Israeli Biotechnology Group Rahan Meristem Moves into Bio Diesel Crop Engineering

ROSH HANIKRA, Israel - January 20, 2010: Rahan Meristem LTD is announcing its engagement in developing protocols in the area of Bio Diesel for mass propagation of elite selected plants.

“Researchers have attempted to improve oil content and quality, but so far very little progress has been made in the area of Bio Diesel crops genetic engineering. Transformation and regeneration by tissue culture comprise the main limitations.”

Rahan Meristem, is currently involved in research in the area of Bio Diesel. The major bottleneck in Bio Diesel research is clonal propagation of selected material.

To this end, Rahan Meristem, a world class leader in tissue culture has success in the arena of protocols for mass propagation of castor beans and Jatropha. In addition, Rahan Meristem is developing transformation protocols for the two species.

Bio Diesel is an ester made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or other types of biomass.

The Bio Diesel Production process is the trans-esterification of oil extracted from Jatropha (India, Africa) and castor bean (Africa, China, South America)

“… The mechanism of the Kyoto Treaty (CDM) is now in force to reduce industrial and commercial greenhouse gas emissions- planting of bio fuel crops may well create carbon sinks that can earn cash through their sale of emission credits to polluting industries in developed countries.”

Genetic engineering increases plant oil yield, enhances the oxidative stability of the oil, renders the plants resistant to biotic stress (fungi, bacteria, diseases, nematodes, insects), abiotic stress (salinity, drought, heat, cold, marginal soils), control plant height for ease of mechanical harvesting. Over the years, Rahan Meristem has isolated several genes from unicellular algae that confer resistance to drought and salinity. This battery of genes are expected to greatly improve the efficacy of the culture of Bio Diesel crops in low rainfall climates.

Rahan Meristem has a long and successful history with transformation of recalcitrant plants from different botanical families.

Dr. Eli Khayat, scientific director of Rahan Meristem offered: “Lately, we successfully grew model plants in high concentrations of salt. Our main goal is to develop and bring to market transgenic Jatropha and castor bean clones that confer resistance to salinity and drought.”

On Bio Diesel transformation protocols, improvement progress to date Dr Khayat commented, “Researchers have attempted to improve oil content and quality, but so far very little progress has been made in the area of Bio Diesel crops genetic engineering. Transformation and regeneration by tissue culture comprise the main limitations.”

About Rahan Meristem:

Rahan Meristem is a world leader in plant propagation, breeding, and biotechnology with more than 30 years experience. The company is a world expert in the laboratory production of tissue culture plants.

The R&D department of Rahan Meristem is engaged in various projects leading to germplasm improvement via tools of recombinant DNA technology. The main emphasis is development of transgenic bananas resistant to pests and diseases. In recent years, Rahan Meristem’s R&D partnered with other Israeli companies and academic researchers to develop bio-informatic platforms for modulating secondary metabolites related to taste, aroma, and health properties. The main objective of this project is to improve the quality of fruit and vegetables for the benefit of the consumer.

Rahan Meristem has subsidiary companies in Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Columbia South America.

Every year, Rahan Meristem exports over 10 million plants to more than 20 different countries around the globe.

Rahan Meristem is devoted to quality and the highest performance; it is ISO 9001:2000 certified.

For more information visit www.rahan.co.il.