Argentina Unveils First Gene-Edited Potato Lines: OLI INTA and PIRU INTA Target Bruising and Cold-Induced Sweetening
Argentina has officially introduced its first two potato lines developed through gene editing — OLI INTA and PIRU INTA — each addressing a distinct challenge facing the industry. OLI INTA holds the distinction of being the first officially registered gene-edited agricultural crop in Argentina. It was developed by the Agro-biotechnology Laboratory of INTA Balcarce in collaboration with CONICET and formally entered into the National Register of Cultivars (INASE) on 23 June 2026. PIRU INTA, meanwhile, tackles a separate but equally costly problem: cold-induced sweetening (CIS), a phenomenon in which potatoes stored at low temperatures to prevent sprouting accumulate reducing sugars. When fried, these sugars react with amino acids, leaving chips or French fries dark brown, bitter and containing acrylamide — a potentially harmful compound.
The science behind OLI INTA involves switching off, via CRISPR/Cas9, the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) gene — the enzyme responsible for the browning of flesh after mechanical damage. This so-called enzymatic browning is what causes potatoes to develop dark spots from impacts during harvesting, transport or storage. The results are striking: no sub-skin bruising or discolouration after impact, a 74% reduction in relative browning compared with the control group, and a 69% drop in PPO enzyme activity. For growers and processors, this translates into less waste and fewer losses, better final product quality and less manual sorting — directly improving profitability and reducing production waste. PIRU INTA, for its part, was created by switching off the vacuolar invertase (InvVac) gene, which converts sucrose into reducing sugars during cold storage; the work was carried out on the popular industrial variety Atlantic.
The practical value of PIRU INTA lies in its ability to preserve frying quality for 90–120 days at 4 °C. Its IBVL colour score after 120 days of storage at 4 °C reached 7.3, compared with 4.6 for the original Atlantic, alongside a significant reduction in acrylamide formation. This allows chip processors to store raw material in cold conditions year-round without losing quality or worrying about sprouting, ensuring stable supply and keeping production capacity utilised outside the harvest season. Importantly, both lines differ fundamentally from GMOs: gene editing introduces no foreign DNA from other species, but merely switches off the potato’s own genes in a targeted manner. As a result, they are treated regulatorily as equivalent to varieties obtained through conventional breeding. OLI INTA is already registered, while PIRU INTA is in the registration process and is expected to be officially entered into the register in the near future.
