Phytowelt GreenTechnologies

Phytowelt GreenTechnologies GmbH (Phytowelt) is a German plant biotech company that develops processes, products, and plants for various industrial applications. It was formed from a merger between Phytowelt and GreenTech in 2006. The company has six in-house technological platforms that are for phytomining, phytoediting, phytomass, somatic hybridization or protoplast fusion, plant tissue culture services, and double haploid breeding. 

The phytomining platform combines molecular biological analysis and process methods to produce terpene- and phenyl-propane-based products used in flavors, cosmetics, food supplements, natural colorings, and adhesives. The company has developed its patented natural raspberry flavor ingredient (R)-alpha-ionone.

Phytoediting is the genome editing platform that combines methods such as ODM (oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis), TALEN, and CRISPR-Cas with its protoplast technology to edit the genome of single cells and regenerate whole, edited, and non-transgenic plants that are disease- and climate-resistant for over 25 plant species.

Phytowelt is also developing its phytomass bio-refinery technology, which produces flavor ingredients and fine chemicals, where the carbon sources for the production organisms are obtained from biomass. 

The company’s somatic hybridization is a tissue-culture-based breeding technique that is achieved through protoplast fusion where the cells of two plants are merged using electric current and reagents to produce hybrid high-yielding crops.

The double haploid (DH) breeding selects desired breeding goals very early and safely resulting in the achievement of 100% pure heredity (homozygosity) within one generation (it would take many generations of targeted inbreeding in conventional breeding). Phytowelt produces various DH plants including barley, wheat, triticale, or carrots.  

Key customers and partnerships 

Phytowelt collaborated with Syngenta Flowers in January 2011 for a research project focusing on an undisclosed plant species, making use of Phytowelt’s tissue culture, biochemical and molecular analytical methods, and plant breeding methods.