JUNK FOOD GOES HIGH TECH 

JUNK FOOD IS GOING HI-TECH. BIO-TECH TOO.

THE WHOLE FIELD OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IS ROCKETING ALONGSIDE ITS HARD TECH COUSINS. WHILE COMMUNICATIONS, COMPUTERS AND OUTER SPACE HAVE COMMANDED RECENT HEADLINES, SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS IS BEING MADE BY MANY SOFT-TECH COMPANIES.

ONE EAGER ASPIRANT TO DEVELOP AND CAPTURE A SEGMENT OF THE FIELD OF AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY IS THE DNA PLANT TECHNOLOGY CORP. OF CINNAMINSON, NEW JERSEY. THEY CLAIM THEIR FIRST GENERATION OF "VEGISNAX" WILL BE CRISPIER, CRUNCHIER AND SWEETER. THEY WILL ALSO BE MORE NUTRITIOUS WITH LOWER CALORIE CONTENT. THIS WILL BE THE NEWEST IN FRESH, READY-TO-EAT VEGETABLES IN SNACK-SIZE PACKAGING. CONSUMER TEST PANELS GAVE HIGH MARKS TO THEIR ORIGINAL TEST PRODUCTS AND NOW A SECOND GENERATION OF THESE LINES IS BEING DEVELOPED WITH EVEN MORE DESIRABLE TRAITS OPTIMALLY COMBINED.

YOU WILL BE HEARING MORE IN THE FUTURE ABOUT "VALUE- ADDED PLANT- BASED PRODUCTS" WHICH ARE NOW BEING DEVELOPED FOR BOTH CONSUMER AND INDUSTRIAL MARKETS. BASICALLY IT MEANS THAT DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS IN A WIDE RANGE OF VEGETABLES, MAJOR CEREAL GRAINS, TROPICAL PLANTS AND OTHER CROPS ARE BEING GREATLY ENHANCED THROUGH VARIATIONS OF CLONAL AND PROTOPLAST FUSION TO APPEAR IN SUCH CROPS IN A MUCH SHORTER TIME FRAME THAN VIA TRADITIONAL BREEDING TECHNIQUES.

DESIRED TRAITS INCLUDE INCREASED SOLID CONTENT FOR PROCESSING TOMATOES; SUPERIOR TASTING FRESH MARKET TOMATOES; MORE CRISP, CRUNCH AND SWEETNESS IN CARROTS, CELERY AND OTHER VEGETABLES. ENHANCED FLAVORS AND FRAGRANCE COMPOUNDS WHICH NATURALLY OCCUR IN VARIOUS PLANTS ARE BEING INTRODUCED GENETICALLY AS WELL AS INCREASED OIL, STARCH AND/OR PROTEIN CONTENT IN CORN, WHEAT AND RICE.

PROTOPLAST FUSION IS ANOTHER NEW ANGLE IN THE BID TO PRODUCE BETTER, TASTIER AND MORE PRODUCTIVE FOODS. THIS PROCESS ALLOWS SCIENTISTS TO COMBINE DIFFERENT TRAITS IN CROPS BY DISSOLVING THE WALLS AROUND CELLS FROM DIFFERENT PLANTS AND FUSING THE CONTENTS. A BIG JUMP FROM THE SIMPLE GRAFTING OF THE PAST.

IN A JOINT VENTURE WITH KOPPERS COMPANY, DNA PLANT TECHNOLOGY ARE WORKING ON A DISEASE DIAGNOSTIC KIT TO DETECT TURF GRASS DISEASES. WITH CAMPBELL SOUP CO. THEY HAVE A JOINT VENTURE TO DEVELOP IMPROVED VARIETIES OF PROCESSING TOMATOES (A $500 MILLION ANNUAL MARKET) PLUS FRESH MARKET TOMATOES (ANOTHER $500 MILLION ANNUAL BUSINESS). A HALF DOZEN OTHER MAJOR COMPANIES HAVE ALSO TURNED RESEARCH CONTRACTS OVER TO DNA PLANT TECHNOLOGY.

A RECENT MOVE PUT THEM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FIRMENICH OF GENEVA, SWITZERLAND -- ONE OF THE MAJOR WORLD PLAYERS IN THE FLAVOR AND FRAGRANCE FIELD -- TO DEVELOP THROUGH BIOTECHNOLOGY NEW, COST- EFFECTIVE AND RELIABLE METHODS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF VARIOUS PLANT- DERIVED RAW MATERIALS FOR THIS INDUSTRY. MORE INFORMATION : RICHARD LASTER, DNA PLANT TECHNOLOGY CORP., 103 S. BEDFORD RD., MT. KISCO, NEW YORK 10549.

PHONE: (914) 241-4959

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