Innovations in Agri-Biotechnology Focus on Living Organisms for Food Systems

Biotechnology companies are turning to living organisms and natural materials for inspiration in agri-biotechnology innovations. Unibaio extracts chitosan from shell waste, transforming the natural biopolymer into microparticles that carry active ingredients in pesticides, fertilizers, and plant health products.

This process turns crab and shrimp shells into biodegradable crop boosters, with reports indicating that for corn, the additive increased pesticide effectiveness by twenty-five percent while reducing chemical use by forty percent.

For soybean farmers facing fungal threats, it provided the same level of protection with eighty percent less fungicide. Additionally, PhageLab is developing bacteriophages, which are viruses that specifically target harmful bacteria in farm animals.

Mario Carrasco from PhageLab compares the function of phages to flipping a switch on a faulty circuit, noting they can eliminate pathogens like Salmonella or E. coli without affecting beneficial bacteria that help keep animals healthy.