AGROCHEMICALS
design process – field development and strain engineering – resulting in a simpler , faster regulatory pathway . Biotalys has developed a technology platform that is creating a new generation of protein-based biocontrols for both pre- and post-harvest to support a more sustainable and safe food supply . Through its diversified pipeline of biofungicides , bioinsecticides and biobactericides targeting critical market segments , the company aims to deliver better efficacy , reliability , convenience , consistency and safety in food protection . As a specific example , Evoca *, the first protein-based biocontrol in the Biotalys pipeline , endeavours to provide fruit and vegetable growers with control of diseases such as Botrytis and powdery mildew . Offering a distinctive new tool in IPM programmes to manage pathogen resistance development , the addition of Evoca will reduce the dependency on chemical pesticides and corresponding residues in harvested produce . Pending regulatory approval , the newly developed biofungicide is planned for market introduction in the US later this year . Demonstrating its accelerated approval process , Biotalys submitted Evoca for registration to the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) in December 2020 . The company expects to receive EPA approval in H2 2022 . Using the Agrobody Foundry * technology platform and advanced protein expression toolbox , the Biotalys strain engineering and manufacturing teams recently achieved a more than 500 % increase in production , representing an unprecedented breakthrough for the active protein of Evoca in the yeast Pichia pastoris . Continuing to explore a broad variety of fermentation hosts , Biotalys is focused on further refining production methods and expanding its pipeline at reduced costs . The second step in sustainably scaling biocontrol production relies on efficient microbial fermentation , an industrial process that uses microbes for enzymatic decomposition . This is the final , critical step to achieving commercial-scale delivery of proteinbased biocontrols . Olon ’ s microbial fermentation expertise provides the needed bioprocessing technology and manufacturing layer to ensure eco-friendly and sustainable protein production . At its biotech manufacturing sites in Italy , Olon purifies Biotalys ’ bioactives through microfermentation into the technical intermediate that can then be formulated into the end products . The fermentation in Capua facility operates a range of bioreactors of up to 35 m ³, while Settimo Torinese envisages production in batches of up to 112 m ³. This represents a massive step forward in terms of production efficiency and scalability for proteinbased biocontrols . By accelerating production and purification time and using fewer natural resources during the process , microbial fermentation offers a more eco-friendly , highly sustainable way to produce at scale . The microbial fermentation process primarily uses simple , safe elements : water , natural nutrition and microorganisms . It dramatically reduces the use of chemical solvents , only using them in limited amounts during purification . Additionally , using fermentation to manufacture bioactive proteins and peptides is economically advantageous compared with traditional chemical synthesis . These benefits have to be weighed against significant disadvantages : a process with an extremely high environmental impact ( consider that it takes around 6.5 tonnes of solvents to produce 1 kg of 30 amino-acid peptides ), the use of very expensive materials , a high risk of impurities and the inability of recombinant technologies to adapt to peptides with unnatural amino acids .
Outlook
Together , Biotalys and Olon have cracked the code for the sustainable production of novel biocontrols – faster and at significantly lower costs . These ' provide farmers with more consistent , high-performing awnd novel modes of action to fight pests and devastating diseases . As emphasis continues to grow on making global food systems more sustainable , healthy and inclusive for all , protein-based biocontrols will play an increasingly pivotal role in answering the call for critical changes in agriculture practices around the world . •
* - Evoca and Agrobody are trademarks of Biotalys . Evoca is pending registration . It is not currently registered for sale or use in the US , the EU or elsewhere and is not being offered for sale
Sellès – Olon capacity makes large-scale biocontrol production feasible
References : 1 : www . wfp . org / stories / wfp-glance 2 : www . fao . org / publications / sofi / 2021 / en
3 : https :// news . un . org / en / story / 2021 / 03 / 10866822
4 : https :// ibma-global . org / wp-content / uploads / 2021 / 06 / IEEP-Exploring-the-benefits-ofbiocontrol-for-sustainable-agriculture-2021 . PDF
Patrice Sellès
CEO
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46 ESTABLISHED 1981