Addressing the robust demand for alternative plant-based protein ingredients, agri-food titan ADM and food-tech player Benson Hill have entered a long-term strategic partnership to scale new soy ingredients. The partnership will serve a variety of applications within the savory, sweet and dairy categories.

The collaboration will leverage Benson Hill’s genomics research that develops less-processed proteins with significant water and carbon sustainability benefits.

ADM will process and commercialize a portfolio of proprietary ingredients derived from Benson Hill Ultra-High Protein (UHP) soybeans through an exclusive North American licensing partnership.

“Seed innovation underpins the seed-to-fork movement by solving food formulation challenges in the farmer’s field, creating ingredients that are better from the beginning,” comments Benson Hill CEO Matt Crisp.

“This partnership with ADM represents a major milestone in advancing our business to its next stage of growth, which also will serve to broaden our proprietary product portfolio and drive significant scale of ingredients derived from Benson Hill genetics.”

New era of plant genomics
Benson Hill’s CropOS technology platform combines food science, data science and plant science – in what the company describes as hallmarks of a “new era of plant genomics innovation.”

It brings together data analytics and biological knowledge to combine the genetic information of a plant, formulation needs of a customer, and data from farmers to help develop more nutritious, flavorful, and sustainable ingredients.

“Alternative meat and dairy sales alone are expected to grow 14% a year, reaching US$125 billion by 2030,” remarks Leticia Gonçalves, ADM’s president of Global Foods. “The global trends of food security and sustainability are driving significant and ongoing demand growth for alternative proteins.”

“ADM has expanded global capacity to meet that demand with the acquisition of Sojaprotein and the recently announced investment to enhance processing and supply capabilities and build a new protein solutions innovation center in Decatur, Illinois.”

In previous activities, Benson Hill has purchased a soybean crushing facility from Indiana-based Rose Acre Farms to expand its supply chain. Last year, it went public by merging with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), Star Peak Corp II, in a move that valued the agri-tech firm valued around US$2 billion. 

Crop science in focus
Crop genomics is growingly essential amid the impacts of climate change on the global food system. It is increasingly utilized among other agri-food players for emergent applications such as breeding high-protein chickpeas, raising the antioxidant properties in bananas, and identifying the specific health properties of polyphenols in cranberries.

A Ph.D. student in Australia recently discovered and mapped the sequence of an important gene underlying leaf rust resistance in barley. The finding could have significant implications in the fight against rust disease, which spreads across thousands of kilometers and decreases global food production by at least 10% annually.

In other research, scientists managed to sequence the entire genome of oats – signaling opportunities for breeding new varieties that are drought and heat resistant, as well as high yielding.

Last September, the UK announced it would be relaxing its policy surrounding the science of gene editing. However, the move has been met with some concerns around health and environmental safety.