Afingen, Inc. is a company involved in the development of low-lignin plant varieties for biomass-derived liquid fuel production. Plants with high amounts of lignin in their cell walls are more expensive and difficult to produce liquid fuels from. As of 2014, Afingen was testing a method to induce plants to produce 20% more sugar (used in fuel production) and 40% less lignin. Currently working on switchgrass modification, the company's technique will be able to be applied to various other crop types thus offering increases in crop value to farmers while also making the biofuel production process more efficient and effective. The method is being developed in cooperation with the Joint BioEnergy Institute in Emeryville, California and the University of California, Davis.
