Recent innovations in produce have been rapidly adopted due to the significant benefits they provide consumers, such as improved flavor, consistency, and convenience. The newest of those adoptions is a gene-edited, seedless blackberry.
For the first caneberry trait of its kind, Pairwise developed the seedless blackberry using CIRSPR applications in plants through the company’s Fulcrum Platform.
The new development can potentially transform the blackberry market — Pairwise’s data indicates that more than 30 percent of berry buyers do not like the seeds. The advancement also lays the groundwork for accelerated progress in removing seeds and pits in many other fruits, such as cherries.
“Pairwise scientists have used their deep knowledge of plant genetics, broad suite of CRISPR tools, and multiplex editing techniques to eliminate the hard pits in berry fruit, creating soft, small seeds like those found in grapes and watermelon that are commonly labeled as seedless,” said Ryan Bartlett, Pairwise Chief Technology Officer. “The result is the first seedless blackberry in the world. We expect that this trait will not only transform the blackberry market, but it also lays the groundwork for accelerated progress in removing seeds and pits in many other fruits such as cherries.”
The berry’s high-density compact and thornless traits are something the company hopes will contribute to a more sustainable food system. With the absence of thorns and the reduced height of the more compact plant, the berry harvesters have better access to the fruit and can leave less on the plant, reducing waste.
With the precision of CRISPR, the thornless, compact traits came without changing the flavor of quality.
“We’re excited to advance these berries into the next phase of product development, including outdoor field trials, as we work toward scaling up and making them available to the public in a few years,” said Haven Baker, Pairwise Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer.
“A key challenge in our food system is helping people eat more high-quality, healthy foods. As part of our drive to increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables, we’re working to provide consumers with new, highly nutritious food options with improved flavor and convenience,” said Tom Adams, Pairwise Co-Founder and CEO. “With a deep understanding of the plant genome, an accurate, efficient, and scalable process, and streamlined pathway to commercialization, we are not only creating new products with our proprietary CRISPR technology, we are creating a new era of innovation in agriculture.”
»Related: CRISPR a tool for conservation, not just gene editing