Arcadia Biosciences receives patent for RS Wheat

Arcadia Biosciences has received a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for “Wheat with Increased Resistant Starch Levels."

The patent is for Arcadia’s non-genetically modified Resistant Starch (RS) Wheat lines. The RS wheat was developed using Arcadia’s proprietary wheat genetic diversity library, which is an extensive resource of wheat lines, with high-density variations in genetic composition and gene function.  A grant from the U.S. National Institutes for Health helped Arcadia to fund the RS Wheat project. 

The difference between conventional wheat and the Arcadia RS Wheat is that conventional wheat has very low levels of resistant starch and the RS Wheat has significantly higher levels of total dietary fiber, both whole grain flour and refined white flour. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends 25-38 grams of total dietary fiber, but Americans average only 16 grams of fiber a day.

“Because wheat is the world’s largest cultivated crop, it’s a key focus for the health-promoting benefits of resistant starch,” Arcadia President and CEO Eric Rey said. “RS Wheat creates the potential for wheat-based whole foods like pasta, bread and other baked goods with higher fiber and fewer additives. Foods like these may taste and perform like those made with refined wheat, but have significant additional health benefits. This could make a great contribution to global health, and represents a major financial opportunity for Arcadia.”