BioHarvest Sciences Inc (NASDAQ:BHST, FRA:8MV0) said that it has completed the first stage of a multi-stage development agreement with SaffronTech, establishing a stable saffron cell bank that the company says could one day offer a sustainable alternative to one of the world's most expensive agricultural commodities.
The Nasdaq-listed biotech said completion of Stage 1 has triggered the start of Stage 2 under the ongoing agreement, which will focus on using its patented Botanical Synthesis platform to generate enough biomass to support pre-commercial testing and product development for nutraceutical and culinary applications.
The cell bank created in Stage 1 contains saffron's key bioactive compounds, including crocin, picrocrocin, and safranal, which are associated with the spice's sensory characteristics and health properties.
Under the terms of the agreement, BioHarvest retains a 25% ownership stake in the saffron composition being developed, and will earn manufacturing royalties on any future saffron compound produced on its platform.
"Saffron is one of the world's most expensive and scientifically researched plants, yet its traditional supply chain faces major sustainability, ethical, and scalability limitations," said Dr Zaki Rakib, CEO of BioHarvest Sciences. "By establishing stable saffron cell cultures containing the plant's key bioactive compounds, we have demonstrated the potential to produce saffron-derived ingredients that can eventually be scaled to meet significant existing unmet market demand."
Michael Oster, CEO of SaffronTech, said the milestone validates the potential of Botanical Synthesis technology to redefine how saffron-based ingredients can be produced sustainably and consistently for health-focused and culinary markets.
In Stage 2, the saffron cells stored in the cell bank will be propagated in liquid medium bioreactors to generate biomass for formulation development and validation.