SUMMERLAND, British Columbia,
Sept. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/
-- Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON), a leader in the
engineering and industrialization of biology to improve the quality
of life and health of the planet, today announced its subsidiary
Okanagan Specialty Fruits (OSF) has been granted deregulated status
for its third nonbrowning Arctic® apple variety, the
Arctic® Fuji, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS).
Arctic® Fuji apples have been found to be as safe
and nutritious as conventional apples, joining OSF's
Arctic® Golden and Arctic® Granny
varieties.
"The response to Arctic® Fuji apples and our overall
platform to deliver direct benefits to consumers has been
encouraging," said Neal Carter,
Okanagan Specialty Fruits' founder and president. "We are
confident the positive feedback we have received will translate to
the marketplace."
The approval follows a review of OSF's petition for extension by
USDA APHIS and the successful conclusion of a comment period that
solicited public feedback on the application. In an announcement
from USDA APHIS, Michael J. Firko,
APHIS Deputy Administrator, explained that "this determination of
nonregulated status of [Arctic® Fuji] apples is the most
scientifically sound and appropriate regulatory decision."
OSF's Arctic® apples have been improved through a
reduction of the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO), the primary cause
of browning in fruit. The Arctic Advantage™ nonbrowning
solution becomes apparent when an apple is sliced, bitten or
bruised. Importantly, Arctic® apples provide this
benefit without the use of flavor-altering chemical
additives. Moving forward Okanagan Specialty Fruits will
continue to focus on developing Arctic® nonbrowning tree
fruits while expanding acreage of the approved Arctic®
Golden, Arctic® Granny and Arctic® Fuji
apples.
About Intrexon Corporation
Intrexon Corporation (NYSE:
XON) is Powering the Bioindustrial Revolution with Better
DNA™ to create biologically-based products that improve
the quality of life and the health of the planet. The
Company's integrated technology suite provides its partners across
diverse markets with industrial-scale design and development of
complex biological systems delivering unprecedented control,
quality, function, and performance of living cells. We call
our synthetic biology approach Better DNA®, and we
invite you to discover more at www.dna.com or follow us on Twitter
at @Intrexon, on Facebook, and LinkedIn.
About Okanagan Specialty Fruits™
Okanagan
Specialty Fruits Inc. (OSF) is a small, dynamic biotechnology
company based in Summerland, British
Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1996, and acquired by Intrexon
Corporation (NYSE: XON) as a wholly owned subsidiary in
April 2015, OSF specializes in
developing tree fruit varieties with novel attributes that benefit
fruit producers and consumers alike. For consumer information,
visit www.arcticapples.com; for information about the company and
partnership opportunities, visit www.okspecialtyfruits.com.
Trademarks
Intrexon, Powering the Bioindustrial
Revolution with Better DNA, and Better DNA are trademarks of
Intrexon and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of
their respective owners.
Safe Harbor Statement
Some of the statements made in
this press release are forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations
and projections about future events and generally relate to our
plans, objectives and expectations for the development of our
business. Although management believes that the plans and
objectives reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking
statements are reasonable, all forward-looking statements involve
risks and uncertainties and actual future results may be materially
different from the plans, objectives and expectations expressed in
this press release.
For more information, contact:
Investor
Contact:
Christopher
Basta
Vice President, Investor Relations
Tel: +1 (561) 410-7052
investors@intrexon.com
Corporate Contact:
Marie
Rossi, Ph.D.
Senior Manager, Technical Communications
Tel: +1 (301) 556-9850
publicrelations@intrexon.com
Media Contact:
Jessica
Brady
Marketing Communications Specialist
Tel: +1 (250) 404-0101
media@okspecialtyfruits.com
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SOURCE Intrexon Corporation