Arcadia Biosciences, Inc. announced the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded the company a patent for reduced gluten grains. This unique attribute was developed through Arcadia’s in-house breeding platform, which brings novel food innovations to consumers. The patent is the 17th in Arcadia’s GoodWheat portfolio of non-genetically modified (non-GM) wheat varieties, which includes high-fiber resistant starch, extended shelf life and now reduced gluten.
“This patent reaffirms Arcadia’s position as a leader in crop innovation, particularly in optimizing crops for higher nutritional value,” says Randy Shultz, vice president of research and development at Arcadia Biosciences. “We continue to bring valuable and healthy innovation to wheat, one of the most widely consumed crops in the world, through our GoodWheat portfolio.”
Arcadia’s reduced gluten wheat contains 75% less allergenic gluten content than traditional wheat, while also delivering improved protein quality and increased levels of essential amino acids such as lysine and histidine. Foods made with Arcadia’s reduced gluten wheat flour offer the same baking quality, taste and texture as traditional wheat. The company plans to offer a retail version to consumers later this year, in what will be the company’s first-ever direct-to-consumer product offering.
“This is really an exciting time for Arcadia’s GoodWheat portfolio,” adds Sarah Reiter, chief commercial officer at Arcadia. “Our dedicated investments and proprietary scientific research into wheat are finally coming to fruition through commercialization of our high fiber, extended shelf life and reduced gluten wheat flour ingredients. Our newest offering caters to a growing number of consumers looking to reduce their gluten intake, either as a result of a wheat sensitivity or simply because they feel or perform better when following a diet with lower levels of gluten.”
According to market research conducted by The Connell Group on behalf of Arcadia in 2018, 26 percent of consumers reported they were actively seeking to reduce their gluten intake or avoid it altogether. Additionally, according to the “Global Gluten-Free Products Market” report, the global gluten-free products market is projected to reach $9.14 billion in value by 2023.
