Equinom, a seed breeder, opens an R&D center.
The first company to create seeds specifically for the food sector, Equinom, Ltd., has established a new research and development facility in Kibbutz Givat Brenner. All of the company’s departments, including biochemistry, applications, sensory, and breeding, are housed in the new building. Equinom claims that this arrangement will facilitate departmental collaboration and communication during the seed breeding and development process, leading to a more accurate and efficient process.
Gil Shalev, CEO of Equinom, stated, “We faced a slew of challenges reshaping an antique warehouse into a modern facility.” But one of Equinom’s main principles is sustainability. Our choice to move into an existing warehouse rather than construct a brand-new facility is consistent with our mission to blend historical gems with cutting-edge features.
Four laboratories are housed in the new R&D center, which is more than three times larger than Equinom’s original building. These laboratories are dedicated to biochemistry, food applications, high-tech sensory, and seed processing.
According to Equinom, the biochemistry lab’s high-throughput capacity and analysis methods enable comprehensive examination of a seed strain’s nutritional profile (protein, oil/fat, fibers, starch, etc.).
Interpreting the needs of the food business from seed to table is made possible in the meantime by the food application laboratory. Equinom’s breeding technology can directly integrate inputs from food engineering.
“Clean label plant-based products are now in demand by consumers,” stated Itay Dana, vice president of marketing at Equinom. Finding palatable seed textures for meat substitutes, for instance, can significantly lessen the requirement for intensive processing. This implies that food producers are in a better position to give customers products with labeling that are clearer and cleaner. Equinom’s seeds have the potential to cut production costs by nearly 40% by using fewer ingredients, being less expensive, requiring fewer flavor enhancers, and fostering widespread customer acceptance..
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In order to improve the design of better-tasting food items, Equinom has built a new sensory laboratory with organoleptic instruments. One such tool is an advanced electronic nose, or “e-nose,” which the company claims can examine seeds for thousands of taste chemicals, minimizing off flavors. Additionally, the lab has an internal sensory panel that, according to Equinom, enables the business to identify the genetic origins of the “good” flavors and incorporate those traits into the breeding algorithms so that the final taste will be a necessary component of the seed’s breeding programs.
“By introducing the e-nose, we can more precisely target desirable traits and design seeds that yield products that appeal to the palate,” Mr. Shalev stated. It also lessens the requirement for maskers to prevent undesirable flavor notes, which is a positive.
Processing of seeds is done in the fourth lab. According to Equinom, the company’s collection of legume germplasm is currently housed in a new, larger climatized seed storage unit. The new R&D facility has 4,800 square feet devoted to seed processing.
Equinom announced the opening of a US facility in Indianapolis for offices and storage in addition to the new facility in Israel. The new building will house soybean, yellow pea, and sesame planting seeds—Equinom’s primary commercial goods—and serve as the company’s recruiting headquarters for the Midwest, according to Equinom.