Jason Ford

Starch potato gets European approval

News

The European Commission today approved Amflora, BASF’s genetically optimised starch potato, for the production of industrial starch in Europe.

‘After waiting for more than 13 years, we are delighted that the European Commission has approved Amflora,’ said Stefan Marcinowski, member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE.

BASF claims the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) regularly confirmed Amflora as safe for humans, animals and the environment during the approval process.

Now that the European Commission has given its approval to Amflora’s commercial cultivation, Sweden, as the rapporteur country, will formally issue its legal approval. The application for approval of Amflora was filed in Sweden in 1996.

Applications

According to BASF, Amflora produces pure amylopectin starch used in certain technical applications and is not expected to be used for food.

Amflora was developed in collaboration with experts from the European starch industry to respond to the demand for pure amylopectin starch.

Conventional potatoes produce a mixture of amylopectin and amylose starch. For many technical applications, such as in the paper, textile and adhesives industries, pure amylopectin is advantageous, but separating the two starch components is uneconomical.

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