Arcadia Biosciences wins patent for reduced-gluten wheat, plans direct-to-consumer sales

Arcadia Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ:RKDA) has been granted a patent for its reduced-gluten grains by the US Patent and Trademark office.

The patent is the 17th in Arcadia’s GoodWheat portfolio of non-GM, nutritionally-enhanced wheat, which also includes high-fiber resistant starch and extended shelf life varieties.

“This patent reaffirms Arcadia’s position as a leader in crop innovation, particularly in optimizing crops for higher nutritional value,” Vice President of Research and Development Randy Shultz said in a statement on Monday. “We continue to bring valuable and healthy innovation to wheat — one of the most widely consumed crops in the world — through our GoodWheat portfolio.”

The reduced gluten wheat contains 75% less allergenic gluten than traditional wheat, while also providing increased levels of essential amino acids and improved protein quality. 

READ: Arcadia Biosciences closes registered direct offering that raised about $10 million

Arcadia plans to retail a reduced gluten flour later this year, its first direct-to-consumer offering. Foods made using the GoodWheat flour don’t suffer any dropoff in quality, texture or taste, the company said.

“This is really an exciting time for Arcadia’s GoodWheat portfolio,” Chief Commercial Officer Sarah Reiter said in a statement. “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 research from The Cornell Group, there’s a subset of the population looking to do exactly that. They found that 26% of consumers reported that they were seeking to reduce gluten in their diet or cut it altogether.

Another promising sign comes from the Global Gluten Free Products Market Research Report, which estimates that the gluten-free products market will reach $9.14 billion by 2023.

Contact Andrew Kessel at [email protected] 

Follow him on Twitter @andrew_kessel

Story by ProactiveInvestors