodiversity as well as food miles, according to a news release from Calyxt, a plant-based technology company.
"Our research collaboration with this leading global food ingredient manufacturer is an important validation of our technology platform and marks Calyxt's evolution to a partner-driven innovation model," Michael A. Carr, president and chief executive officer of Calyxt, said in the press release. “This collaboration addresses our partner's sustainability need and leverages our company's strong foundational research and unique understanding of plant metabolism built over the course of a decade.”
In the news release, Calyxt noted that the agreement also includes a commercial option for the partner, who was not named, and Calyxt could receive up to $35 million over the course of the two-year agreement.
As part of the partnership, Calyxt noted in the release that it will tap its proprietary technology, which is based on its knowledge of plant genomes and pathways.
Using this technology, the company noted in the release that it can engineer plant metabolism to accelerate development and create a plant more quickly than other methods.