Olon and Biotalys Enter into Long-Term Partnership for the Production of Protein-Based Biocontrols

Thursday 13 January 2022, Ghent, BELGIUM, and Milan, ITALY

Biotalys (Euronext - BTLS), an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company protecting crops and food with protein-based biocontrol solutions, and Olon, a world-leading contract development and manufacturing organization, today announced a long-term strategic partnership for the manufacturing of Biotalys’ biocontrol products. The partnership is driven by the common vision of transforming food protection with unique protein-based biocontrol solutions and secures the global supply of Biotalys’ newly developed biofungicide, Evoca™*, planned for market introduction in the United States in the second half of 2022 – pending regulatory approval.

Evoca is the first protein-based biocontrol in the Biotalys pipeline, a new rotating partner for integrated pest management (IPM) programs for fruit and vegetable growers. It helps control diseases such as botrytis and powdery mildew, thereby reducing reliance on chemical pesticides with corresponding residues in harvested produce while providing a unique new tool to manage pathogen resistance development.

Under the partnership, Olon will manufacture Evoca's active ingredients at its world-class biotechnology production sites in Capua and Settimo Torinese (Italy), two centers of excellence in the field of microbial fermentation that meet the highest quality standards. With more than 50 years of accumulated experience, Olon's expertise includes a wide range of microbial fermentation technologies, one of the most environmentally friendly and sustainable technologies capable of significantly reducing overall environmental impact.

In Capua, Olon’s fermentation facility operates a range of bioreactors of up to 35m³, while the facility in Settimo Torinese envisages production in batches of up to 112m³ – far above the capacity reached until now for Biotalys’ products. This upscaling therefore signifies a major step forward in terms of production efficiency and scalability of protein-based biocontrols. Olon will both handle the fermentation process of the products developed by Biotalys in its laboratories in Ghent and purify them into the technical intermediate which will then be formulated by an external provider to create the end products.

“Biotalys’ protein-based biocontrols are a promising new class of products to help growers protect their crops in an environmentally sustainable way,” said Paolo Tubertini, CEO of Olon. “They perfectly match with our long-term plan that focuses on novel biotech solutions and, consequently, the expansion of our capacity to support innovative biotech companies to accelerate the development of new products in a more sustainable way. According to this strategy we offer one of the biggest platforms for microbial fermentation production globally. It means the application of sustainable biotechnology to industrialization.”

Patrice Sellès, CEO of Biotalys, stated: "Olon is a world leader in the sustainable production of proteins, so we are very excited to partner with them for the manufacturing of our protein-based solutions, beginning with our first biofungicide Evoca. With its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and processes, Olon will be able to provide us with the quantity of product we need for the planned market calibration, while ensuring it meets all regulatory, quality and safety specifications. Upon formulation, the end product will give growers a new tool to use in integrated pest management programs to fight devastating fungal diseases in many fruits and vegetables.”

Source: olon ( original url )

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