GERMANTOWN, Md. — Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON), a leader in synthetic biology, today announced it has completed the acquisition of Okanagan Specialty Fruits (OSF), the pioneering agricultural company behind the Arctic® apple, the world's first non-browning apple without the use of any flavor-altering chemical or antioxidant additives. OSF's vision and ground-breaking effort in responsibly harnessing the power of technology to produce wholesome, nutritious food that is more appetizing and convenient to consumers is aligned with Intrexon's strategy in the Food sector. The combination of the talented OSF team under the continued leadership of Neal Carter, OSF Founder and President, and Intrexon's technology platform opens the door to novel, designer foods that support the evolving healthy diet choices of today's consumer.
"Arctic® apples' nonbrowning trait creates a wide array of benefits that offer value to the entire supply chain, especially consumers," Mr. Carter said. "Arctic® apples have been planted for 12 years, and have completed review processes with the USDA, FDA, CFIA and Health Canada, who concluded they are as safe and nutritious as traditional apple varieties. We look forward to bringing better versions of consumers' favorite fruits to their grocery stores and kitchens."
Marrying the art of fruit breeding with cutting-edge science has resulted in the Arctic® apple, an elegantly engineered solution to what is more than a pesky cosmetic problem. Solving apples' browning offers benefits and savings on the farm, at the packinghouse, across retail, and most importantly for the consumer. In addition to enabling higher volumes of better quality fruit reaching consumers at a lower cost, the reduction of substantial food waste from the farm to the home has positive implications for environmental sustainability.
The upward trend in healthier food consumption combined with the convenience factor has driven significant growth in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, and enhancing apple varieties to not brown when bitten, sliced or bruised improves their fresh-cut suitability. Intrexon and OSF are focused on bringing small quantities of these Arctic® apples to market in late 2016, with increasing amounts of fruit becoming available each successive year. In addition to the recently approved Arctic® Golden and Arctic® Granny apples, OSF is preparing to submit two additional apple varieties for approval – Arctic® Fuji and Arctic® Gala – and is also developing beneficial traits in other tree fruits including peaches, cherries and pears.
"We are enthusiastic for the potential of the Arctic® apple and the future products that will build on the OSF platform which ultimately will create novel foods that promote health and delight the consumer," commented Thomas R. Kasser, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Head of Intrexon's Food Sector. "Powering the bioindustrial revolution in our Food Sector means providing an ever-growing population with easier access to healthy high-quality foods so we look forward to seeing the OSF products, along with our other programs in plants and animals, advancing sustainable bio-based solutions that improve the efficiency of food production while increasing consumer appeal and satisfaction."
About Intrexon Corporation
Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON) is a leader in synthetic biology focused on collaborating with companies in Health, Food, Energy, Environment, and Consumer sectors to create biologically-based products that improve the quality of life and the health of the planet. Through the Company's proprietary UltraVector® platform and integrated technology suite, Intrexon provides its partners with industrial-scale design and development of complex biological systems delivering unprecedented control, quality, function, and performance of living cells. We call our synthetic biology approach Better DNA®, and we invite you to discover more at www.dna.com.
Trademarks
Intrexon, UltraVector and Better DNA are trademarks of Intrexon and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Okanagan Specialty Fruits and Arctic are trademarks of Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc.
Safe Harbor Statement
Some of the statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and projections about future events and generally relate to our plans, objectives and expectations for the development of our business. Although management believes that the plans and objectives reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and actual future results may be materially different from the plans, objectives and expectations expressed in this press release.
Source: Intrexon Corporation