BASF
plant biotechnology industry is expected to be
US$50 billion.
This rise in the profile of ag biotech has led
BASF to produce its first GM product – Amflora,
a potato containing no amylose, an unusable
component of potato starch that traditionally
has been highly expensive to remove. Such a
product offers advantages to the textile, paper
and adhesive industries, with less energy
and resource consumption and higher product
quality and process efficiency. However, despite
these apparent benefits and the fact that the
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) stated
in February 2006 that Amflora is as safe for
humans, animals and the environment as
any conventional potato, it is yet to receive
approval for cultivation from the EU. Neither
the EU Regulatory Committee in 2006 nor the
EU Council of Ministers in 2007 were able to
reach a decision on allowing the cultivation of
the GM potato.
BASF is, however, confident that the EU
Commission (to whom the case has now been
referred) will soon grant the final approval.
Indeed the decision is expected within the
next few weeks and cultivation is planned for
2008, with an estimated peak licensing income
of €20-30 million per year. Though other
companies such as the Dutch starch company
AVEBE are currently working on similar low-
amylose potatoes, Richard Trethaway, scientific
director at BASF metanomics says that Amflora
will be, by far, the first GM potato of its kind to
be grown in Europe.
Focus on high yields
Though Amflora is at present the only product
that BASF has submitted for commercialisation,
there are numerous other projects its plant
Horticulturalist Olaf Woiwode transfers new genes to Arabidopsis thaliana at BASF’s
science and metanomics divisions are
metanomics facility
developing. For example, much work is being
undertaken with regards to developing higher
Efficacy and Quality
Regulatory efficacy studies for National and European submissions
Pol. Ind. Les Valletes
C/ Artes gráficas, 44 Nave 1A
Specialist GLP field trials for plants residue and post-harvest trials
46192 Monserrat (Valencia) España
GLP trials on processing of samples
Tel: + 34 96 298 61 43 Fax: + 34 96 298 81 42
(juice, jam, olive oil, rice processing…)
E-mail: trialcamp@trialcamp.es GLP Effects on arthropods other than bees
GEP Certificate: E0R15/96
GLP Effects on bees
GLP Certificate: 8/BPL12
 December 2007  •  www.agrow.com
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