Natural plant hormone trans-zeatin is accessible at reduced cost for post-harvest applications through biotech production platform patented by Acies Bio

Reducing food waste has become a pressing challenge as the world moves towards more sustainable food production and supply. Postharvest treatments that are natural and low-risk offer a promising solution for preserving the quality and shelf life of harvested crops. One such treatment is the use of cytokinins, a class of plant hormones known for their various biological activities, including the prevention of plant senescence. By slowing down the aging process, cytokinins can extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, presenting a significant opportunity for reducing food waste. Cytokinins are a versatile plant hormone class that is crucial in promoting cell division, differentiation, and plant growth and development. In addition to their role in preventing senescence, cytokinins also regulate various processes such as shoot and root development, leaf expansion, and plant immunity. Exogenously applied cytokinins are also used to increase crop yields, improve the quality of fruits and vegetables, and regulate root system development. The most used cytokinin in commercial applications is 6-benzyladenine (BA), which is currently produced using chemical synthesis. However, the lack of cost-efficient methods for producing natural cytokinins in the past led to the introduction of this unnatural bioactive molecule into the food chain without a complete understanding of its long-term effects. Conversely, the most potent naturally occurring cytokinin, trans-zeatin, is not widely used due to the prohibitive costs of production. Acies Bio makes trans-zeatin available at a cost-competitive price with chemical cytokinin analoguesACIES BIO has developed a platform to produce natural cytokinins, as well as an efficient bioprocess to produce trans-zeatin, the most efficient natural cytokinin molecule. The process is expected to 100-fold lower the cost of trans-zeatin production compared to the current production methods. The advantage of microbially-produced trans-zeatin is that it is more sustainable than traditional methods of production. The process of producing trans-zeatin through microbial fermentation has several benefits compared to traditional chemical synthesis methods as it diminishes the potential health and safety hazards associated with chemical synthesis. This makes the microbial fermentation process a more environmentally friendly and safer option for trans-zeatin production. Trans-zeatin in post-harvest treatmentsIn the post-harvest segment, trans-zeatin has been found to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables by slowing down the ageing process. This could be a key point for commercial growers or consumers that are looking for long-lasting and fresher products without unnecessary chemical additives. For example:     - A study found that treatments with plant growth regulators not only can delay maturing and softening of bananas and broccoli but can also maintain the colour and resist fungal infection to extend the shelf life (1).     - The effects of post-harvest application of cytokinins on post-harvest quality of horticultural fruit: apple, olives, peach, pear, litchi, calamondin, cucumber, and squash, have been summarized (2).     - In another study, researchers found that cytokinin treatment improved the storage quality and delayed senescence in harvested litchi fruit (3).     - Results in the study suggest that post-harvest cytokinin treatment enhances antioxidant capacity, delays leaf senescence, and inhibits chlorophyll degradation, thereby maintaining the quality of Chinese cabbage during storage (4)     - Cytokinins can also promote flowering and increase the longevity of flowers and leaves after the harvest in a variety of ornamental plants (5).  These and other promising results suggest that trans-zeatin could be a valuable tool for the post-harvest treatment of vegetables, especially for high-value crops that require longer shelf lives and better-quality preservation. The new plant growth regulator, identical to the molecules naturally present in our food chain, will be easy to use and apply, sustainably produced and possibly a safer alternative to current cytokinin products. Partnering with Acies BioBased on its unique cytokinin platform technology Acies Bio is looking for partners that are interested in further development of technologies and applications for trans-zeatin and other natural cytokinins with the goal to bring them to the post-harvest market. In the future, Acies Bio is planning to use its European-based fermentation facility to produce the cytokinin active ingredients at a commercial scale. We expect our partners to be experts in the application of the post-harvest treatment, able to perform functionality testing, and regulatory-related activities, and launch the newly developed products to the market. Samples of trans-zeatin are also available for evaluation purposes. Acies Bio is an R&D-specialized biotechnology company using its unique expertise in microbial physiology, strain development and improvement, media optimization, bioprocess development, and isolation of target compounds to develop innovative biologicals for sustainable agriculture. Acies Bio cooperates with numerous partners from the industry – either as an R&D service provider or as a long-term development partner, leveraging on our technological expertise in biotechnology and partners’ in-depth understanding of unmet market needs. FiguresFigure 1. Comparison of fresh and yellowing broccoli Figure 2. Positive effects of post-harvest treatment with cytokinin (6-benzyladenine) on leaf yellowing index of Chinese flowering cabbage (Zhang et. al., 2023)Figure 3. Chemical structure of trans-zeatin and purified final product produced and isolated by Acies Bio ContactAcies Bio Ltd., Tehnološki park 21, SI-1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaEmail: info@aciesbio.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/acies-bio-ltd-/Webpage: www.aciesbio.com References1. Huang H., Jiang Y. Effect of plant growth regulators on banana fruit and broccoli during storage. Sci. Horticulturae. 2012;145:62–67.2. Aremu AO, Fawole OA, Makunga NP, Masondo NA, Moyo M, Buthelezi NMD, Amoo SO, Spíchal L, Dole?al K. Applications of Cytokinins in Horticultural Fruit Crops: Trends and Future Prospects. Biomolecules. 2020 Aug 22;10(9):1222.3. Fahima A, Levinkron S, Maytal Y, Hugger A, Lax I, Huang X, Eyal Y, Lichter A, Goren M, Stern R, Harpaz-Saad S. Cytokinin treatment modifies litchi fruit pericarp anatomy leading to reduced susceptibility to post-harvest pericarp browning. Plant Science. Volume 283, June 2019, Pages 41-50.4. Zhang L, Shi X, Hou H, Lin Q, Zhu S, Wang G. 6-Benzyladenine Treatment Maintains Storage Quality of Chinese Flowering Cabbage by Inhibiting Chlorophyll Degradation and Enhancing Antioxidant Capacity. Plants 2023, 12(2), 334.5. Janowska B, Andrzejak R. Cytokinins and Gibberellins Stimulate the Flowering and Post-Harvest Longevity of Flowers and Leaves of Calla Lilies (Zantedeschia Spreng.) with Colourful Inflorescence Spathes. Agronomy 2022, 12(8), 1859,