GM starch spud Amflora gets the go-ahead from EU

摘要

Last month the EU Commission approved a second GM crop for cultivation in the EU. Philip Case looks at what it means. The Amflora potato, developed by BASF, which has been specifically designed to be used in the European potato starch industry. Europeproduces about 2m tonnes of potato starch a year. Conventional potato starch is a mixture of 80% amylopectin and 20% amylose, but only the amylopectin part is required for many industrial uses, such as paper, textiles and adhesives. BASF has genetically engineered the Amflora potato to produce 98% amylopectin, which will save having to separate the two types of starch, and make the process more economic.