FDA gives clearance to Simplot’s Innate potato variety

The JR Simplot Company has completed the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) food and feed safety consultation for its first generation of Innate potato varieties.

The consultation has concluded the potatoes to be safe and nutritious.

Simplot has been working with growers and retailers to develop potato varieties with improved traits, to benefit consumers, food producers and growers.

The Innate variety claims to have fewer black spots from bruising and will stay white for a longer duration, even after cutting or peeling.

They also have lower levels of naturally-occurring asparagine, resulting in less acrylamide when cooked at high temperatures.

The company has developed the variety by triggering the potato’s own RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, with the use of modern biotechnology.

Owing to the potatoes being less prone to pressure bruising during storage, wastage is expected to be reduced substantially.

The potatoes will be available in three Innate varieties in limited quantities in the fresh and fresh-cut markets.

Michigan State University Department of Crop and Soil Sciences Dr David Douches has implemented field trials of Innate. Douches said: "The Innate potato is the most promising advancement in the potato industry I’ve seen in my 30 years studying agriculture.

"This potato delivers significant health and sustainability benefits, all by using the potato’s own DNA. Such advancements haven’t been possible using traditional breeding."

The company has also developed a second generation of Innate potatoes, which is currently being reviewed by the USDA and the US Environmental Protection Agency, that features increased resistance to late blight disease, and better storage ability, which will result in reduced reliance on fungicides, and fewer rejected potatoes.

Simplot Plant Sciences vice-president and general manager Haven Baker said: "The potato is an important and nutritious food staple, but susceptible to damage when grown and stored. Innate has the potential to reduce post-harvest food waste and help meet the demand for better, more sustainable crops in the years ahead."

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Image: Innate Russet Burbank potato (left) next to a conventional Russet Burbank potato (right) 30 minutes after peeling. Photo courtesy: JR Simplot Company.