News on Research from California

Scientists have discovered a way to remove toxic compounds from potatoes, making them safer to eat and easier to store. The breakthrough could cut food waste and enhance crop farming in space and other extreme environments.

Givaudan, the global leader in Taste & Wellbeing, MISTA, the world’s leading food innovation platform, and Bühler, a global technology partner for the food, feed, and mobility industries, announce the opening of a state-of-the-art extrusion hub at the MISTA Innovation Center in San Francisco. 

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Albany, California, have found a way to streamline the process that scientists use to insert multiple genes into a crop plant. Simplot is planning to use it to introduce multiple genes into potatoes to make them resistant to late blight

Potato Expo 2017, held January 4-6 in the city of San Francisco, featured one of the highest number of attendees and exhibitors, the second annual Spud Nation Throwdown Chef Cook-Off, and optimism over the future of the potato industry.

At the National Potato Council’s (NPC) 2017 Annual Meeting January 6-7 in San Francisco, Dwayne Weyers of Aspen Produce, LLC, in Center, Colorado, was elected to serve as NPC’s 2017 President and to lead the council’s Executive Committee.

Un grupo de investigadores han descubierto a través de restos de almidones las pruebas botánicas que muestran cómo fue la evolución del cultivo de la patata en los Andes en la época precolombina, según un estudio publicado en el número de esta semana de la revista PNAS.

Ceres, Inc. (NASDAQ: CERE), an agricultural biotechnology company, today announced that the company has licensed its Persephone bioinformatics software to global seed potato developer, HZPC Holland BV.

Key Technology strengthens its commitment to California food processors by expanding its Innovation and Solutions Center (ISC) and local service capabilities in Sacramento, California, USA.

I just came across a very interesting piece of research, that was also very nicely described in a blog post by one of the authors. A must read for marketers of potato chips - especially if you want to sell your chips expensive...

Given that world potato production is about 320 million tons per year (20 million tons per year in the United States) and world tomato production is about 120 million tons per year (13 million tons per year in the U.S.), late blight is a major problem worldwide even today.