Press Release

CINCINNATI, Ohio, April 9, 2019 — Agragen, LLC, a Cincinnati-based plant sciences company, applauds the recent attention brought to using camelina oil as a sustainable jet fuel by Governor Jay Inslee of Washington.  Agragen is developing technology to double the off-field yield that will make camelina an even more attractive biojet feedstock.   

Sam Huttenbauer Jr., CEO of Agragen notes that “this recent development will mark the first time a renewable source of fuel will be competitive in the energy marketplace without subsidies.”

“What pushes camelina derived oil to be competitive is the combination of our transformation capabilities with additional technology we have licensed that demonstrate an extensive increase in yield and seed size.  The combination of these two changes in traits is expected to double the yield per acre,” said Eric J. Murphy, CSO. 

Huttenbauer adds, “camelina is attractive because it is a low-input crop that requires much less water than most crops and is an ideal rotation crop in the Pacific Northwest, including Washington.  Because camelina oil has already been used to produce aviation fuel, we know it provides a very viable, sustainable alternative to traditional petroleum derived fuels.  This combined with our efforts to enhance the off-field yield of camelina means a significant reduction in agricultural costs, ultimately driving the competitive position of camelina.”

Murphy notes that “we have already worked to increase the amount of short chain fatty acids in camelina, which will only further enhance its use as a feedstock for biojet.  Our science team is using our technology platform to enhance camelina in a number of ways to make a wide range of products in a sustainable manner for a variety of uses across multiple sectors.”

Agragen, LLC is a Cincinnati, Ohio-based plant science company focused on using Camelina sativa as a platform to produce biopharmaceuticals and bioactive fatty acids for use in human health and disease, while also providing a sustainable source of omega-3 enriched oils to the aquaculture industry as well as a sustainable feedstock for bio-derived jet fuel.