[World’s First]  A New Technology for Microorganism Development: “Neutron Beam Breeding”. Create new strains of microorganisms within a month at the shortest. For the development of food and pharmaceutical raw materials.

Quantum Flowers & Foods has launched a neutron breeding service that enables dramatically more efficient development of microorganisms for industrial use. The service will be introduced at exhibitions such as BioJapan2023, Asia’s largest bio-industry exhibition, which will be held from October 11.

 

 

Innovation in Microorganism Development: Neutron Breeding

QFF has developed radiation breeding technology to select and breed useful traits by irradiating biological resources with neutron beams, a type of radiation, to induce mutations.

We have been providing neutron irradiation services mainly for the development of new strains of agricultural plants, but in order to apply this technology to biological resources in general, we have conducted a series of demonstration experiments with the cooperation of our business partner SetsuroTec Inc., our business partner, Tohoku University, and the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), among others.

As a result, we have confirmed that neutron irradiation is effective in generating mutants of microorganisms, and have decided to introduce a neutron mutation breeding service to support the development of microorganisms for a wide range of industrial applications.

Unlike plants, microorganisms (microalgae, yeast, fungi, etc.) do not interbreed, so to improve their functions, we have no choice but to artificially change their genetic information by means of direct manipulation of genes, such as genome editing and genetic recombination, or by inducing mutations.

The former method cannot be applied unless the function of the genome is known, and is difficult in terms of versatility. The latter method, “mutagenesis,” is easier to use for microorganisms. However, the radiation (gamma rays and heavy ion rays) used in the past has an electrical charge that does not penetrate water in culture media, making uniform irradiation difficult and limiting its application to a limited range. This difficulty in development is one of the reasons why 99% of the genes of microorganisms are still unknown.

To solve this problem, QFF has developed a method to optimize the dose of neutron irradiation for microorganisms using our patented neutron beam breeding technology, and has made it possible to “efficiently generate mutants of microorganisms,” which was previously difficult. We are proud of the fact that this technology can make a significant contribution to companies and institutions that develop microorganisms for industrial use, and we believe that it is an epoch-making technology that has no alternative in the world.

 

Microorganism Development and Neutron Breeding Services: Prospects

Industrial microorganisms are used in all parts of industry, including food and pharmaceutical raw materials, cosmetics, chemical industry raw materials, biofuels and bioplastics, and are a renewable resource. In order to realize a sustainable society by solving global issues such as climate change, food security, carbon neutrality and negativity, etc., research and development is being conducted worldwide in many fields.

Therefore, we believe that the significance and applicability of our efforts to elucidate microorganisms that have been 99% unexplored in the past will be very significant in the future.

QFF is committed to generating mutants of microorganisms that can bring progress to these research and development efforts through neutron breeding technology. In addition to neutron irradiation services for mutagenesis, QFF, in cooperation with its partner companies, will undertake the development of bioresources for the required traits.

Through these efforts, QFF aims to become a company that contributes to the creation of a sustainable society by maximizing the capabilities of various “cells,” including microorganisms, plants, and animals.

 

Exhibit Information

*all in Japan

• [BioJapan2023 ]  Venue: Pacifico Yokohama   ➡︎ October 11(Wed)-13(Fri), 2023
• [Monozukuri Fair 2023]  Venue: Marine Messe Fukuoka   ➡︎October 18(Wed)-20(Fri), 2023
• [Agribusiness Creation Fair 2023]  Venue: Tokyo Big Sight South Hall 2   ➡︎November 20(Mon)-22(Wed), 2023