US food tech start-up Pairwise, to market leafy greens to the market soon

Pairwise, an American based food tech company in Durham is set to launch leafy greens to the market very soon. The firm, which uses gene-editing tools to accelerate innovation in fruits and vegetables, have something in the works that they hope will inspire many, many new consumers to taste their leafy greens shortly. The company is aiming to increase the nutrition quality of the food using biotechnology and genetic engineering techniques.

Pairwise has already developed Brassica juncea, a leafy green part of the same family of vegetables as Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and kale. With the help of new genetic engineering and genetic editing technology known as CRISPR (Clustered, Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), the company has leveraged good traits of Brassica juncea, such as its high nutrient density and natural resistance to pests, and diminished its less-favorable characteristics such as its pungent flavor.

The Head of the commercial at Pairwise stated, "we have taken the heat of Brassica juncea down a notch with our new varieties. And instead, we've created new leafy greens that have mild, crunchy, fresh flavors." The new greens' nutrition profiles are superior to those they could substitute for in a salad such as spinach or romaine. Pairwise is on a mission to dramatically increase fruit and vegetable consumption by providing consumers with new varieties that are appealing and full of nutrients.