The History of Barley.
Barley has always played an important part in human history. Growing like a grass, it was one of the first domesticated grains, used for both food and brewing, and it contributed to a shift in human culture in Eurasian civilisations. For us, barley possesses unique characteristics, qualities that make it perfectly suited to our biotechnology needs – it is the perfect host for producing plant-based growth factors.
First and foremost is the fact that barley is a closed biological system: it’s self-pollinating, meaning its pollen will not pollinate flowers on a different plant. Not only is interspecies cross-pollination impossible, but the barley plant will not even pollinate another, identical barley plant growing mere feet away. This is extremely important in terms of purity, but it is also vital for contained, responsible production, or “molecular farming.” With a closed system, no pollen with new genes can be spread to the flowers of other plants. This stunning fact means that BIOEFFECT can grow its growth factors in different barley plants, all in the same ecological greenhouse, with no risk of cross-breeding.