PoLoPo, a molecular farming company, today, announced final plans for a pilot-scale production plant to process its transgenic high-protein potatoes and manufacture its protein powders following a 5-ton successful harvest of protein-rich potatoes. PoLoPo is the first company in the world to grow such a crop at scale.

The facility, estimated to cost less than $1 million to fully equip, includes machinery for potato cleaning and crushing, as well as functional protein purification and spray-drying machines. Because these proteins can be extracted and dried on standard food processing equipment in use worldwide, PoLoPo is able to keep facility costs low. The same plans can be used as-is or slightly adapted for future plants in other regions.

The project was designed with the help of NIRAS, a global engineering consultancy specializing in infrastructure, green energy, and sustainable development, including protein and agriculture industries. NIRAS, headquartered in Allerød, Denmark, is a signatory to the UN Global Compact, a program upholding universal sustainability principles and supporting UN goals.

 "PoLoPo’s pilot facility design strikes the right balance between cost efficiency and functionality, ensuring a scalable and capital-conscious approach,” says Tom Britton, NIRAS project manager. “Additionally, the facility’s design and process take into account industrial machinery requirements, allowing for future growth and seamless scale-up.”

“Having the design plans for our first facility positions us to begin construction as soon as we’re able, and although this phase was completed ahead of schedule, we’re confident we will not wait long to move forward,” says PoLoPo CEO Maya Sapir-Mir.   

PoLoPo uses proprietary metabolic engineering techniques to turn potato plants into micro-biofactories. Potato plants manufacture and store the target proteins in the tuber. Tubers are harvested when they reach sufficient size, then their proteins are extracted and dried into a functional protein powder that can integrate seamlessly into current food processing lines and formulations.

Related: PoLoPo increases lab-scale sample production of potato plants