The Bug Book Volume I

The Definitive Guide to More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About the Global Applications of Bacteria

How to Build Better Microbes: Staying Stronger for Longer and with More Activity

Better Formulations: Creating Robust, Differentiated, and Economically Viable Products

Why Microbial Prices Can Vary Widely— and How to Choose the Right Product

Rocket Fast Germination Technology for When You Need Bacteria Activated Fast

Dear Friends, Customers, and Partners:

So much has already been said about the times that we’re all in right now— and like anyone else, we’ve faced challenges on the one hand, and we’ve seen areas of growth that we couldn’t have anticipated on the other. Despite some of the global challenges, in 2020 we welcomed two key leaders to the MicroSynergies team: Chris Muellenbach joins us as Vice President of Marketing and Business development in our Milwaukee office and John Weir Falquez as Chief Technical Director of LATAM, Oceania, and Southeast Asia in Guayaquil, Ecuador. In addition to a growing team, we’re continuing to grow our microbial product line in both strength and number. We now have over 5,000 strains in our network and over 150 in everyday production. In short, we have access to more in-production strains than any other networked company in the world. Our commitment remains to use science and lean operations to provide the highest quality product consistently and with unmatched support. Here are just a few of the highlights of how we’re keeping our promise to you:

1. Better, longer-lasting microbial cultures: Our R&D focus has been on creating the strongest, most shelfstable, and active microbial cultures in the world (have a look at our MicroSynergy® technology in How to Build Strong Microbes).

2. Decreasing your supply risk: We’re committed to having multiple sources for our top organisms so that we’re always able to deliver the microbials you need when you need them (see Establishing New Links in the Chain: Our Award-Winning 3+80 Guarantee™).

3. Expert formulation modeling: We’re always striving to maximize the efficacy of our formulations and recommendations by striking the best balance between coverage and value— and we think we’re on our way with our proprietary MicroCube™ formulation technology (see How to Formulate the Best Microbial Products). We’re excited for you to see this tool in action.

We’re committed as we’ve ever been to being your go-to source for microbial cultures and specialty biological ingredients— and being the expert knowledge partner that’s needed to successfully navigate the challenges and opportunities of creating these greatly beneficial products. The industry is on the right side of history and we’re all expecting great things in the coming years.

Thank you for being a friend, customer, partner, or all three— and we look forward to growing together with you in the future. We’re all wishing you a healthy and happy year!

— Brad Glocke, President bglocke@microsynergies.com

Know someone who might want a copy of The Bug Book?

Just send us a note and of course we’ll be happy to send them a complimentary copy!

“Strengthening our microbes and our commitment at the same time.”

Brad grew up in the heart of the Midwest, visiting his grandfather’s dairy farm regularly to visit his horse, Dakota Sunset.

He attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as an undergrad and the University of WisconsinMadison for grad school where his work was recognized as the Gold Standard in values-based leadership. From there, he went on to work in bus-

With over 40 years of experience in the agricultural industry with positions ranging from National Sales Manager for large multi-national companies to start-up divisions now turned into proven businesses, Roy brings decades of human, animal, and industrial experience to MicroSynergies, the company he founded three decades ago.

With over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, marketer, and sales professional in B2B and B2C categories, Chris’s experience is broad. Chris has consulted with Fortune companies, as well as designed university programs for small businesses and corporations.

Chris enlisted in the United States Air Force after high school, serving during Desert Storm. After

With over 25 years of experience in animal health and nutrition, John has specialized in creating and helping businesses use sustainable biotechnology. Recently, he has been dedicated to the development of global technologies for the shrimp production industry in Ecuador, Thailand, China, and Australia, applying new concepts in larviculture and grow-out,

BRAD GLOCKE ROY GLOCKE

iness management positions for several multinational companies, receiving awards and recognition from Johnson Controls and CBRE.

Brad now services as President & CEO of MicroSynergies, focusing on strategic projects, including organism research and technology and market development.

In his free time, Brad likes to read, fish, train for triathlons, and work on home construction projects. He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his wife, Kristina— a fitness coach, his daughter, Aubree, and his son, Gibson.

Roy grew up on a dairy farm in central Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. From there, he went on to work for some of the world’s most well-known and respected microbial companies, sitting on the scientific committee that decided what would ultimately become the approved Direct-Fed Microbial List of The Official Publication of the Association of Feed Control Officials.

Roy now serves as Chief Technical Advisor, focusing on product formulations and new product frontiers.

He lives in the Milwaukee area with his wife, Mary.

returning from active duty, Chris graduated from the University of WisconsinMilwaukee.

Chris now serves as Vice President of Marketing & Business Development, focusing on marketing, sales, and development.

An avid student of leadership and a proponent of personal accountability, Chris is committed to health and fitness and loves traveling. He and his wife Katie spend free time with their twin daughters, are avid runners and bikers, and enjoy touring the countryside on their road bikes every chance they get.

using the microbial heterotrophic technique for intensive 2-3 stage.

John graduated from Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil where he spent time in exchange in the U.S. at the University of Kentucky.

John has spoken at several aquaculture congresses. He deeply believes in the power of beneficial microbes to improve productivity and reduce costs, while transforming the environment into a safer place.

John lives with his family in Ecuador.

JOHN WEIR FALQUEZ

CHRIS MUELLENBACH

MicroSynergies is located in the heart of the “Silicon Valley” of bacteria… Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “Cream City” as it’s known (a name we get from the lightcolored brick that has been a staple of our city’s architecture since the early 1800s) is home to the largest concentration of world-class microbial manufacturers, startups, and related industry services in the world.

We’re proud to call Milwaukee our home.

Because we’re located at the center of it all, we’re able to provide access to a combination of more species, strains, knowledge, and service than any other company in the world.

The Silicon Valley of Bacteria.

What if You could know that you had the highest quality bacteria with the most stability for the best value… and have your supply guaranteed?

This is the peace of mind that comes from partnering with us… The kind of micro-management you’ll actually love.

Welcome to our annual Bug Book Volume One

We’re excited for all of our customers and partners to see the fruits of our collaborative efforts. Together, and through the expertise of too many to name, we are anxious and also humbled to share some of the knowledge that has been passed to us from mentors, partners, customers, scientists, and all of those involved who came before us in the microbial industry— their decades of hard work has allowed the industry to advance in great new directions and we’re all anticipating great things to come.

We update the Bug Book annually, sometimes repurposing the same evergreen pieces while introducing new content as the markets dictate and as we continue to improve upon our knowledge, network, and science. We have more pieces than we can fit into this magazine: from industry analysis and in-depth product details to individual species information and market information. If there’s something you don’t see in The Bug Book, there’s a good chance we already have it. Just send a note to bugs@microsynergies.com and we’ll get the information to you just as soon as we can.

From our team to yours: stay happy and healthy… and if something’s bugging you, I hope it’s one of ours.

MicroSynergies provides great customer service and always comes through with our microbial culture needs. We really appreciate the hard work and dedication to keep our business running smoothly.”

5,000+

Number of catalogued strains in our network

150+

Number of strains in regular production page 18

355%

More bacteria alive after 9 months at room temperature using MicroStrong™ technology page 10

7

Number of continents these strains have been used on— yes… even Antarctica

81%

Share of Americans who say they are concerned about antibiotic resisance.

80%

75+ Years of management experience focused specifically on microbials page 77

Share of our top species sold that we’ve committed to having a 3-deep source for in order to reduce supply risk to our customers page 33

193% Expected global market size increase just for non-human uses of microbials between 2020 and 2025

2+ Years in the making developing our MicroCube microbial formulation tool. page 15

Our aim is to partner with the best universities, companies, and independent scientists to create organic technologies that make living microbes more strong, stable, and active

learn more, visit StrongBacteria.com

How To Build STRONG Microbes

Optimizing for Strength, Stability, and Activity

Brad Glocke President MicroSynergies

Roy Glocke Founder & Chief Technical Advisor MicroSynergies

As the global leader in diverse microbial knowledge, application, and sourcing, MicroSynergies prides ourselves on using proven science to help create the most stable, strong, and active microbial cultures on the planet through our suite of advanced microbial growth and processing technologies.

These technologies are utilized by multiple MicroSynergies manufacturing partners as either individual technologies or as a complete suite of microbial culture enhancements. Our goal is to create highly stable and active cultures with long shelf-lives. This goal is achieved through the synergy of the following technologies, which we call MicroSynergy, the singular of our namesake.

MicroSynergy is made up of three key phases: MicroShock at the source of strain fermentation, MicroStrong in the processing of bulk cultures, and MicroGrow, an exciting breakthrough that we hope to release in the coming years (but we’re excited to show you our progress now).

Within the combination of these promising technologies and our partnerships with manufacturers around the world is what we’re really after as a company: finding ways to combine networks of microbes and overlaying them with additional enhancements in order to create true synergies between new science and commercial technology.

We’re always continuing to develop our science and strengthen of biological formulation

philosophy. As a further example, this article takes a look at what MicroSynergy technology can do for anaerobic microbial cultures. We’ve been implementing the first two phases— MicroShock and MicroStrong— for years, and we’re excited to see what the future will bring with MicroGrow.

MICROSHOCK

MicroSynergy technology begins with MicroShock — a mixture of rigorous strain selection, cuttingedge cryoprotectants, highly customized culture media, and advanced fermentation capabilities to build stronger organisms, naturally.

While most of the impressive results come at the MicroStrong level for now, this phase is of course of incredible importance: if we don’t start with some of the most proven and strongest organic strains available, the rest of the technological phases won’t mean much.

For this phase of the technology, we rely heavily on our network of R&D teams and technical experts, both in-house and out. And as we hope to provide in greater detail in a future volume of The Bug Book, the science in this first phase has a great bearing on the MicroGrow phase, in both ease of implementation and the intensity level of its effect on the given culture.

MICROSTRONG

From there, MicroStrong utilizes techniques that optimize the microbial carrier, control available water (aW), and work especially well with lowMVTR packaging -– designed for further environmental control and longer shelf-life.

In order to prove the effectiveness of our technologies, independent third-party analysis was done with separate researchers from different labs to compare the effects of incorporating our MicroStrong and then MicroGrow technologies into the processing of popular microbial cultures. The first study, described herein, was done for the MicroStrong technology only— and using the summary from the study of the effects on Lactobacillus acidophilus specifically. Similar studies were summarized for the other cultures studied and as seen from the charts that follow, similar results were obtained.

PURPOSE

The following study was performed by an outside lab over a 12-month period at ambient room temperature to illustrate the effectiveness and necessity of utilizing multiple layers of protection in controlling water activity (aW) and keeping the

KEY IDEAS

MicroSynergy® Technology

MICROSHOCK™

Strain selection via stress-testing creates a solid base for commercial scale-up.

MICROSTRONG™

While minimal difference is seen from 0 to 2 months, thereafter viable CFUs with MicroStrong are measured at 3-5x+ a typical control.

MICROGROW™

While this technology is still under development, we’ve seen incredibly promising results of up to 84% increases in lactic acid production over the control immediately postproduction.

cells viable longer through increased shelf-life and microbial stability.

METHOD

The MicroStrong and the control samples were standardized in anhydrous dextrose at 3.90E+9 CFU/ g. Eight samples of each were stored at ambient temperature (~21°C) and enumerated using MRS agar and incubated at 37°C for 3 days at day 1, week 2, and months 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 12.

The ‘Control Typical’ was not conditioned with MicroStrong but incorporated the use of low-MVTR packaging techniques while the ‘Control Baseline’ was also not conditioned and was packaged in industrystandard bulk poly-lined packaging.

RESULTS*

The MicroStrong group remained stable acrossand-at the 12-month mark, whereas the controls were unable to achieve similar stability results, dying-off after 2 months. This is likely explained by the MicroStrong technology of proprietary cryoprotectants, aW control methods, and advanced environmental packaging techniques.

CONCLUSION

The incorporation of processing using the MicroStrong technology had a very significant impact on viability. Because these organisms tend to re-main viable for a longer period of time

when refrigerated or frozen, the results obtained above at ambient temperatures are even more promising when combined with this third layer of protect-ion.

RECOMMENDATION

MicroSynergies recommends always storing bacterial cultures in a cool place – preferably in freezing conditions-– and to make sure the storage area is as dry as possible. In addition, we recommend that all blended cultures (cultures that contain a carrier) be processed using the MicroStrong process.

MICROGROW

Finally, our evolving, genus-specific MicroGrow technology creates the most ideal micronutritional environment for the cultures so that they not only survive but thrive -–“turning on” and becoming more active in their post-manufactured state with results of lactic acid increase of up to 84% (right).

FINAL THOUGHTS

Based on additional studies and commercial experience, we believe that the MicroStrong technology will work on most, if not all popular commercially grown anaerobic bacteria (e.g. Enterococci, Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli, Lactococci, Pediococci, Propionibacterium, and Streptococci).

Our initial findings for MicroGrow seem to suggest best results at the level of genera, with additional analysis needed to determine the economics of implementing the technology at the species level.

Stay connected to MicroSynergies to get updates on our progress with this new and exciting technology.

* Similar and consistent results were also obtained when testing was performed on other anaerobic LAB organisms in a series of same-setup studies (see advertisement that follows).

Brad Glocke President MicroSynergies

How to Formulate THE Best Microbial Products

Maximizing Coverage and Value in Formulations Through

BiologicalCentric Science and Technology

We think of formulating microbial products as essentially filling up a cube, whereby one of the axis is viable and optimal functional temperature, another is viable and optimal functional pH, and the final axis is the total required metabolites. To play to that thought model, we create formulas based on this method using our “MicroCube” formulation model, which aims to do just that— by focusing on “filling up as much of the cube (i.e. formulation coverage) as possible.” This three-dimensional “cube” accounts for the key parameters that make biological products efficacious and economically successful. Many formulators base their formulation decisions almost solely on the functionality of one or a small collection of organisms. While we certainly take this into account in a significant way, we are additionally concerned with making sure the organisms will work (and work well) in the target environment.

In 2018, MicroSynergies embarked on the creation of a tool that would change the way we formulate microbial products.

ith every new formulation comes a challenge: to create the most comprehensive functionality and outcome coverage while remaining economical and uniquely valuable. Put another way, you want a biological formula to perform in the entire pH range and temperature range— and produce the ideal amount and profile of metabolites to satisfy the outcomes you’re looking for.

On its surface, this isn’t all that difficult to do. However, there is certainly an “80/20” to creating robust formulas that get the job done and differentiate in the marketplace and over-formulating for “110% coverage” to the point of diminishing returns. This, in essence, has been our formulation philosophy for over a decade:

Robust, sciencebacked formulations that get the job done right and economically— creating novel solutions for marketplace differentiation.

KEY IDEAS

FLORAL SUCCESSION

Even if the organisms produce the metabolites you want and work within the pH and temperature needed, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the formula itself will work as intended.

MICROCUBE™

Technology can be used as a gutcheck for proper microbial formulation— or as a way to find a missing piece of the formulation puzzle.

available cultures and filtering them for a variety of requirements that include regulatory considerations, incorporation layers of our proprietary MicroSynergy® technology, conditions for colony viability, floral succession parameters, and metabolism function to name a few.

As you can see from the visualization example above, the first dummy formula was unable to pass in the floral succession screening for optimal pH, whereas adding a strain of Enterococcus faecium completed the chain and made for a complete formulation (at least as far as the pH environment is concerned).

Similar macro pass/fail tests would be completed for temperature and function/ metabolism.

visualization purposes of viable ranges) are used to show the formulation coverages and overall percentages for individual macro components (i.e. optimal pH, optimal temperature, and required metabolites) as well as for the overall formulation.

As shown on the page to the right, the overall formulation effectiveness in this example is 98.0%, with the only incomplete component being (optimal) temperature. At this point, we would work with our customer to determine if we either need to adjust the parameters because we were being too conservative in practice or if it’s worth the resources to close the gap in temperature coverage by finding an additional organism that fits the profile for the temperature gap and works in similar beneficial ways.

“Robust, sciencebacked formulations that get the job done right and economically, creating novel solutions for marketplace differentiation.”

placeholder is meant to visually represent the more conservative viable temperature range versus the individual strains which are visualized in their optimal temperature ranges. Upon further inspection of the strains’ viable range, it was determined that the formula as-is would cover the necessary ranges and remain effective.

FORMULA FINESE

When it comes to helping companies create new products or simply reinvigorate existing lines, some companies are simply looking to be competitive with regards to what the market already demands. Others want to innovate and completely disrupt the status quo. And still yet, others are looking for more of a hybrid model: don’t rock the boat too much but come out with something new and fresh that looks both similar and different enough to get the attention of their respective marketplace.

these scenarios and are happy to help you with your newest products or existing lines— and to find the right balance with what you’re looking to do in the market.

From sourcing and formulation, to regulatory and marketing, we’re here to help your biological products be a huge success.

To learn more, visit MicrobialFormulation.com

There’s an economic bellcurve when creating a microbial formula; you want the most coverage for the most reasonable cost.

Bacteria Cultures

Leuconostoc

Mezorhizobium

M. ciceri

Mycorrhiza

Ecto Mycorrhiza

Endo Mycorrhiza

Ericoid Mycorrhiza

Nitrifying Bacteria

Paenibacillus

P. polymyxa

P. laterosporus

Pediococcus

P. acidilactici (MS) (380)

P. pentosaceus (MS) (380)

Phanerochaete

P. chrysosporium

Propionibacterium

P. acidipropionici

P. freudenreichii

Pseudomonas

P. fluorescens

P. putida

Rhizobium

R. leguminosarum bv. trifolii

R. leguminosarum bv. viciae

Saccharomyces

S. boulardii

S. cerevisiae

Sinorhizobium

S. medicae

S. meliloti

Streptococcus

S. thermophilus (MS)

Streptomyces

S. albus

S. cinerogriseus

S. fradiae

S. griseofuscus

S. griseorubroviolaceus

S. griseoviridis

S. griseus

S. lavendulae

S. lydicus

S. nigrescens

S. roseosporus

S. violaceusniger

Trichoderma

T. atroviride

T. harzianum

T. reesei

T. viride

Protease (Fungal)

Protease (Bacterial)

Trypsin (Synthetic)

Others

Catalase (Fungal)

Glucose Oxidase (Fungal)

Lysozyme (Animal)

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Hydrolyzed

Autolyzed

Active Yeast

Cell Wall

Inactive Dry Yeast (IDY)

Septic Treatment

Industrial

Pulp and Paper Treatment

Silage Inoculants

Including SiloSynergy™

(MS) = indicates MicroChoice® cultures that include one or all of our proprietary MicroSynergy™ technology for microbial stability, shelf-life, and activity.

(380) = indicates species included in our 3+80 Guarantee for reducing supply risk to our customers.

(380) = indicates meets this criterion.

Why Microbial Prices Can Vary Widely… And How to Choose the Right Product

Adapted from the article ‘Why Can Bacteria Culture Prices Vary Widely?’ — posted on MicroSynergies.com

Anyone who has searched for pricing on bacterial cultures knows that price can vary widely from company to company. Why is that? Do some companies simply try to squeeze out more margin than others?

Perhaps there's something else going on that's a little more benign.

Based on over 75 years of experience as a team sourcing and connecting buyers and manufacturers of bacterial cultures, I can tell you that there are several reasons (20 to be exact: see MicroSynergies.com/post/why-can-bacteriaprices-vary-widely for the original article including all 20 reasons) for intra-species pricing discrepancies and these break-out into 3 main categories or themes: quality differences, business model differences, or regulatory differences.

GROWTH MEDIA

The growth media (or broth) that a microbe grows in is a very particular, strain-specific mix of high-quality nutrients.

Between the initial culturing of the strain, the possible seed fermentation, and the final fermentation at-scale, an organism may finish its growth curve somewhere between 12 to 72 hours. This means that an apples-to-apples comparison of one organism taking 12 hours in a fermenter vs. another at 72 hours results in 6 times the amount of fermentation availability... hence the 72-hour fermentation organism may be 6 times as expensive, all-else-equal.

Yet, this isn't quite the whole picture. What also matters is the yield and concentration of the fermentation.

The yield is the amount of bacteria that can be harvested from the fermentation (usually measured in liters or kilograms). On the low end, a fermentation will yield 2% biomass (e.g. this is

20 liters in a 1,000L fermenter) and will improve from there all the way up to a 6–8% yield. Of course, the more biomass that's produced, the lower the price can theoretically be.

Finally, the concentration of the culture effects the price too. Most commercially viable cultures are standardized at 1E+11 (100 billion CFU/g). To be standardized means that the actual concentration of the fermentation bio-mass needs to be at least at a higher concentration than 1E+11 (e.g. some cultures, such as Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus plantarum, or Pediococcus acidilactici can grow to concentrations as high as 6E+11). If you can grow something to a concentration of 6E+11 vs. 2E+11, that means that you can get 3 times as much end-use product out of the same biomass, creating the ability to price the bulk culture lower.

STRAIN SELECTION

Microbiologists might select a particular strain based on a metabolite attribute (e.g. what it utilizes or the metabolites it produces) rather than its attributes to be able to simply grow fast, yield well, and concentrate heavily (see above). Or... perhaps an unstable strain was misselected and the resulting fermentations are not where they could potentially be.

DOWNSTREAM PROCESSING

All-things equal, a manufacturer could have different capabilities when it comes to processing the cultures, including centrifugation, freezedrying or spray-drying (in-house or outsourced), and in grinding and blending, potentially killingoff some of the colonies and finding their counts much lower in the QA/QC process.

CROSS-CONTAMINATION

While rarer-and-rarer these days, there's the possibility that cell counts may be incorrectly elevated because of a cross-contamination of a highly-concentratable organism (e.g. Enterococcus

Brad Glocke President MicroSynergies

Chris Muellenbach Vice President of Marketing and Business Development MicroSynergies

faecium) with an organism that generally yields much lower counts — like a Lactobacillus acidophilus, incorrectly boosting counts and affecting pricing. Of course, quality manufacturers have rigorous standards, QA/QC checks, audits, and related certifications to ensure that this doesn’t happen.

CO-FERMENTATION

This applies only to blends of several different bacteria. In most cases, say if you wanted an equal blend of 3 different bacteria species, the manufacturer would pull these individual cultures from their respective production runs, blend them together, and re-verify the correct ratio of each within the blend. This is the right way to do this: using homofermentation (the process of growing one species at a time) and then incorporating it into a blend with others in a similar fashion.

In some cases, however, companies may opt to save resources by growing all of the organisms in a blend in the same fermentation (cofermentation). In almost all cases, this results in the dominant organism (or the organism that is best adapted to grow within the chosen media) to "take over" the fermentation. Rarely will you ever get the same total concentration or ratios you're looking for with a cofermentation— and yet, growing 3 organisms in a single fermentation is a lot less expensive than going through 3 separate fermentations.

UNCLEAR OR LONG SUPPLY CHAIN

Sometimes appear to have their own fermentation facilities, producing cultures themselves, when in reality, they're simply purchasing the cultures direct from a manufacturer and then reselling them. There will obviously be a mark-up in this situation.

Similarly, there may be a manufacturer of a novel strain (e.g. Nitrosomonas) that sells this organism to another basic manufacturer who adds this to their portfolio of available organisms, who in turn works with a regional distributor of their organisms, who in-turn hires a local agent to market the strain. This example is obviously

dramatic, but it serves the point that the more exchanges that occur within a supply chain, the higher the price will be for the final buyer within the chain.

CULTURE GRADE

In almost all cases, a culture going into a human industry (e.g. probiotic supplements, yogurt, cheese, or functional foods) will demand a higher per-kilogram price than the same exact culture going into the agriculture industry, for example, where farmers price-out their costs per acre or animal in pennies-per-day, sometimes out to the fourth decimal place. While non-human industries are still profitable for most manufacturers, they tend to have better profitability in human-related industries.

For this reason, companies may maintain separate price books depending on grade needed by the customer. In addition, there are whole manufacturers that are "agricultural grade" them-selves. Knowing which type of company you're dealing with is important to understanding differences in pricing.

CUSTOM VS. PRODUCTION FERMENTATION

When ordering bulk cultures or concentrates at larger volumes (enough to purchase the total resulting biomass from a fermentation, say, 50 kilograms of concentrated culture from a 1,000L fermenter), a manufacturer can choose from pulling the quantities from their regular, in-production runs or to run a custom fermentation on the customer's behalf.

In most cases, the custom fermentation is at the request of the customer (e.g. to grow a particular strain). In these cases, the laboratory will want to test the strain against certain media components in a benchtop fermenter situation, possibly for multiple iterations in order to optimize the nutrient formula.

In these scenarios, the R&D needed is much greater than in a standard in-production fermentation of an in-house strain with known characteristics and nutrient requirements. This increased R&D resource-demand creates an elevated pricing structure.

“It’s good to keep in mind that we all have a tendency to see every problem as a ‘nail’ when all we have is a ‘hammer.’”

LOCAL REGULATIONS

Local regulations, such as safety requirements and growth media mandates may change the pricing of bacterial cultures.

For example, some safety requirements may suggest extra steps in the process, hence increasing overall costs.

Similarly, changes in industry standards in growth media (e.g. moving from animal-based media to plant-based media) may, and has, affected the individual strain's response to the new media (both in a favorable and unfavorable directions based generally on species).

PRICED-IN RESEARCH OR RELATED ITEMS

If a particular strain has been heavily researched by a company, is certified Non-GMO, or has been pre-approved by a particular regulatory body (e.g. OMRI in the U.S. or EFSA in the EU), the resulting costs of business will almost always be priced into the culture's commercial value.

How to Choose the Right Partner

KNOW WHAT YOU NEED… OR KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Companies of all sizes have needs for microbial products and this means that some of these companies will have hundreds of technical experts on staff who know exactly what type of biological they’re looking for, while others may not even know where to start with the process.

If you fall into the former category, you’ll want to work with a microbial partner that (A) has extensive experience with the organism(s) you’re looking for, (B) can grow them to economical and stable levels, (C) has competitive pricing, (D) can support your project and operations (e.g. customer service, international market access, industry certifications), and (E) has backup plans for your needs in the event that they’re unable to deliver on their original promise (e.g. concentrations or lead time).

If you’re a younger or smaller company, you of course still want to keep these items in mind but you’ll likely benefit from a partner who has (A) an in-depth knowledge of your industry, (B) a wealth of knowledge over a broad range of microbes, metabolic processes, and approved commercial and regulatory applications, and (C) who has the knowledge and capacity to assist with formulation and market approaches.

In either scenario, don’t be afraid to ask “dumb” questions and press a potential partner to explain their science in Lehman’s terms.

YOUR BEST INTERESTS ARE IN MIND

Of course, all companies are incentivized to present their set of solutions as the right choice— and in fact they may be well-meaning and actually have a great solution for your project. However, it’s good to keep in mind that we all have a tendency to “see every problem as a ‘nail’ when all we have is a ‘hammer.’”

The more diverse a potential partner’s portfolio of solutions in any given area, the more they will be free to truly suggest the most appropriate solution to your project.

In addition, finding a partner who is the right size and has the bandwidth to actually get to know your business is more crucial than it may initially seem... Finding a partner who fits this role will enable you to save lots of time and money both initially and in the long run by (A) listening to what it is you want to create and by recommending the right solution right away - and (B) by being more intimately involved in your business and product vision and keeping on top of possible savings, new customers for you, and new product innovations that are easy to pivot to.

ON TOP OF THE MICROBIAL PULSE

Finally, you should choose to partner with someone who is always staying informed about the cross-section of your particular industry and the microbial industry niches.

This will allow you to make progress further and faster as technology advances, prices and regulations change, and competitive products re- arrange themselves within the landscape of your business’s competitive view.

KEY IDEAS

Capabilities of the right partner:

ASSETS

They have the microbes, can get them into the right markets, and know how to help you market products.

RISK

They have a backup plan for your microbe supply.

DEDICATION

They know your project, market, and have your best interests in mind.

LEARNING

They live-andbreathe microbes and stay on top of the industry so you can too.

Pre-Formulated Microbial Blends

To learn more, visit MicrobialBlends.com

Research-Backed Microbial Base Ingredients for Incorporation into Your Biological Products Line

MicroSynergies is the world leader in sourcing for the largest collection of commercial microbial ingredients on the planet.

Through our agreements, partnerships, and network of global microbial manufacturers, we connect our customers to thousands of strains in formats including bulk cultures, concentrates, contract fermentations, and specialty biologicals and market them under our proprietary brand names. In many of these formats, we’re able to include our value-added MicroSynergy™ technology for creating enhanced stability, longer shelf-life, and increased activity post-production.

From there, we can augment our offerings with expert formulation and technical support, market access, our award-winning 3+80™ supply risk guarantee, and microbial-specific marketing expertise.

All information and data supplemented by data and visuals are independently verified, current, and correct to the best of our knowledge. For more information, contact your MicroSynergies representative.

Chris Muellenbach Vice President of Marketing and Business Development MicroSynergies

Bio Ammonia Reduction

PitDissolve™

Pit & Lagoon Treatment

Bio Stubble Digester

SUMMARY FROM LITERATURE

undeniably negative effects on livestock and aquaculture production systems. Excessive levels of ammonia reduce feed conversion rate, increase disease susceptibility, decrease cilia function in lungs, and can be harmful to workers. With BioART™ Blend, ammonia is removed via microbial assimilation, resulting in a better environment for the animals. By reducing the harmful levels of ammonia, our clients report increased feed conversion rate, healthy animal growth, and reduced livestock mortality.

production facility in Iowa to determine the effectiveness of PitDissolve’s proprietary bacterial cultures for reducing odors caused by ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. The test was performed in two identical barns. One barn was treated with PitDissolve’s scientifically selected bacterial cultures and the other barn was left untreated for comparison. Each barn contained 1,000 hogs with a waste pit under the barn (no lagoons). Each pit measured 40’ x 200’ x 10’. The test commenced immediately following the annual pumping of the waste pits.

RESULTS

As shown in the figure before, the ammonia and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) levels were reduced by 90% in the barn treated for 6 weeks with PitDissolve.

Stubble Destroyer™ Biological Stubble Digester Treatment contains a proprietary blend of bacteria and fungi that were scientifically selected for the ability to digest crop residues. Stubble Destroyer™ is a highly concentrated product that is formulated to be blended with your nutrient enhanced ingredients, such as starch, molasses, yeast, urea, and sugar, to give the product a jump start upon field application.

The bacteria and fungi are provided in spore form, ensuring longterm stability and extended shelf life. Multilevel quality assurance processes extend far beyond our doors. The purity and microbial concentration of Stubble Destroyer™ is guaranteed, insuring consistent and superior biological products in the hands of your customers.

INDUSTRIAL

GreaseFlush™ Grease Trap Treatment

Hydrocarbon Obliteration

Wastewater Wizard™

Wastewater Treatment

strains was selected for the following complimentary abilities: superior lipase production, tolerating low pH environments, biosurfactant production, organic waste degradation, and odor reduction of volatile fatty acids. The methodology and thought process used to bring efficacious products to customers is done by understanding the parameters associated with each application, and using a systematic, scientific approach.

We continually look for ways to develop unique biological products that solve real world problems.

hydrocarbons and non-petroleum organic wastes. For this reason, BioHOT contains a synergistic blend of petroleum degrading and organic waste degrading bacterial strains. Each strain in BioHOT was selected to work under diverse environmental conditions and provide the most complete digestion of petroleum and petroleum degradation by-products. The product contains proven petroleum degrading strains. As shown in the two graphs the above, gas chromatograph analysis confirmed that these strains metabolize hydrocarbon products such as gasoline, oil, diesel, and BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene). The bacterial cultures in this blend are also beneficial in treating soil tainted with hydrocarbons. Soil treatments can be spray applied or tilled into the contaminated soil. The addition of nutrients in soil applications to balance the system often shows increased activity.

WastewaterWizard™ contains a unique blend of non-engineered cultures that rapidly digest organic wastes. These bacteria are supplied on a proprietary micronutrient carrier that provides accelerated germination, growth, and enzyme production to maximize the reduction of BOD, COD, suspended solids, ammonia, and odors.

Our total system approach begins with the Wastewater Treatment Questionnaire. By reviewing the completed questionnaire, our technical staff will have a better understanding of the system to be treated and the problems occurring in the system. Technical staff was asked to develop a treatment schedule to reduce the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) of the effluent from a food processing wastewater treatment plant. Utilizing the Total System Approach and information gained from the Wastewater Treatment Questionnaire, the decision was made to augment with a nutrient blend as well as the bacteria in WWW. Adjustments were also made to the pH and dissolved oxygen levels in portions of the treatment system. As demonstrated above, this approach resulted in a very quick reduction in the BOD of the effluent.

ENVIRONMENTAL

Biological Pond Treatment

AquaGrow™ & AquaFlow™

Feed and Water Treatments

OTHERS…

Septic Treatment

Household Treatments

ProbioPond’s™ biologically active formula contains a proprietary blend of bacterial strains that were selected for the ability to breakdown excess waste material in ponds and reduce the amount of available phosphorous causing a reduction in the algal population.

ProbioPond’s™ naturally occurring cultures efficiently digest pond bottom materials and reduce the organic matter in the water column leading to cleaner water and higher oxygen levels.

The bacteria are stabilized and shipped in spore form, ensuring long term stability and extended shelf life.

As demonstrated in the graph, the application of ProbioPond resulted in a significant reduction in Chlorophyll A, a measure of algal concentration, Phosphorous, and turbidity.

These results were not generated in a laboratory, rather, they were obtained under actual field conditions.

AquaGrow™ is a biologically active formula of our bacterial strains that were chosen because of their ability to rapidly digest excess waste material in shrimp ponds. The scientifically selected, proprietary blend of cultures colonize the animal gut to aid in feed digestion and help protect shrimp and fish against pathogens.

As shown in the chart above, using AquaGrow equates to an increase in survival and weight of the animal, as well as a higher payback ratio. AquaGrow’s cultures were chosen for optimum enzyme production, assuring efficient breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates, cellulose and fats. This leads to better feed conversion and less waste material for cleaner water and higher oxygen levels. Additionally, harmful ammonia and nitrates subside for healthier aquatic animals.

Industrial Treatments

MicroSynergies LLC is the world leader in sourcing for the largest collection of commercial microbial ingredients on the planet. Through our agreements, partnerships, and network of global microbial manufacturers, we connect our customers to thousands of strains in formats including bulk cultures, concentrates, contract fermentations, and specialty biologicals and market them under our proprietary brand names. In many of these formats, we’re able to include our value-added MicroSynergy™ technology for creating enhanced stability, longer shelf-life, and increased activity post-production. From there, we can augment our offerings with expert formulation and technical support, market access, our award-winning 3+80™ supply risk guarantee, and microbial-specific marketing expertise. All information and data supplemented by data and visuals are independently verified, current, and correct to the best of our knowledge. For more information, contact your MicroSynergies representative.

To learn more, visit ContractFermentation.com

reat probiotic manufacturers spend both years and plenty of money in researching and developing their proprietary in production probiotic cultures and strains. But sometimes the best product requires the use of a highly specific strain— either for regulatory reasons, label claims and efficacy, or both. This is where custom contract fermentation comes into play.

With custom contract fermentation, leading bulk culture manufacturers can use their existing knowledge and infrastructure to setup fermentations of strain-specific cultures for companies seeking to further differentiate their biological-based products in the marketplace.

CHOOSING CUSTOM FERMENTATION

The decision to go down the path of custom fermenting of your specific strain may seem straightforward but there some factors to consider.

To get right to the point, custom fermentation is usually more expensive— especially at the onset— than choosing an inproduction culture of the same species. This is because, generally speaking, a production schedule will need to be adjusted for your specific fermentation and additional lab analysis performed to insure optimal growth and stability.

Yet, as the volume of fermentation orders for the custom strain continues to rise and the market sees your product as something that no one else has or can get access to, the benefits may outweigh the costs.

In the case that there may be no clear

Gbenefit to a custom strain, choosing a strain that’s already in production may be the best choice— especially if the product is a brand-new concept and needs market vetting before it scales up for your company.

CHOOSING A MANUFACTURING PARTNER

A myriad factors can come into play when vetting a contract fermentation partner. These can include geographic location, facility grade, experience with a given organism, total capacity, scalability, BSL level, certifications, market access, stability technologies, reputation, ownership of media formulations, and of course price.

PRICING CONTRACT STRAIN FERMENTATIONS

Just as in-production microbial cultures can vary widely (see Why Microbial Prices Can Vary Widely in this issue) so can contract fermentations. The reasons for this can be many, but it usually comes down to a couple of key factors: how the resulting culture is priced and the level of comfort and confidence of the manufacturer in their ability to scale the strain to production.

Some manufacturers will price a contract fermentation based simply on the size of the fermenter used (e.g. priced as one 5,000L tank), yield (the number of kilograms of culture that result from the fermentation), concentration (the density of live and active cells per gram or mL), or the time it takes up in lab analysis and production — or a combination of these factors.

In addition, the manufacturer’s level of familiarity with the strain is important. For example: if the manufacturer already grows a production strain of Bifidobacterium longum, then your unique strain of B. longum likely shares some characteristics that they can use to more efficiently and effectively get the most out of your strain… and of course the inverse is true too—

Chris Muellenbach Vice President of Marketing and Business Development MicroSynergies

Brad Glocke President MicroSynergies

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR STRAIN FERMENTATION STRAIN

If provided by customer, third party typing (identification) has been completed. For BSL2 organisms, safety data has been approved by the highest regulatory body in the locale of the fermentation partner.

If provided by MicroSynergies, the organism must be BSL1 for contract fermentation or up to BSL3 for research procurement.

R&D WORK

For most genera (see chart to the right), we have the ability to optimize media. For adjacent genera (e.g. Paenibacillus to Bacillus), media optimization pre-work must be nearly complete.

PROJECT COMMITMENT

An MOQ of a 5,000L tank (we have the ability to scale-up from there) with longer-term commitment pending the project’s commercial success.

and would likely be priced in terms of increased R&D costs. The fact is that just like any other business, fermentation companies will price a custom run based on what it costs them to analyze, scale, and grow a strain, not necessarily what the going market rate is. There is nothing wrong with this approach, but it can make for some large discrepancies in pricing on a per-CFU basis.

NAVIGATING THE PROCESS

Because we work with a portfolio of capable manufacturers around the world, we are able to offer near unbiased guidance on options for the direction of your custom strain fermentation. Feel free to reach out and start a conversation to see how our team can help yours.

CURRENT CONTRACT FERMENTATION CAPABILITIES BY GENUS

Bacillus HU, NH

Bifidobacterium HU

Bradyrhizobium NH

Enterococcus HU

Escherichia HU, NH

Lactobacillus HU

Lactococcus HU

Pediococcus HU

Propionibacterium HU

Pseudomonas NH

Rhizobium NH

Streptococcus HU

To learn more, visit ContractFermentation.com

CONTRACT FERMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS

MicroSynergies has helped companies find capable fermentation partners and navigate the process from strain sourcing, R&D analysis, media formulation, and commercial scale-up. We help our you navigate this process with our Contract Fermentation Information and Questionnaire, which includes guidance on the following— and more:

STRAIN SOURCING

For when customers don’t have their own strain, we have helped customers source strains from natural isolate programs, universities, and institutions.

MAXIMIZING YIELD & CONCENTRATION

Using in-house working species models and in conjunction with market viability, we help determine where maximum yield and concentration should be so that any pre-work can be maximized before transitioning the project to a commercial setting.

PRICING LANDSCAPE

We help companies understand pricing structures and guide them towards the one that’s best for their business for the lifetime of the product.

FORMAT

From powders to liquids— and even including finished products, we’ve helped companies get the most out of the contract fermentation process.

REGULATORY

Navigating regulations and international import and export can be challenging, but we’ve been up to the task for years.

MARKETING SUPPORT

Let us help you craft a campaign with robust design and expert technical claim guidance.

Factors in choosing the right contract strain fermentation partner can include geographic location, facility grade, experience with a given organism, total capacity, scalability, BSL level, certifications, market access, stability technologies, reputation, ownership of media formulations, and of course price.

MicroSynergies

3+80 Guarantee™

Establishing New Links in the Chain MicroSynergies 3+80™

Guarantee

at risk of not being able to be fulfilled in its entirety due to national freeze-drying companies being tasked with switching from processing peripheral products like microbial cultures to solely focusing on end-use foods like fruits and vegetables in the wake of initial COVID-19 food shortage risks.

MILWAUKEE -- The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) is recognizing Milwaukee Region organizations as Focus on the Future Award honorees for their work to meet challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our business community has faced unprecedented challenges in 2020,” said Stephanie Hall, MMAC Vice President…

“Through it all, these 65 companies, organizations and individuals have shown us examples of the Milwaukee Region at its best, and give us hope for the future. Through the Focus on the Future Awards, MMAC wants to recognize those who have risen to their best during the most difficult of times.”

ESTABLISHED NEW LINKS IN THE CHAIN

These honorees have retooled their supply chain or made new links in another supply chain to meet new market demands: MicroSynergies LLC

MICROSYNERGIES 3+80 GUARANTEE

In order to protect our customers’ businesses and reduce their supplychain risk, MicroSynergies is committed to having the top 80% of our microbes available in three-deep backup supply.

In summer of 2020, a large order from a Wisconsin company was

Despite this external business disruption, MicroSynergies was able to use our network to locate the strain needed, get it into production right away, and hand-deliver the culture on-time and to our customer’s specifications.

“MicroSynergies provides great customer service and always comes through with our microbial culture needs. We really appreciate the hard work and dedication to keep our business running smoothly.”

— Alex (Wisconsin), Vice President of potentially affected company

Prior to the potential challenges that this scenario might have presented, MicroSynergies was already in the process of establishing our 3+80 Guarantee, a proactive mapping of our network of in-production and available microbial cultures in order to know that at any given time we will have 3 sources for the top 80% of our microbial cultures. This is our “3+80 Guarantee.”

To learn more, visit MicroSynergies.com/Guarantee

Chris Muellenbach Vice President of Marketing and Business Development MicroSynergies

Chris Muellenbach Vice President of Marketing and Business Development MicroSynergies

Creating unique and competitive products that serve a local market need is exciting— but it’s already a big enough challenge as it is. When it comes time to enhance your offering by additing certifications or expanding into new markets, the resulting challenges can sometimes seem overwhelming and sometime even too much work to pursue.

Like we’ve often joked with our customers, “If it requires this much patience, just think of how difficult it will be for other products to compete with yours.” And for better or worse, the intricacies of various regulatory processes often make this true. Yet, we aim to make the process as seamless and efficient for our customers as possible by working with importers, exporters, and regulators in the background to get your product approved.

WHERE ARE THE HURDLES?

The short answer is: it varies. For example, for a given species of bacteria, there may be a national regulatory body and a sub-national one (in the U.S., think: the USDA vs. AAFCO— or in Canada: the CFIA vs. Health Canada)— and these may be in combination with national sub-regulators and local ones (again, in the U.S. think: OMRI vs. MOSA).

Then, when it comes to transplanting a product into a different international location, there may be different regulations on (A) the species of organisms that can be utilized in the first place (e.g. Canada), how they can be grown and processed (e.g. Australia), or even approvals on a particular strain level (e.g. the EU/EAA). At this point, you’ve either “been there” or you haven’t (regardless, I won’t continue to bore you with more examples); but either way we can help.

FRAMING PRODUCT EXPANSIONS & OPTIONS

MicroSynergies can and has helped companies create products in dozens of industries and in dozens of countries (see Global Market Access in this volume). Between our in-house experience and that of our network of partners, we have the capability of working with many different import, export, and regulatory bodies. Below is a sampling of these— yet, we’re confident in our abilities to help our customers through the regulatory process in many other environments as well. Contact us today and we’ll be happy to get started on your next product expansion!

United States

USDA, EPA, AAFCO, FDA, OMRI, NOP, MOSA, NICS, PCO, GOA, CDFA, etc.

Canada

Health Canada (and List C), CFIA, FDA (and ICL, R-ICL, DSL), RCC (and TSCA, NDSL)

Europe

EFSA (and QPS), EC/REACH (and ECHA)

Australia

DAWR, AQIS (and BICON)

Global Market Access

By Product Category and Popular Microorganism Genera

To learn more, visit MicroSynergies.com/Market-Access

We’re working hard so that you can access the world’s biggest markets with the best and most popular microbial products - and we’re constantly adding market access capabilities to our portfolio.

Rocket Fast

Germination Technology

… Quick Activation that Leaves Everyone Else in the Dust

Spore forming bacteria— especially strong Bacillus species— have some of the broadest collection of tools to employ in transforming nutrients and expanding growth in its environment. Bacillus species produce enzymes, amino acids, organic acids, proteins, bacteriocins, and antibiotics. When compared to other types of bacteria used in commercial applications Bacillus species are a veritable “Swiss Army Knife” in breadth and utility.

Speed

When compared to Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria species in probiotics, or Pseudomonas in crop production applications, Bacillus species have distinct advantage via spectrum and storage stability. Historically the sole negative aspect of Bacillus has been slow germination and attaining the operative vegetative state. Speed of activity is crucial for competitive exclusion of other bacteria and achieving logarithmic growth to maximize performance. Rocket Fast Germination™ Technology (RFGT) enables spores to germinate in 5 to 15 minutes versus hours with current commercial spores.

Rocket Fast Germination Technology Transitions Spore Lag Phase

The development of RFGT allows MicroSynergies’ production partners to produce ready-to-use spores which are enabled to quickly germinate when introduced to target environments. The spores can be formulated or topically mixed into feed sources for probiotic use, or used as seed treatment, granule or spray application for agricultural production. The graphs to the right exhibit the differential effect from utilizing RFGT spores versus the same strain spores without the technology. Equivalent results have been achieved across multiple spore forming species.

MicroSynergies LLC is the world leader in sourcing for the largest collection of commercial microbial ingredients on the planet. Through our agreements, partnerships, and network of global microbial manufacturers, we connect our customers to thousands of strains in formats including bulk cultures, concentrates, contract fermentations, and specialty biologicals and market them under our proprietary brand names. In many of these formats, we’re able to include our value-added MicroSynergy™ technology for creating enhanced stability, longer shelf-life, and increased activity post-production. From there, we can augment our offerings with expert formulation and technical support, market access, our award-winning 3+80™ supply risk guarantee, and microbial-specific marketing expertise. All information and data supplemented by data and visuals are independently verified, current, and correct to the best of our knowledge. For more information, contact your MicroSynergies representative.

Roy Glocke Founder & Chief Technical Advisor MicroSynergies

In 2016— in association with one of our key partners— we added a unique group of proprietary and patented low temperature growing bacteria to our offerings.

The psychrophilic microorganisms are naturally occurring bacteria isolated from a stream in the USA with the ability to grow at 4°C or below. A colleague elaborated,

“The feedback on the performance of these patented strains has been phenomenal… [a] client obtained excellent results treating a wastewater treatment system that was at 1.7°C, where competitors’ products had failed. This is further validation that [our] approach of isolating unique organisms targeted at addressing specific issues results in real world solutions for our customers… We are continuing to build our proprietary microbial collection, and we have raised the bar on what it takes to be a top performer in this field.”

The bacteria covered in the awarded patent are listed as Bacillus sp. The taxonomic decision was made because the bacteria do not match well to any existing species. Genetic analysis using 16S ribosomal RNA indicated the closest matches were Bacillus simplex or Bacillus butanolivorans. Further testing in the laboratory revealed some major biochemical differences between the newly isolated strains and the B. simplex and B. butanolivorans types.

The graph to the right illustrates the metabolic activity of the C2B2 Cold Conditions Bacteria Blend™ at 4°C in a respirometer. The data are reported as change in biochemical oxygen demand (BOD).

As is shown, the patented strains quickly germinate, and grow at 4°C, reducing the amount of waste in the system, while the competitive product does not show any metabolic activity.

Our C2B2 partner is a bioscience-based company focused on the production of environmentally friendly products. With decades of experience in the isolation, large scale production, stabilization and product formulation of microorganisms, they are a leader in the development and commercialization of microbial and enzyme-based products for the consumer, institutional, agricultural, wastewater, and bioremediation markets. Their technology platform includes expertise in the areas of bacteriology, mycology, enzymology, and chemistry.

Roy Glocke Founder & Chief Technical Advisor MicroSynergies

Strains that Love and Live for the Cold…

To learn more, visit MicroSynergies.com/Cold-Weather-Bacteria

MicroSynergies LLC is the world leader in sourcing for the largest collection of commercial microbial ingredients on the planet. Through our agreements, partnerships, and network of global microbial manufacturers, we connect our customers to thousands of strains in formats including bulk cultures, concentrates, contract fermentations, and specialty biologicals and market them under our proprietary brand names. In many of these formats, we’re able to include our value-added MicroSynergy™ technology for creating enhanced stability, longer shelf-life, and increased activity post-production. From there, we can augment our offerings with expert formulation and technical support, market access, our award-winning 3+80™ supply risk guarantee, and microbial-specific marketing expertise. All information and data supplemented by data and visuals are independently verified, current, and correct to the best of our knowledge. For more information, contact your MicroSynergies representative.

Caring for the Ones Who Care About You the Most

Caring for the Ones Who Care About You the Most

hen I first learned about the preventative and long-term pet care industry, I must admit that I was a bit put off by the official industry name of “Companion Animals.” To me, it seemed a bit too sterile, just a bit too removed from the experience I have with pets of our own— e.g. “Some animals are companions and some animals are food animals.”

But in reality, a “companion” really does describe our cats, dogs, horses, and other animals that are there for us unconditionally. Whether we’ve had a bad day or a good day, they’re there for us… if we made someone else’s day good or bad, they’re there for us too— no judgement…

just like a true companion.

I remember years ago when the companion animal health industry first started to develop beyond commoditized dry food and move into more unique offerings.

you could find new and exciting companies at conferences and expos around the world. But there was a problem: these companies decided (understandably so) that because they were making products for animals, they should represent themselves at animal health conferences (i.e. livestock conferences and expos).

What they failed to see in the

Winfancy of the revolution of the pet health industry is that while these animals are just that: animals, there’s also another more powerful, more obvious side to these extended family members… and it’s also ”just that”: they’re actually a part of our family. I’m going to go offWebster here and say that part of what makes a family are things like living in the same home, playing together, traveling together, and having family pictures taken together; all definitions that fit well with how most of us interact with our non-human best friends.

Once this a-ha moment was realized, these pet food pioneers moved their trade show circuit over to those traditionally reserved for human health and supplements— and they met this decision with great and obvious success. As the thinking goes: “If you care enough about your own health, you’re more likely to care about the health of your other family members, including pets.”

Eventually, pet food and pet health-specific companies had found new homes in conferences and expos built specifically for this and the small animal veterinary industry— yet the message to core markets remain: these animals are family members deserving of the same attention, care, and health as their human companions.

Brad Glocke President MicroSynergies

SUBSTANTIATED CLAIMS FOR HOST-SPECIFIC STRAINS

Proven palatability, safety, and ability to survive gastric digestion, locate in the large intestine, and proliferate.*

Proven ability to shift microbiome microbial populations.*

Proven preferable health effects— including increased production of short chain fatty acids, reduced infection, reduced inflammation, increased nutrient absorption, and immunomodulation.*

Positive impact on interleukin (cytokine) production which regulates immune response.*

Proven defense against pathogenic bacteria.*

* Claims substantiated by either/ both of TNO (Netherlands) or via three separate EFSA (European regulating body) canine feeding trials (March 2020).

A DIVERGENCE FROM TRADITION

In the intervening years, companion animal diets and general health maintenance began to more closely resemble that of humans. with more of a focus on real foods with as little preservatives as reasonable and supplementation with things like live probiotics.

A lot has been discovered in companion animal health in the recent years since science has begun to seriously focus on the challenge. From differences in dosages, animal species, and studies into probiotic efficacy, we’ve learned so much— and yet there’s still an unknown frontier with hope for even greater possibilities in both human and animal health through beneficial bacteria.

UNIQUE & SPECIFIC OFFERINGS

For years, we have offered beneficial bacteria in the companion animal space, with a focus on growing the most powerful and stable organisms for the health of canine, feline, and equine— with some of our select strains isolated from these animal species and grown as host-specific probiotics.

right is a listing of the most common organisms we pro-vide to companion animal health companies— and yet the options we have in sourcing, production, and formulation are nearly endless.

If you care enough about your own health, you’re more likely to care about the health of your other family members, including pets.”

“If You Build It, They Will Come.”

The Art and Science of Building the Best Silage Inoculants that Bring the Most Value.

TThere’s an old farmers’ proverb that says, “You should rest for at least thirty minutes per day unless you can’t find the time, in which case, you should rest for sixty minutes instead.” Well, we also have the ‘MicroSynergies’ proverb: “You should use a silage inoculant in your forage, unless you think it’s too expensive, in which case, you need to use a silage inoculant.”

For centuries, silage inoculants were never used. So why would these tools be all- of-asudden indispensable? This question can be likened to the comparison between a horse-drawn harvester of the past and a modern behemoth that we all see at the dairy trade shows… Could you

still harvest being pulled by horses? Sure. Would this be the best use of your time and resources? No. And the same line of reasoning applies to using silage inoculants. Could you still process forage without an inoculant? Sure. Would this be the best use of your time and resources? Not at all. So, what is a good silage inoculant even doing that makes it so indispensable? To better understand why you’re even using an inoculant in the first place, a brief background on the science is in order.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Prior to the introduction of inoculants, forage was of course untreated. This was largely okay because all of the negatives associated with operating this way were just “a part of the game”— no one had an advantage in preserving and improving forage. And yet the old problems that were a part of doing just that (dry matter loss, indigestibility, and spoilage) were persistent. It was a problem that everyone had, but it was also a problem that ultimately could be solved. Farmers and researchers alike noticed that all of these problems (dry matter loss, indigestibility, and spoilage) were being caused by “problem organisms” that began to ferment the forage when it was stored for any significant amount of time. In order to solve this problem, they had two choices: beat them or join them. Beating them would mean eliminating the presence of microorganisms in the forage altogether— which would prove to be impossible (even satellites that have been orbiting the earth in a vacuum for years show anaerobic bacteria presence on them if/when they return for analysis). In short, there is no way to completely eliminate microorganisms from nearly any environment and forage was no different. In this case, they needed to “join” them instead. This meant fighting harmful organisms with beneficial ones…

Brad Glocke President MicroSynergies

But “beneficial” organisms as a general category (like probiotics) weren’t going to be enough. Ultimately the right organisms for the job would need to be able to:

1. Outcompete the harmful microorganisms and…

2. Prevent spoilage of the forage.

And if needs turned into wants, these organisms should also (3) prevent the loss of dry matter and (4) improve digestibility to boot.

HEALTHY COMPETITION

To solve the first problem of microorganism competition, the solution would prove to be fairly straightforward: add the beneficial organisms early-on in the process and they’ll begin to grow and take control of the fermentation.

A classic example of this can be seen in the “accident” of the champagnemaking process over the traditional, nonsparkling, wine-making process— where in the process of fermenting traditional white grapes used for sparkling wines like champagne, the fruit enters a refermentation process where the yeasts “take over” the fermentation and emit the gases that ultimately create the bubbles in sparkling wines. This “happy accident” was discovered in the late 1600s by a French Benedictine monk named Dom Pérignon. Yet, in forage, yeasts taking over the fermentation are neither happy nor an accident.

Yeasts and molds are a type of fungi - and while there are some beneficial species (such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces boulardii for example), most yeasts will do big damage to the environments they inhabit through spoilage. That is, if or until the environmental pH drops to a specific point. Yeasts grow in a pH-neutral environment that ranges from around 8.0 to just slightly acidic - around 5.0. And if the pH drops even further, the yeast simply fails to grow.

This is where bacteria come in. In general, bacteria actually create and prefer a more acidic environment. Specifically, anaerobic “LABs” (“lactic acid bacteria” or microorganisms that primarily grow without the presence of oxygen) will produce several

metabolites, one of which is beneficial acids. These acids will ultimately drive the pH down below the 5.0 mark— the point where yeasts and molds can no longer grow and where the beneficial bacteria can also produce the other metabolites that make their presence helpful beyond preventing spoilage. But getting the pH to move from a neutral point to a more acidic point doesn’t simply come by “adding some good bacteria.” There’s a unique science to this process, known as Floral Succession

molds can still thrive), the introduction of this example organisms will help get the pH to where it needs to be but still won’t solve the problem. What’s needed in this case is an organism the also produces beneficial acids but can work in a pH that continues to drive the acidity in a direction that prevents the adverse effects of spoilage. The addition of another organisms — say, one that works best between a pH of 7.0 and 5.0 gets us closer but still too close for comfort… You get the point — adding a final organism that drives the pH to somewhere around, say 3.5, will create the level of comfort we need to be confident in the inoculant’s ability to do its primary jobs: outcompete the yeasts and molds and prevent spoilage.

TO BREATHE OR NOT TO BREATHE

THE DOMINO EFFECT

At some point, we’ve probably all seen these incredible internet videos (or tried to emulate them ourselves) where someone sets up an elaborate arrangement of dominoes and we watch in either amazement or vicarious frustration when the fall-pattern succeeds or when a single domino fails to connect and all that effort seems like it was for nothing. In analogy terms, this is the perfect example of Floral Succession.

Like yeast and other microorganisms, bacteria have both viable and optimal temperature ranges and viable and optimal pH ranges - and just like yeast, they will fail to grow outside of these ranges. So, if a bacterium can grow and thrive between a pH of 8.0 and 6.0 and produce beneficial acids, if added in significant amounts, it will help drive the pH down, but will fail to work beyond the 6.0 mark. Because the pH is still above the 5.0 mark (the point where yeasts and

Moving onto the “wants” of a silage inoculant, the next nice-to-have feature is the ability to avoid dry matter loss caused by the carbohydrate digestion from certain aerobic microorganisms. In short, when there is open forage or pockets of oxygen within the ensiled forage, aerobic microorganisms (organisms that need or prefer oxygen to thrive) have a chance of taking control of a portion of the fermentation. In traditional silage inoculants, anaerobic organisms are used (organisms that thrive in the absence of oxygen). In these aerobic scenarios however, the organisms look for a carbohydrate source — which is what they need to consume in order to grow — and they digest it. As a result, part of the carbohydrate source is “lost” — hence the “dry matter loss” that we try to avoid. So how can this be avoided? From a non-microbial standpoint, the forage could simply be packed as densely as possible, creating an organically anaerobic environment. Yet in practice, this is a rare accomplishment. The only practical solution is to add a beneficial organism that can work in aerobic conditions. But if an anaerobic environment is the end goal of packing the forage and incorporating anaerobic organisms, how can this be done? Wouldn’t it be counterproductive to the efficacy of the formulation to now include aerobic organisms? Wouldn’t they work against each other? Yes…

“You should use a silage inoculant in your forage — unless you think it’s too expensive, in which case you need to use a silage inoculant.”

That is unless you could dream up an organism that could work in both conditions — either aerobically or anaerobically. This is exactly where heterofermentative bacteria come in.

Heterofermentative bacteria differ from homofermentative bacteria in their ability to grow — and grow quite well — in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. While this ability isn’t necessarily rare, it is rare when it comes to beneficial bacteria — like the ones used in silage inoculants.

Among the most popular hetero-fermentative microorganisms used are Lactobacillus buchneri and Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis. While it’s not absolutely necessary to add one or both of these organisms to an inoculant formula to prevent dry matter loss (again, you could just insure that the forage is packed to an incredible density), the addition of one of these organisms tends to create a more robust formula and additional value from the standpoint of the farm.

INTENTIONAL ENERGY USE

Beneficial bacteria in general provide value by creating an ideal pH environment through metabolism that produces acids. In addition, various probiotic bacteria produce metabolites such as more and different types of acids, vitamins, enzymes, and antimicrobial compounds that promote good bacteria and make it more challenging for bad bacteria to colonize the environment.

All of these features create benefits on-balance for their host environment. In the case of direct-fed microbials (“DFMs”— or probiotic-type formulations for non-human animals), some bacteria will produce enzymes to help pre-digest macronutrients, including lipases to digest fats, carbohydrases to digest starches, and proteases to digest protein (although the latter might not always be ideal, which is why it’s important to select the right bacteria that produces the right enzymes for the job).

A good number of these enzymes are produced by an aerobic genera of bacteria called Bacillus. While Bacillus are popular in many applications (both swine and poultry

DFM formulations tend use Bacillus almost exclusively for example), they don’t always have the right need to serve in silage inoculants— yet in areas where wetter forages are put up (such as Europe, where the practice is generally employed), Bacillus are more popular choices because of the endospore that they form around themselves, which makes them more resilient in wetter environments.

In silage inoculants, the last “want” of the aims of a good inoculant is to be able to help pre-digest the nonprotein macronutrients through enzymes. In short, this allows the cow to use her energy to produce more milk instead of using her energy to digest her food— and the key is of course that it’s less expensive for bacteria to do this than for her to do it. Because the ideal forage environment is anaerobic, enzyme pro-duction from the aerobic Bacillus is not truly a viable option. Because of this, adding enzymes to the inoculant is the best option (enzymes themselves are not alive and so the environment’s oxygen profile doesn’t have the type of an effect it has on a living organism like bacteria).

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

The considerations of pH, Floral Succession, heterofermentative bacteria, and enzymes are really only half of the silage inoculant formulation challenge. Other considerations include carrier solubility, regulatory certifiability, minimum and maximally effective bacterial colony concentration… and yet, the Elephant-in-the-room is:

What good is the formula if the bacteria aren’t alive when the inoculant is applied?

The answer doesn’t require anything more than an educated guess; the answer is… it’s not going to be effective at all if you’ve just paid for cheap carrier with “dead bugs.” So, what gives? The answer is in how the bacteria themselves are selected, grown, processed, tested, and packaged. For more details on the Micro-Synergy® method for this, refer to the article in this volume entitled How to Build Strong Microbes. But in brief, the guarantee of

quality (and living) bacteria comes down to the following principles:

1. Select robust strains of bacteria that have been tested in various challenging environments.

2. Grow them using a custom fermentation media program that aims to create robust organisms— not just the highest concentration possible where they cells are near-lysing and dying.

3. Control the key elements of the processing and packaging environment and ingredients in order to reduce factors that contribute to the deterioration of cells and the eventual death of the bacteria.

Doing these key things will help to create a silage inoculant that is built with quality, dependable, reasonably priced, and valuable to the ones who need it most — the farm.

KEY IDEAS

USE STRONG BUGS

Starting with strong bacteria (see How to Build Strong Microbes in this issue).

CREATE A BASE

Start with a strong base, using bugs that create Floral Succession and lower the pH to the point where no yeasts or molds can grow.

ADD MORE FUNCTIONALITY

Consider adding heterofermentative bugs— ones that work wither with or without oxygen to help strengthen the formula.

MAKE SURE IT WORKS

Ensure that the right acids, enzymes, and other metabolites are in place— including bugs that work together in Floral Succession (see How to Formulate the Best Microbial Products in this issue).

PARTER WITH SUPPORT

Find a sourcing partner who knows the bugs well and can help you craft a robust marketing campaign to help differentiate your product in the marketplace (see MicrobeMarketing in this issue).

To learn more, visit SiloSynergy.com

Get the right concentrations for the right forage (don’t pay for what you don’t need).

True Floral Succession and full formulation coverage using our proprietary MicroCube™ technology.

Anaerobes + aerobes to combat versatile environments and stop yeast and mold growth. Strong and stable microbes using our MicroSynergy™ technology.

MicroSynergies LLC is the world leader in sourcing for the largest collection of commercial microbial ingredients on the planet. Through our agreements, partnerships, and network of global microbial manufacturers, we connect our customers to thousands of strains in formats including bulk cultures, concentrates, contract fermentations, and specialty biologicals and market them under our proprietary brand names. In many of these formats, we’re able to include our value-added MicroSynergy™ technology for creating enhanced stability, longer shelf-life, and increased activity post-production. From there, we can augment our offerings with expert formulation and technical support, market access, our award-winning 3+80™ supply risk guarantee, and microbial-specific marketing expertise. All information and data supplemented by data and visuals are independently verified, current, and correct to the best of our knowledge. For more information, contact your MicroSynergies representative.

The HistoryComplex and the Modern World of Yeast

Just as in the case of Rhizobia (see The Rhize of Rhizobia), the story of yeast originates in ancient Egypt. Archaeologists digging in Egyptian ruins found early grinding stones and baking chambers for yeast-raised bread, as well as drawings of 4,000-yearold bakeries and breweries.

In 1680, Dutch naturalist Anton van Leeuwenhoek first microscopically observed yeast, but at the time did not consider them to be living organisms, but rather globular structures — as researchers were doubtful whether yeasts were algae or fungi. In 1837, Theodor Schwann finally recognized them as fungi.

The, in 1857, the famous French microbiologist Louis Pasteur showed that by bubbling oxygen into the yeast broth, cell growth could be increased, but fermentation was inhibited— an observation later called the "Pasteur effect". In the paper "Mémoire sur la fermentation alcoolique," Pasteur proved that alcoholic fermentation was conducted by living yeasts and not by a chemical catalyst.

By the late 18th century two yeast strains used in brewing had been identified: Saccharomyces cerevisiae (top-fermenting yeast) and S. carlsbergensis (bottom-fermenting yeast).

S. cerevisiae has been sold commercially by the Dutch for bread-making since 1780; while, around 1800, the Germans started producing S. cerevisiae in the form of cream. In 1825, a method was developed to remove the liquid so

Brad Glocke President MicroSynergies

FORMATS

ACTIVE

Active yeast with all of the benefits of cytoplasm and the cell wall.

HYDROLYZED

Better uptake and absorption of cell contents including cytoplasm and cell wall contents.

AUTOLYZED

Gentle breaks in the cell wall maximize the benefits of both the cell wall and cytoplasm.

CELL WALL

Cell wall benefits of autolyzed yeast but without the cytoplasm components.

IDY

Cytoplasm from autolyzed yeast, but without cell well benefits.

the yeast could be prepared as solid blocks. The industrial production of yeast blocks was enhanced by the introduction of the filter press in 1867. In 1872, Baron Max de Springer developed a manufacturing process to create granulated yeast, a technique that was used until the first World War. In the United States, naturally occurring airborne yeasts were used almost exclusively until commercial yeast was marketed at the Centennial Exposition in 1876 in Philadelphia, where Charles L. Fleischmann exhibited the product and a process to use it, as well as serving the resultant baked bread.

Refinements in microbiology following the work of Louis Pasteur led to more advanced methods of culturing pure strains. In 1879, Great Britain introduced specialized growing vats for the production of S. cerevisiae, and in the United States around the turn of the century centrifuges were used for concentrating the yeast, making modern commercial yeast possible, and turning yeast production into a major industrial endeavor. The slurry yeast made by small bakers and grocery shops became cream yeast, a suspension of live yeast cells in growth medium, and then compressed yeast, the fresh cake yeast that became the standard leaven for bread bakers in much of the Westernized world during the early 20th century.

During World War II, Fleischmann's developed a granulated active dry yeast for the United States armed forces, which did not require refrigeration and had a longer shelf-life and better temperature tolerance than fresh yeast; it is still the standard yeast for US military recipes. The company created yeast that would rise twice as fast, cutting down on baking time.

Lesaffre would later create instant yeast in the 1970s, which has gained considerable use and market share at the expense of both fresh and dry yeast in their various applications.

Further scientific progress came when on the 24th of April 1996, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was announced to be the first eukaryote to have its genome, consisting of 12 million base pairs, fully sequenced as part of the Genome Project. At the time, it was the most complex organism to have its full genome sequenced, and the work seven years and the involvement of more than 100 laboratories to accomplish.

A SCIENTIFIC VIEW

Yeasts are single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitute 1% of all described fungal species.

Yeasts are unicellular organisms that evolved from multicellular ancestors, with some species having the ability to develop multicellular characteristics by forming strings of connected budding cells known as pseudohyphae or false hyphae. With their single-celled growth habit, yeasts can be contrasted with molds, which grow hyphae. Fungal species that can take both forms (depending on temperature or other conditions) are called dimorphic fungi.

Yeasts do not form a single taxonomic or phylogenetic grouping. The term "yeast" is often taken as a synonym for Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but the phylogenetic diversity of yeasts is shown by their placement in two separate phyla: the Ascomycota and the Basidiomycota. The budding yeasts or "true yeasts" are classified in the order Saccharomycetales, within the phylum Ascomycota.

The yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae converts carbohydrates to carbon dioxide and alcohols in a process known as fermentation. The products of this reaction have been used in baking and the production of alcoholic beverages for thousands of years. S. cerevisiae is also an important model organism in modern cell biology research and is one of the most thoroughly studied eukaryotic microorganisms.

S. cerevisiae is currently the only yeast cell known to have Berkeley bodies present, which are involved in particular secretory pathways.

All strains of S. cerevisiae can grow aerobically on glucose, maltose, and trehalose and fail to grow on lactose and cellobiose. However, growth on other sugars is variable. Galactose and fructose are shown to be two of the best fermenting sugars. The ability of yeasts to use different sugars can differ depending on whether they are grown aerobically or anaerobically. Some strains cannot grow anaerobically on sucrose and trehalose.

“In short, yeast is the name for a lifestyle— NOT for a related group of organisms.”

— Jennifer Frazer

THE BEAST OF ALL YEASTS.™

Live Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells with all the benefits of our MS AutoYeast™.

Enzymatic Hydrolysis utilizes hydrolytic enzymes to breakdown polymers, creating better absorption and uptake of cell contents.

Autolyzation creates gentle breaks in the cell wall to maximize the benefit of both the cell wall (beta glucans, MOS) and the cytoplasm (peptides, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, nucleotides) and also helps to bind mycotoxins.

All of the cell wall benefits of MS AutoYeast™ with beta-glucans and MOS, but without the benefits of the cytoplasmic nutrients.

All of the cytoplasm benefits of MS AutoYeast™ with peptides, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and nucleotides, but without the cell wall benefits.

MS ID Yeast™

MS Cell Wall Yeast™

MS HydroYeast™

MS AutoYeast™

MS ActiveYeast™

ProbioPlant Plant Health & Growth Promotion

Roy Glocke Founder & Chief Technical Advisor MicroSynergies

A highly concentrated dry blend of bacterial spores specially selected to promote healthy plant growth and improve soil quality.

ustainable agricultural practices are widely accepted as an alternative to the use of chemical fertilizers. As the main agents for breaking down organic material and recycling nutrients, microorganisms interact with plants at the root level, and in turn, influence growth and nutrition of the entire plant. A natural and environmentally friendly option is to apply a microbial supplement of scientifically selected microorganisms that will colonize the plant roots.

This article explains the rigorous research and development that contributed to the creation of MicroSynergies’ ProbioPlant™ (MSPP); which can be applied as a seed coating, in drip irrigation, via over- head watering, broadcast, or in-furrow.

PRODUCT ATTRIBUTES

To begin, our development team partners ensured

an understanding of the environment in which the bacteria will be utilized.

Figure 1 shows a plant root and its exuded compounds. These compounds impact the soil around the roots, as indicated by the column descriptions, allowing plants to recruit beneficial root colonizing bacteria. Knowing the compounds present in the rhizosphere, researchers isolated bacteria that utilize the root exudates as a food source, promoting bacterial cell growth and root colonization. The nutrients further allow the bacteria to produce metabolites that promote plant growth.

Our complimentary Bacillus strains, strategically selected for MSPP, produce enzymes as they grow. By introducing the strains in MSPP that are hyper producers of different enzymes, pathogen attracting compounds naturally exuded by the plant are sequestered and utilized for

growth of the MSPP strains. The consumption of pathogen attracting compounds does not kill plant pathogens, rather it makes the plant less visible to them. MSPP contains rapid growing strains that consume a vast variety of organic compounds, helping to ensure that beneficial microbial strains occupy the rhizosphere.

Our development partners have also screened the strains for the ability to release phosphorous, an expensive and valuable resource.

Phosphorous is a major macronutrient needed for plant growth but is not easily accessible to benefit the plant. Phosphorous is reactive with iron, aluminum, and calcium resulting in the precipitation of phosphorous,

making it unavailable to plants. The bacteria in MSPP can convert phosphorous into a form easier for the plant to access, such as orthophosphate.

Figure 2 below shows the efficacy of multiple Bacillus strains to solubilize phosphorous over a seven-day period. Potassium is another major macronutrient needed for plant growth. Scientists conducted assays similar to the phosphorous solubilization assay to select specific microbial strains for high potassium solubilizing capabilities. This ability of the microbes in MSPP to solubilize potassium makes the potassium more readily available for plants.

Iron is another important but scarce nutrient in soil. The bacteria in MSPP can produce compounds called siderophores. These sidero=phores acquire ferric iron in the soil so root cells can utilize the iron by active transport mechanisms.

Enzymes, like macronutrients, are also essential to the growth of a healthy plant. Enzymes are needed for the digestion of organic matter found in the soil and root exudates. The enzymes also serve to feed the plant. They are formed by chains of amino acids, which are made

SPECIFICATIONS

Guarantee: 50 billion CFU/g

Applications:

Lawns and other grasses, bedding plants, vegetables, row crops.

Product Profile:

- Multiple bacterial species

- Naturally occurring, non-GMO

- Aerobes + facultative anaerobes

- Positive chemotaxis

- 100% stabilized spores

pH Range: 5-10

Temp. Range: 12°C - 40°C (54°F - 104°F)

Shelf Life: 1 year at 21°C (70°F)

Standard Packaging: Available in 50, 100, or 200 lb. poly-lined fiber drums.

of carbon, and more importantly, nitrogen. MSPP contains bacterial strains that produce high levels of enzymes and convert organic matter into amino acids to directly feed the plant. Although our microorganisms are added to the rhizosphere, benefits can be seen throughout the entire plant. This is due to induced systemic resistance— the addition of beneficial bacteria to the root zone to aid in the prevention of disease.

As shown in the illustration in Figure 3 (to the right), when microbes are added to the root zone of the plant, the bacteria elicit a plantmediated defense response which is then translocated throughout the entire plant. This well documented phenomena results in reduced foliar diseases due to the addition of microbes to the soil.

Testing hundreds of microorganisms for the attributes described in the aforementioned research has led to a multi-strain product. We combined complimentary strains to create a blend that helps the plant in multiple ways. This approach provides the best strain in each category, creating a well-balanced team of microorganisms that, when combined, elicit the most benefits possible.

MSPP has been found to improve multiple aspects of plant growth. Studies were performed in growth chambers using corn as a test plant in a nutrient poor soil. After three weeks of growth, the plants were harvested, and a variety of parameters were measured. The results of this growth chamber assay can be seen in Figure 4 We observed 34 percent increase in root volume, 58 percent increase in dry root weight, 46 percent increase in shoot length, and 47 percent increase in dry shoot weight.

SUMMARY

Years of research and development yielded the proprietary formulation for ProbioPlant™. MSPP microbes cycle the nutrients found in the soil and solubilize minerals, making them more available for the plant. The microbes colonize the plant, and help to feed the plant, all while promoting its growth. By incorporating multiple strains with complimentary activities, we have built all of these attributes into a single product formulated for plant health promotion.

MicroSynergies LLC is the world leader in sourcing for the largest collection of commercial microbial ingredients on the planet. Through our agreements, partnerships, and network of global microbial manufacturers, we connect our customers to thousands of strains in formats including bulk cultures, concentrates, contract fermentations, and specialty biologicals and market them under our proprietary brand names. In many of these formats, we’re able to include our value-added MicroSynergy™ technology for creating enhanced stability, longer shelf-life, and increased activity post-production. From there, we can augment our offerings with expert formulation and technical support, market access, our award-winning 3+80™ supply risk guarantee, and microbial-specific marketing expertise. All information and data supplemented by data and visuals are independently verified, current, and correct to the best of our knowledge. For more information, contact your MicroSynergies representative.

The microbes colonize the plant, and help feed the plant, all while promoting growth.

The Rhize of Rhizobia

Humans have been aware of plants or bacteria that add nutrients or, in this case, nitrogen to the soil since the time of the Egyptians. Egyptians used legumes like peas, lentils, and clover to add nitrogen to the soil, although they did not know that what they were really adding was nitrogen fixing organisms, called Rhizobia.

It was not until the 19th century that people began to scratch the surface of what was really helping their crops grow. In Germany, interbreeding crops with legumes had led to part of the crops making nitrogen and the other half consuming nitrogen. Finally, near the end of the 19th century, humans discovered the Rhizobium bacteria. In 1679, a man named Malpighi observed Rhizobia in his drawing of a plant. He thought that the bacteria were insect’s eggs, or parasites. Later a German Scientist named Hermann Hellriegel, with help from Hermann Wilfarth, recognized that the nodules in the root were the actual reason for the bumps, and that these bumps were creating fixed nitrogen. He discovered Rhizobium inside the nodules in 1888.

Yet another important scientist in the history of Rhizobium is Martinus Beijerinck from Holland. He was the man

Roy Glo cke

who began to organize the Rhizobium into their current species. Although all of the scientist may have seen Rhizobium, it is a man named Frank in 1988 who gets the credit for being the one who originally published his findings the discovery of the actual bacteria called Rhizobium.

SCIENTIFIC

Rhizobia consist of a group of bacterial genera including Allorhizobium, Azorhizobium, Bradyrhizobium, Mesorhizobium, Rhizobium, and Sinorhizobium— all with varying ability to fix nitrogen.

These bacteria can infect the roots of leguminous plants, leading to the formation of lumps or nodules where the nitrogen fixation takes place. The bacterium’s enzyme system supplies a constant source of reduced nitrogen to the host plant and the plant furnishes nutrients and energy for the activities of the bacterium. About 90% of legumes can become nodulated.

In the soil the bacteria are free living and motile, feeding on the remains of dead organisms. Free living Rhizobia cannot fix nitrogen and they have a different shape from the bacteria found in root nodules. They are regular in structure, appearing as straight rods; in root nodules the nitrogen-fixing form exists as irregular cells called bacteroides which are often club and Y-shaped.

FORMATS

Soluble Inoculant: Pulse, Pasture, and Special (as MicroRhiz):

Freeze dried formulation, a soluble legume inoculant.

Inoculant

Peat: Pulse, Pasture, and Special (as MicroNode-N):

Delivers rhizobia for effective nodulation. Enhanced nitrogenfixation.

Improves plant performance, dry matter, yield. Assists post crop soil nitrate.

ROOT NODULE FORMATION

Sets of genes in the bacteria control different aspects of the nodulation process. One Rhizobium strain can infect certain species of legumes but not others (e.g. the pea is the host plant to Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viciae, whereas clover acts as host to R. leguminosarum biovar trifolii). Specificity genes determine which Rhizobium strain infects which legume. Even if a strain is able to infect a legume, the nodules formed may not be able to fix nitrogen. Such rhizobia are termed ineffective. Effective strains induce nitrogen-fixing nodules. Effectiveness is governed by a different set of genes in the bacteria from the specificity genes. Node genes direct the various stages of nodulation.

The initial interaction between the host plant and free-living rhizobia is the release of a variety of chemicals by the root cells into the soil. Some of these encourage the growth of the bacterial population in the area around the roots (the rhizosphere). Reactions between certain compounds in the bacterial cell wall and the root surface are responsible for the rhizobia recognizing their correct host plant and attaching to the root hairs. Flavonoids secreted by the root cells activate the nod genes in the bacteria which then induce nodule formation. The whole nodulation process is regulated by highly complex chemical communications between the plant and the bacteria.

Once bound to the root hair, the bacteria excrete nod factors. These stimulate the hair to curl. Rhizobia then invade the root through the hair tip where they induce the formation of an infection thread. This thread is constructed by the root cells and not the bacteria and is formed only in response to infection. The infection thread grows through the root hair cells and penetrates other root cells nearby often with branching of the thread. The bacteria multiply within the expanding network of tubes, continuing to produce node factors which stimulate the root cells to proliferate, eventually forming a root nodule. Within a week of infection small nodules are visible to the naked eye. Each root nodule is packed with thousands of living Rhizobium bacteria, most of which are in the misshapen form known as bacteroides.

Portions of plant cell membrane surround the bacteroids. These structures, known as symbiosomes, which may contain several bacteroides or just one, are where the nitrogen fixation takes place.

NITROGENASE

An enzyme called nitrogenase catalyzes the conversion of nitrogen gas to ammonia in nitrogen-fixing organisms. In legumes it only occurs within the bacteroides. The reaction requires hydrogen as well as energy from ATP. The nitrogenase complex is sensitive to oxygen, becoming inactivated when exposed to it. This is not a problem with free living, anaerobic nitrogen-fixing bacteria such as Clostridium. Free living aerobic bacteria have a variety of different mechanisms for protecting the nitrogenase complex, including high rates of metabolism and physical barriers. Azotobacter overcomes this problem by having the highest rate of respiration of any organism, thus maintaining a low level of oxygen in its cells.

Rhizobium controls oxygen levels in the nodule with leghaemoglobin. This red, ironcontaining protein has a similar function to that of haemoglobin; binding to oxygen. This provides sufficient oxygen for the metabolic functions of the bacteroides but prevents the accumulation of free oxygen that would destroy the activity of nitrogenase. It is believed that leghaemoglobin is formed through the interaction of the plant and the rhizobia as neither can produce it alone.

MicroSynergies LLC is the world leader in sourcing for the largest collection of commercial microbial ingredients on the planet. Through our agreements, partnerships, and network of global microbial manufacturers, we connect our customers to thousands of strains in formats including bulk cultures, concentrates, contract fermentations, and specialty biologicals and market them under our proprietary brand names. In many of these formats, we’re able to include our value-added MicroSynergy™ technology for creating enhanced stability, longer shelf-life, and increased activity post-production. From there, we can augment our offerings with expert formulation and technical support, market access, our award-winning 3+80™ supply risk guarantee, and microbial-specific marketing expertise. All information and data supplemented by data and visuals are independently verified, current, and correct to the best of our knowledge. For more information, contact your MicroSynergies representative.

Rhizobium are symbiotic partners: They infect the roots, form nodules and fix nitrogen in a constant supply, and in-turn the plant furnishes nutrients and energy for the activities of the bacterium.

Rhize above the rest. ™

Legume Inoculant

Freeze dried formulation, a soluble legume inoculant.

Guaranteed Analysis

Rhizobium leguminosarum > 5 x 1011 CFU.

Benefits:

Ideally suited for water injection application. Compact - easy to store, transport, and has a long shelf-life.

Easy to mix, readily dissolves in water and stays in suspension.

Treats up to 500kg of legume seed. Refer to group chart.

Legume Inoculant Peat

Delivers rhizobia for effective nodulation. Enhance nitrogen-fixation.

Improves plant performance, dry matter, yield. Assists post crop soil nitrate.

Benefits: Cost effective and reliable. Free nitrogen.

Improves cereals plant performance when grown after legume crops, with improved yields and protein.

Multiple application methods (most common are slurry seed treatment and water injection).

Peat carrier contains moisture and nutrients to help the rhizobium thrive and improves survival.

To learn more, visit RhizobiumProducts.com

MicroSynergies LLC is the world leader in sourcing for the largest collection of commercial microbial ingredients on the planet. Through our agreements, partnerships, and network of global microbial manufacturers, we connect our customers to thousands of strains in formats including bulk cultures, concentrates, contract fermentations, and specialty biologicals and market them under our proprietary brand names. In many of these formats, we’re able to include our value-added MicroSynergy™ technology for creating enhanced stability, longer shelf-life, and increased activity post-production. From there, we can augment our offerings with expert formulation and technical support, market access, our award-winning 3+80™ supply risk guarantee, and microbialspecific marketing expertise. All information and data supplemented by data and visuals are independently verified, current, and correct to the best of our knowledge. For more information, contact your MicroSynergies representative.

icroSynergies was founded by Roy Glocke, who served as the National Sales Manager for Chr Hansen for about ten years. While at Chr Hansen, he also served on the founding committee that led to the creation of AAFCO (The Association of American Feed Control Officials) and served as an advisor for choosing the original portfolio of direct-fed microbials (the term used in the United States for probiotics in food-animal production) that are still used and followed to this day.

Long before joining Chr Hansen, though, Roy’s interest in agriculture began while growing up on a dairy farm in central Wisconsin in the Midwest United States— and after working in a high-level role at Chr Hansen, he realized that he missed the time he spent out in the field (literally), meeting producers and being more involved in sales process on a personal basis. So, he left Chr Hansen for a smaller company called LaPorte Biochem International— a smaller fermentation company based in Milwaukee, Wis. At LaPorte, Roy served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Shortly thereafter, though, the company was purchased by Lallemand, who brought in their own consolidated management, which left Roy looking for new opportunities in the microbial space. Wanting to get back to agspecific probiotic solutions, he joined Bio Techniques Laboratories in a similar role shortly after the LaPorte acquisition, only to be boughtout… again by Lallemand.

Roy then continued in similar role, serving as National Sales Manager for another basic fermentation company called Medipharm USA. Yet, as the patterns of history would have it, Medipharm was bought out shortly after Roy came on board— this time by Chr Hansen.

At this point, he realized that the only way to create real stability in a consolidating industry was to go into business for himself. And so, he created MicroSynergies LLC as a manufacturer’s representative company.

In the beginning, MicroSynergies mainly served dairy customers in the United States— but like any other lasting business, a lot has changed since its founding days…

GROWTH & CHANGE

After over many successful years of founding and building his company, Roy was considering exiting the business for retirement. His decision was accelerated, however, when in May of 2017 he incurred sudden sensorineural hearing loss (or SSHL)— a rare condition where a person can lose hearing in one or both ears in the matter of seconds or days. The long-story-short is that while Roy did eventually get an implant that made some face-to-face communication possible, talking on the phone or in loud or echoing settings made it nearly impossible for him to continue in the business at 100-percent capacity (e.g. imagine trying to decipher all of the scientific organism names over the phone with severely limited hearing capability).

Due to the “perfect storm” of professional goals and circumstance, Roy transitioned the business to his son, Brad, over the course of 2017 and into 2018— and in July of 2018, Brad officially took over as owner and President, with Roy staying on as MicroSynergies’ Chief Technical Advisor.

With the increased bandwidth and additional energy, MicroSynergies grew by 25% in 2019— and in early 2020, Brad brought on Chris Muellenbach in the role of Vice President of

Brad Glocke President

Chris Muellenbach Vice President of Marketing and Business Development

Roy Glocke Founder & Chief Technical Advisor

Marketing & Business

MORE THAN JUST SALES & MARKETING

Our value to our customers is in seeing far and wide in a global landscape and then helping them navigate markets through product innovation, expert product formulation, supply guarantees, and unmatched marketing support, in both quality and depth.”

Development. Chris is an entrepreneur with a history of building companies using creative and consistent marketing to grow his brands. Together, Brad and Chris added a Chief Technical Director for LATAM, Oceania, and Southeast Asia, based out of Ecuador. As the MicroSynergies team and business continues to grow, we’re doing so with clear focus, exciting collaborations, and high-quality value for our customers.

HOW WE CREATE VALUE

Our value to our customers is in seeing far and wide in a global landscape and then helping them navigate markets through product innovation (1), superior stability (2), expert formulation (3), supply guarantees (4), and unmatched marketing support (5), in both quality and depth. In short, we look for high-quality microbial cultures and augment these products with additional science and support for our customers— making the otherwise cumbersome conversations about what microbes are and how they work seamless and translatable to end customers.

“… in 2020, we began collaborating with researchers around the United States (including a joint collaboration between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Business School)…

See How to Build Strong Microbes— a look at our MicroSynergy® technology.

While the majority of our current value is in the efficiency of sourcing, formulating, market analysis, and marketing of novel microbial cultures, our longer-term business aspirations are in increasing our value even more on the scientific side of these industries— and in 2020, we began collaborating with researchers around the United States (including a joint collaboration between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Business School) on technologies to increase the stability, shelf-life, and activity of microbes in commercial fermentation. This, along with other collaborations and formal partnerships around the world, has led to bigger opportunities for our business and expectations of great things to come. 1 2 3 4 5

See Pre-Formulated Microbial Blends, Rocket Fast Germination Technology, and Strains that Love and Live for the Cold in this issue. See How to Formulate THE BEST Microbial Products— the official unveiling of our MicroCube formulation philosophy.

See Establishing Links in the Chain— a look at our award-winning 3+80 Guarantee™ for reducing supply risk for our customers.

See MicrobeMarketing™ and Marketing ToolKit in this issue.

WITH EVERY NEW ADVENTURE COMES A FEELING OF ANTICIPATION.

Chris Muellenbach.

With every new adventure comes a feeling of anticipation.

With a background in marketing, entrepreneurship, academia, and sales, I was excited for the new challenges and opportunities that the world of microbials had in store for me.

My name is Chris Muellenbach and I’d like to introduce myself as the new Vice President of Business Development and Marketing at MicroSynergies.

BIO

With over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, marketer, and sales professional in B2B and B2C categories, Chris’s experience is broad.

Chris has consulted with Fortune companies, as well as designed university programs for small businesses and corporations.

Chris enlisted in the United States Air Force after high school, serving during Desert Storm. After returning from active duty, Chris graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

He now serves as Vice President of Marketing & Business Development at MicroSynergies, focusing on marketing, sales, and development.

An avid student of leadership and a proponent of personal accountability, Chris is committed to health and fitness and loves traveling.

He and his wife Katie spend free time with their twin daughters, are avid runners and bikers, and enjoy touring the countryside on their road bikes every chance they get.

My first day on the job with MicroSynergies was in early March 2020, and within two weeks, the world changed. That time allowed me to dive into the world and business of microbial cultures and discover the unique position MicroSynergies created for our clients.

I was surprised by what I had learned. Are you aware that our team has access to over 150 cultures and over 5,000 strains across the globe? More cultures, through multiple partners than anyone in the world. Seriously.

In addition to access, we have greater stability. Our cultures are isolated, grown, and processed with proprietary technology to increase shelf-life and microbial stability.

Last, but not least, MicroSynergies has over 75 years of combined microbial knowledge, formulation know-how, and product development experience to support and assist you and your group.

I’m excited to be part of this talented team and look forward to working with you on your projects. Please feel free to reach out by phone, email or let’s set up a time to get together in person when you’re ready. I look forward to meeting you and helping to you reach your goals.

Be well!

PRODUCTO

SOLUCIONES

MicroSynergies LLC is the world leader in sourcing for the largest collection of commercial microbial ingredients on the planet. Through our agreements, partnerships, and network of global microbial manufacturers, we connect our customers to thousands of strains in formats including bulk cultures, concentrates, contract fermentations, and specialty biologicals and market them under our proprietary brand names. In many of these formats, we’re able to include our value-added MicroSynergy™ technology for creating enhanced stability, longer shelf-life, and increased activity post-production. From there, we can augment our offerings with expert formulation and technical support, market access, our award-winning 3+80™ supply risk guarantee, and microbialspecific marketing expertise. All information and data supplemented by data and visuals are independently verified, current, and correct to the best of our knowledge. For more information, contact your MicroSynergies representative.

MicroSynergies LLC es el líder mundial en el abastecimiento de la mayor colección de ingredientes microbianos comerciales del planeta. A través de nuestros acuerdos, asociaciones y red de fabricantes de microbios globales, conectamos a nuestros clientes con miles de cepas en formatos que incluyen cultivos a granel, concentrados, fermentaciones por contrato y productos biológicos especiales y los comercializamos con nuestras marcas registradas. En muchos de estos formatos, podemos incluir nuestra tecnología MicroSynergy ™ de valor agregado para crear una estabilidad mejorada, una vida útil más prolongada y una mayor actividad de posproducción. A partir de ahí, podemos aumentar nuestras ofertas con formulación experta y soporte técnico, acceso al mercado, nuestra galardonada garantía de riesgo de suministro 3 + 80 ™ y experiencia en marketing específico para microbios. Toda la información y los datos complementados con datos y elementos visuales se verifican de forma independiente, están actualizados y son correctos según nuestro leal saber y entender. Para obtener más información, comuníquese con su representante de MicroSynergies.

The commercial use of probiotic microorganisms has been on the right side of history for many years now. As consumer demands have moved away from antibiotics to probiotics in even more recent years, the need has only become more evident. And in aquaculture, the need is dually unique…

UNIQUENESS OF THE PROBIOTIC SOLUTION IN AQUACULTURE

For most industries that utilize “bugs” to remediate some sort of an environment, the solution (at least initially) comes down to simple formulation principles; the first of which can be thought of as native vs. introduced. For example, a biological solution can be add probiotics to an environment that already utlilized them, such as in the rumen of a cow. In this way, the probiotics outcompete the harmful bacteria and provide a big benefit to the producer. In this way, this is a native remediation solution. On the other hand, beneficial bacteria can be used to benefit nonnative environments (i.e. introduced) such as the case with hydrocarbon treatments, for example.

Of course, in aquaculture, the solution is native but what’s unique about probiotic applications here is that a dual solution is needed: for the environment (water quality) and for the animal itself (as a probiotic, conferring a benefit on the host).

El uso comercial de microorganismos probióticos ha estado en el lado correcto de la historia durante muchos años. A medida que las demandas de los consumidores se han movido de los antibióticos a los probióticos en años incluso más recientes, la necesidad se ha vuelto más evidente. Y en acuicultura, la necesidad es doblemente única ...

ÚNICA DE LA SOLUCIÓN PROBIÓTICA EN ACUICULTURA

Para la mayoría de las industrias que utilizan “bugs” para remediar algún tipo de entorno, la solución (al menos inicialmente) se reduce a principios simples de formulación; el primero de los cuales se puede considerar como nativo versus introducido. Por ejemplo, una solución biológica puede agregar probióticos a un ambiente que ya los utilizó, como en el rumen de una vaca. De esta manera, los probióticos compiten con las bacterias dañinas y proporcionan un gran beneficio al productor. De esta manera, esta es una solución de remediación nativa. Por otro lado, las bacterias beneficiosas se pueden utilizar para beneficiar entornos no nativos (es decir, introducidos) como es el caso de los tratamientos con hidrocarburos, por ejemplo.

Por supuesto, en la acuicultura, la solución es nativa, pero lo único de las aplicaciones probióticas aquí es que se necesita una solución dual: para el medio ambiente

Brad Glocke President Presidente MicroSynergies

John Weir Falquez Technical Director of LATAM, Oceania, and Southeast Asia Director Técnico de

Oceanía y Sudeste Asiático MicroSynergies

HOW PROBIOTICS ACTUALLY HELP

In aquatic environments, probiotic organisms combat pathogens with inhibitory substances and by competition for space, competition for nutrients, or immunostimulation. Especially when combined with good sanitation, probiotic bacteria can help reduce and possibly eliminate the need for drug treatment of fish in tank culture systems. They can help internally by stabilizing the gut microflora and pH, excluding pathogens, improving digestion and absorption, and providing beneficial compounds (e.g. enzymes, vitamins, other growth promoters)… In the water, they can improve and stabilize the bacterial ecology of the rearing systems (1).

The immune system of crustaceans does not produce antibodies and is relatively primitive, with non-specific immune responses, which means that they cannot be ‘vaccinated’ in the traditional sense (2). Microbial supplements with living microorganism with beneficial effects to the host, modify its microbial community associated with the host or its farming environment, ensuring better use of artificial food and its nutritional value by improving the host's response to diseases and improving the quality of the farming environment. The microorganisms present in the aquatic environment are in direct contact with the animals, with the gills and with the food supplied, having easy access to the digestive tract of the animal (3).

(calidad del agua) y para el animal mismo (como probiótico, lo que confiere un beneficio al huésped).

CÓMO AYUDAN REALMENTE LOS PROBIÓTICOS

En ambientes acuáticos, los organismos probióticos combaten los patógenos con sustancias inhibidoras y por competencia por espacio, competencia por nutrientes o inmunoestimulación. Especialmente cuando se combinan con un buen saneamiento, las bacterias probióticas pueden ayudar a reducir y posiblemente eliminar la necesidad de tratamiento farmacológico de los peces en los sistemas de cultivo en tanques. Pueden ayudar internamente estabilizando la microflora intestinal y el pH, excluyendo patógenos, mejorando la digestión y absorción, y proporcionando compuestos beneficiosos (por ejemplo, enzimas, vitaminas, otros promotores del crecimiento) ... En el agua, pueden mejorar y estabilizar las bacterias. ecología de los sistemas de cría (1).

El sistema inmunológico de los crustáceos no produce anticuerpos y es relativamente primitivo, con respuestas inmunitarias inespecíficas, lo que significa que no pueden ser "vacunados" en el sentido tradicional (2). Los suplementos microbianos con microorganismos vivos con efectos beneficiosos

Bacillus species with researched and known anti-pathogenic attributes in common aquaculture pathogens

Especies de Bacillus con atributos anti-patógenos investigados y conocidos en patógenos comunes de la acuicultura

“Clearly, intensive shrimp production systems depend on a healthy and diverse microbial community to improve shrimp growth, enhance shrimp survival, and maintain acceptable water quality.”

— Shaun M. Moss

"Claramente, los sistemas de producción intensiva de camarón dependen de una comunidad microbiana sana y diversa para mejorar el crecimiento del camarón, mejorar la supervivencia del camarón y mantener una calidad de agua aceptable".

— Shaun M. Moss

Shrimp are the most commercially important aquaculture animals that utilize a significant amount of microorganisms in their diet. Feed utilization by shrimp is quite poor. Only 17% of the nutrients in feeds of intensive shrimp aquaculture end up in harvested shrimp tissue (Nunes and Parsons 1998). The rest is either not consumed by the shrimp, egested, or lost due to molting, maintenance energy, and release by excretion. Thus, the majority of the energy in the feed is lost. With proper microbial management, unutilized feed can be used as a resource rather than becoming a waste, saving money for the farmer while protecting the environment (4).

Microorganisms thrive in the aquaculture environment, since there is plenty of food for their growth and reproduction. Due to their great metabolic versatility and the ability to utilize compounds that contain carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus or sulfur, which are widely available in fish and shellfish facilities, microorganisms are generally more efficient in utilizing these compounds than larger organisms such as shellfish, and thus utilize parts of the feed that these animals cannot digest. Microorganisms in the water column and in the sediment of aquaculture facilities control the fate of many organic and inorganic compounds via aerobic or anaerobic metabolic processes. In this way, microorganisms can turn simple and complex food sources into proteins and vitamins. Thus, microorganisms in an aquaculture setting may utilize uneaten feed, animal excretion products (e. g., feces, ammonia), and decaying material (4).

The microorganisms in the aquaculture environment are, in turn, natural sources of food for many aquatic animals, such as shrimp, clams, conchs, sea cucumbers and some fish. These animals, which are grazers or filter feeders, rely on the microbial food either as a sole source of nutrients or as a complimentary food source. Shrimp have the ability to either eat microorganisms directly, or to eat the predators of the microorganisms like protozoa and small invertebrate animals. The protein content of microorganisms is similar to that found in many formulated feeds. In addition, microorganisms contain vitamins that can reduce or even eliminate the need for supplemental vitamins in formulated feed. As a result, diets which are less nutritionally complete and lower in protein content can be used to feed shrimp if microorganisms are permitted to recycle the waste from this inexpensive feed into a natural, high quality food for the shrimp (4).

para el huésped modifican su comunidad microbiana asociada con el huésped o su entorno agrícola, asegurando un mejor uso de los alimentos artificiales y su valor nutricional mejorando la respuesta del huésped a las enfermedades y mejorando la calidad de los alimentos. entorno agrícola. Los microorganismos presentes en el medio acuático están en contacto directo con los animales, con las branquias y con el alimento que se les suministra, teniendo fácil acceso al tracto digestivo del animal (3).

Los camarones son los animales de acuicultura más importantes comercialmente que utilizan una cantidad significativa de microorganismos en su dieta. La utilización de alimento por el camarón es bastante pobre. Sólo el 17% de los nutrientes en los alimentos de la acuicultura camaronera intensiva terminan en el tejido del camarón cosechado (Nunes y Parsons 1998). El resto no es consumido por los camarones, o no se ingiere o se pierde debido a la muda, la energía de mantenimiento y la liberación por excreción. Por tanto, se pierde la mayor parte de la energía del pienso. Con un manejo microbiano adecuado, el alimento no utilizado se puede utilizar como un recurso en lugar de convertirse en un desperdicio, lo que ahorra dinero al agricultor y protege el medio ambiente (4).

Los microorganismos prosperan en el entorno de la acuicultura, ya que hay abundante alimento para su crecimiento y reproducción. Debido a su gran versatilidad metabólica y la capacidad de utilizar compuestos que contienen carbono, nitrógeno, fósforo o azufre, que están ampliamente disponibles en las instalaciones de pescado y mariscos, los microorganismos son generalmente más eficientes en la utilización de estos compuestos que los organismos más grandes como los mariscos, y así utilizar partes del alimento que estos animales no pueden digerir. Los microorganismos en la columna de agua y en el sedimento de las instalaciones de acuicultura controlan el destino de muchos compuestos orgánicos e inorgánicos a través del metabolismo aeróbico o anaeróbico procesos. De esta manera, los microorganismos pueden convertir fuentes de alimentos simples y complejas en proteínas y vitaminas. Por lo tanto, los microorganismos en un entorno de acuicultura pueden utilizar alimentos no consumidos, productos de excreción animal (p. Ej., Heces, amoniaco) y material en descomposición (4).

Los microorganismos del medio acuícola son, a su vez, fuentes naturales de alimento para muchos animales acuáticos, como camarones, almejas, caracolas, pepinos de mar y algunos

KEY IDEAS

Probiotics confer a large number of benefits in aquaculture including:

Competitive exclusion of pathogenic bacteria.

Production of substances that inhibit growth in opportunistic pathogen species. Providing essential nutrients.

Promoting digestion through essential enzymes.

Direct uptake of dissolved organic material mediated by bacteria.

Prevent disease.

Decrease the amount of sludge.

Function as immunostimulants for the cultured animals.

Serve as a feed additive to compliment or partially substitute formulated feed.

Improves the nutritional value of food.

Improvements in the immune response.

Improved water quality.

FUNCTION OF SPECIFIC SPECIES IN AQUACULTURE

As noted, bacterial species in aquaculture can have multiple functions: mainly either antipathogenic or promotional

The table that follows indicates Bacillus species with researched and known antipathogenic attributes for common aquatic pathogens— and the table to the right indicates bacterial species with researched benefits in different parts of the promotional side of aquaculture productions.

MICROSYNERGIES SOLUTIONS

For the past three decades, our customers have been using our probiotic microorganisms in their aquaculture products in order to improve water quality, enhance growth and profitability, reduce mortality, and bioremediate their environment using natural biological solutions.

Through a combination of popular probiotic microorganisms specifically selected for their ability to flourish in aquaculture settings to longer shelf-life and pre-formulated biological ingredients for industry-specific solutions, we have taken an active lead in the formulation and use of microbials in aquaculture.

Please find additional information in the pages that follow.

peces. Estos animales, que pastan o se alimentan por filtración, dependen del alimento microbiano como única fuente de nutrientes o como fuente complementaria de alimento. Los camarones tienen la capacidad de comer microorganismos directamente o de los depredadores de los microorganismos como protozoos y pequeños animales invertebrados. El contenido de proteínas de los microorganismos es similar al que se encuentra en muchos alimentos formulados. Además, los microorganismos contienen vitaminas que pueden reducir o incluso eliminar la necesidad de vitaminas suplementarias en los piensos formulados. Como resultado, las dietas que son menos completas desde el punto de vista nutricional y más bajo en contenido de proteínas pueden usarse para alimentar camarones si se permite que los microorganismos reciclen los desechos de este alimento económico en un alimento natural, comida de alta calidad para los camarones (4).

FUNCIÓN DE ESPECIES ESPECÍFICAS EN ACUICULTURA

Como se señaló, las especies bacterianas en la acuicultura pueden tener múltiples funciones: principalmente antipatógenas o promocionales.

REFERENCES:

(1) “Marine Fish” by John Tucker from Aquaculture: Farming Aquatic Animals and Plants, Second Edition © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

(2) “Marine Shrimp” by Darryl Jory and Tomás Cabrera from Aquaculture: Farming Aquatic Animals and Plants, Second Edition © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

(3) “Use of Probiotics in Aquaculture” by Rafael Vieira de Azevedo and Luís Gustavo Tavares Braga in © 2012 Azevedo and Braga, licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

(4)“Microbial Intervention in Aquaculture” by Sarah Horowitz and Ami Horowitz, UPAH Tech, Inc. Environmental and Aquaculture Microbiology Consultants from Microbial Approaches to Aquatic Nutrition within Environmentally Sound Aquaculture Production Systems. The World Aquaculture Society, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. Lee, C.-S., and O’Bryen, P. editors. 2002.

La tabla de la derecha indica especies de Bacillus con atributos anti-patógenos investigados y conocidos para patógenos acuáticos comunes, y la tabla de la derecha indica especies bacterianas con beneficios investigados en diferentes partes del lado promocional de las producciones acuícolas.

SOLUCIONES DE MICROSYNERGIES

Durante las últimas tres décadas, nuestros clientes han estado utilizando nuestros microorganismos probióticos en sus productos de acuicultura con el fin de mejorar la calidad del agua, mejorar el crecimiento y la rentabilidad, reducir la mortalidad y biorremediar su entorno utilizando soluciones biológicas naturales.

A través de una combinación de microorganismos probióticos populares seleccionados específicamente por su capacidad para prosperar en entornos de acuicultura para una vida útil más prolongada e ingredientes biológicos preformulados para soluciones específicas de la industria, hemos tomado un liderazgo activo en la formulación y el uso de microbios en la acuicultura.

REFERENCIAS:

(1) “Marine Fish” by John Tucker from Aquaculture: Farming Aquatic Animals and Plants, Second Edition © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

(2) “Marine Shrimp” by Darryl Jory and Tomás Cabrera from Aquaculture: Farming Aquatic Animals and Plants, Second Edition © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

(3) “Use of Probiotics in Aquaculture” by Rafael Vieira de Azevedo and Luís Gustavo Tavares Braga in © 2012 Azevedo and Braga, licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http:// creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

(4)“Microbial Intervention in Aquaculture” by Sarah Horowitz and Ami Horowitz, UPAH Tech, Inc. Environmental and Aquaculture Microbiology Consultants from Microbial Approaches to Aquatic Nutrition within Environmentally Sound Aquaculture Production Systems. The World Aquaculture Society, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. Lee, C.-S., and O’Bryen, P. editors. 2002.

Promotor de Crecimiento

IDEAS PRINCIPALES

Los probióticos confieren una gran cantidad de beneficios en la acuicultura, que incluyen:

Ex-clusión competitiva de bacterias patógenas.

Inhibición de Patógenos

Digestibilidad de Nutrientes

Calidad del Agua

Tolerancia al estrés

Mejora de la Reproducción

Producción de sustancias que inhiben el crecimiento en especies patógenas oportunistas.

Aportando nutrientes esenciales.

Promoción de la digestión de iones a través de enzimas esenciales.

Absorción directa de material orgánico disuelto mediada por bacterias.

Prevenir enfermedades.

Disminuir la cantidad de lodos.

Funcionan como inmunoestimulantes para los animales cultivados.

Sirve como un aditivo alimentario para complementar o sustituir parcialmente el alimento formulado.

Mejora el valor nutritivo de los alimentos.

Mejoras en la respuesta inmunológica.

Mejora de la calidad del agua.

AquaGrow + AquaFlow

John Weir Falquez

Technical Director of LATAM, Oceania, and Southeast Asia Director Técnico

de LATAM, Oceanía y Sudeste Asiático MicroSynergies

s demand for fish, shellfish and other aquatic organisms continues to rise, fisheries search for a cost-effective and environmentally friendly option to manage their aquaculture systems.

Aquaculture systems often struggle with the over- stocking of farms and the creation of excess waste. This population growth problem causes the animals to be stressed and more susceptible to diseases. A high concentration of waste in the water will also increase biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and drop dissolved oxygen (DO) which negatively impacts the animals.

The addition of naturally occurring and beneficial microorganisms to the water is an intelligent choice for reducing, reusing and recycling waste. Bacteria are an integral part of all aquaculture ponds and have a direct impact on its productivity, nutrients, water quality and disease control.

The AquaGrow and AquaFlow (AG+AF) formula is a biologically active formula of

Brad Glocke President Presidente MicroSynergies

Microbianos de alimentación directa medida que la demanda de pescado, mariscos y otros organismos acuáticos sigue aumentando, la pesca busca una opción rentable y respetuosa con el medio ambiente para gestionar sus sistemas de acuicultura.

Los sistemas de acuicultura a menudo luchan con la sobrepoblación de las granjas y la creación de un exceso de desechos. Este problema de crecimiento de la población hace que los animales se estresen y sean más susceptibles a las enfermedades. Una alta concentración de desechos en el agua también aumentará la demanda bioquímica de oxígeno (DBO) y reducirá el oxígeno disuelto (OD) que impacta negativamente en los animales.

La adición de microorganismos beneficiosos y naturales al agua es una opción inteligente para reducir, reutilizar y reciclar los desechos. Las bacterias son una parte integral de todos los estanques de acuicultura y tienen un

bacterial strains that were chosen because of their ability to rapidly digest excess waste material in shrimp ponds. The scientifically selected, proprietary blend of cultures colonize the animal gut to aid in feed digestion and help protect shrimp and fish against pathogens.

Prawn Field Test Results

As shown in the chart below, using AG+AF equates to a increase in survival and weight of the animal, as well as a higher payback ratio. AG+AF’s cultures were chosen for optimum enzyme production, assuring efficient breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates, cellulose and fats. This leads to better feed conversion and less waste material for cleaner water and higher oxygen levels. Additionally, harmful ammonia and nitrates subside for healthier aquatic animals.

Direct-Fed Microbials

MicroSynergies’ partners and scientists have been creating aquaculture products for more than 20 years. This experience has shown that it is best to take a two-tiered approach to managing your aquafarms. We treat the inside of your animals, and remediate what is outside your animals. Our direct-fed microbials (DFM) are added to the feed, managing your animals from the inside. After consumption, our biologically active cultures colonize the gut of the animal to aid in feed digestion, and protect against pathogens. The results are larger animals over a shorter time

impacto directo en su productividad, nutrientes, calidad del agua y control de enfermedades.

La fórmula AquaGrow y AquaFlow (AG + AF) es una fórmula biológicamente activa de cepas bacterianas que se eligieron debido a su capacidad para digerir rápidamente el exceso de material de desecho en los estanques de camarones. La mezcla patentada y científicamente seleccionada de cultivos coloniza el intestino del animal para ayudar en la digestión de los alimentos y proteger a los camarones y peces contra los patógenos.

Resultados de la Prueba de Campo de Langostinos

Como se muestra en el cuadro a continuación, el uso de AG + AF equivale a un aumento en la supervivencia y el peso del animal, así como a una mayor tasa de recuperación.

Los cultivos de AG + AF fueron elegidos para una producción óptima de enzimas, asegurando una descomposición eficiente de proteínas, carbohidratos, celulosa y grasas. Esto conduce a una mejor conversión del alimento y menos material de desecho para un agua más limpia y niveles más altos de oxígeno. Además, el amoníaco y los nitratos dañinos disminuyen para los animales acuáticos más saludables.

Microbianos de Alimentación Directa

Los socios y científicos de MicroSynergies han estado creando productos de acuicultura durante

SPECIFICATIONS

Guaranteed

CFU: Feed Additive - 20 billion CFU/g Water Additive - 4 billion CFU/g

APPLICATIONS

Aquaculture feed additive

Aquaculture water additive

PRODUCT PROFILE

Multiple Bacillus Species. Naturally occurring, nonengineered. Aerobes and facultative anaerobes. Highly motile. Positive chemotaxis. 100% stabilized bacterial spores.

Enzyme Production

Amylase, Protease, Lipase, Esterase, Urease, Cellulase and Xylanase

Effective pH Range

5.0 - 10.0

Effective Temperature Range

5° - 55°C (40°130°F)

Shelf Life

One year at 21°C (70°F)

ESPECIFICACIONES

CFU

garantizado:

Aditivo para piensos - 20 mil millones de CFU/ g Aditivo de agua - 4 mil millones de CFU/g

APLICACIONES

Aditivo para piensos para acuicultura Aditivo para agua para acuicultura

PERFIL DEL PRODUCTO

Varias especies de Bacillus. De origen natural, sin ingeniería. Aerobios y anaerobios facultativos. Altamente móvil.

Quimiotaxis positiva. Esporas bacterianas 100% estabilizadas.

Producción de Enzimas

Amilasa, proteasa, lipasa, esterasa, ureasa, celulasa y xilanasa

Rango de pH

Efectivo

5,0 - 10,0

Rango de Temperatura

Efectivo

5° - 55°C

Duracion

Un año a 21°C

frame, improved feed conversion rate (FCR), reduced disease incidence, and decreased mortality. Our DFM blends are custom tailored to your animals’ needs and environments.

Reduce Waste

To remediate what is outside of your animal, we offer products that help maintain a healthy growing environment. Aquaculture systems often have an excess of waste. A high concentration of waste in the water will increase biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), decrease dissolved oxygen (DO), and generate high levels of ammonia. Each of these parameters can negatively impact animals, but when combined, the results can be devastating, leading to decreased feed conversion and increased mortality. Our selection of naturally occurring and beneficial microorganisms help to increase efficiency by reducing the waste materials and ammonia in your system, ensuring balanced BOD and DO levels are maintained. This creates an environment that allows your animals to thrive. Our safe and naturally effective microbial formulations have been extensively used in shrimp feed and water treatment applications with great success. More recently we have expanded our product line into fish and

más de 20 años. Esta experiencia ha demostrado que es mejor adoptar un enfoque de dos niveles para administrar sus granjas acuícolas. Tratamos el interior de sus animales y remediamos lo que está fuera de sus animales. Nuestros microbios de alimentación directa (DFM) se agregan al alimento, manejando a sus animales desde adentro. Después del consumo, nuestros cultivos biológicamente activos colonizan el intestino del animal para ayudar en la digestión del alimento y protegerlo contra patógenos. Los resultados son animales más grandes en un período de tiempo más corto, mejor tasa de conversión alimenticia (FCR), menor incidencia de enfermedades y menor mortalidad. Nuestras mezclas DFM se adaptan a las necesidades y entornos de sus animales.

REDUCIR GASTRO

planet. Through our agreements, partnerships, and network of global microbial manufacturers, we connect our customers to thousands of strains in formats including bulk cultures, concentrates, contract fermentations, and specialty biologicals and market them under our proprietary brand names. In many of these formats, we’re able to include our value-added MicroSynergy™ technology for creating enhanced stability, longer shelf-life, and increased activity post-production. From there, we can augment our offerings with expert formulation and technical support, market access, our award-winning 3+80™ supply risk guarantee, and microbial-specific marketing expertise. All information and data supplemented by data and visuals are independently verified, current, and correct to the best of our knowledge. For more information, contact your MicroSynergies representative.

Para remediar lo que está fuera de su animal, ofrecemos productos que ayudan a mantener un ambiente de crecimiento saludable. Los sistemas de acuicultura suelen tener un exceso de desechos. Una alta concentración de desechos en el agua aumentará la demanda bioquímica de oxígeno (DBO), disminuirá el oxígeno disuelto (OD) y generará altos niveles de amoníaco. Cada uno de estos parámetros puede afectar negativamente a los animales, pero cuando se combinan, los resultados pueden ser devastadores, lo que lleva a una menor conversión alimenticia y una mayor mortalidad. Nuestra selección de microorganismos beneficiosos y que ocurren naturalmente ayudan a aumentar la eficiencia al reducir los materiales de desecho y el amoníaco en su sistema, asegurando que se mantengan niveles equilibrados de DBO y OD. Esto crea un entorno que permite que sus animales prosperen. Nuestras formulaciones microbianas seguras y naturalmente efectivas se han utilizado ampliamente en aplicaciones de tratamiento de agua y alimentos para camarones con gran éxito. Más recientemente, hemos ampliado nuestra línea de productos a pescado y bivalvos con resultados similares.

MicroSynergies LLC es el líder mundial en el abastecimiento de la mayor colección de ingredientes microbianos comerciales del planeta. A través de nuestros acuerdos, asociaciones y red de fabricantes de microbios globales, conectamos a nuestros clientes con miles de cepas en formatos que incluyen cultivos a granel, concentrados, fermentaciones por contrato y productos biológicos especiales y los comercializamos con nuestras marcas registradas. En muchos de estos formatos, podemos incluir nuestra tecnología MicroSynergy ™ de valor agregado para crear una estabilidad mejorada, una vida útil más prolongada y una mayor actividad de posproducción. A partir de ahí, podemos aumentar nuestras ofertas con formulación experta y soporte técnico, acceso al mercado, nuestra galardonada garantía de riesgo de suministro 3 + 80 ™ y experiencia en marketing específico para microbios. Toda la información y los datos complementados con datos y elementos visuales se verifican de forma independiente, están actualizados y son correctos según nuestro leal saber y entender. Para obtener más información, comuníquese con su representante de MicroSynergies.

ITS AN HONOR TO BE A PART OF YOUR TEAM THE MARKETS ARE OPEN AND THE NEEDS ARE HIGH.

John Weir Falquez.

BIOGRAFÍA

Con más de 25 años de experiencia en salud y nutrición animal, John se ha especializado en crear y ayudar a empresas a utilizar biotecnología sostenible.

Recientemente, se ha dedicado al desarrollo de tecnologías globales para la industria camaronera en Ecuador, Tailandia, China y Australia, aplicando nuevos conceptos en larvicultura y engorde, utilizando la técnica microbiana heterotrófica para etapa intensiva 2-3.

BIO

With over 25 years of experience in animal health and nutrition, John has specialized in creating and helping businesses use sustainable biotechnology.

Recently, he has been dedicated to the development of global technologies for the shrimp production industry in Ecuador, Thailand, China, and Australia, applying new concepts in larviculture and grow-out, using the microbial heterotrophic technique for intensive 2-3 stage.

John graduated from Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil where he spent time in exchange in the U.S. at the University fo Kentucky.

John has spoken at several aquaculture congresses. He deeply believes in the power of beneficial microbes to improve productivity and reduce costs, while transforming the environment into a safer place.

John lives with his family in Ecuador.

John se graduó de la Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil donde pasó un tiempo de intercambio en los Estados Unidos en la Universidad de Kentucky.

John ha hablado en varios congresos de acuicultura. Cree profundamente en el poder de los microbios beneficiosos para mejorar la productividad y reducir los costos, al tiempo que transforma el medio ambiente en un lugar más seguro.

John vive con su familia en Ecuador.

“Es un honor para mí ser parte de su equipo. Los mercados están abiertos y las necesidades son altas.”

Direct-Fed Microbials Provide a Direct Benefit to Animals, Producers, and the Planet

From Calves, Dairy Cows, and Beef… to Poultry, Swine, Lamb, and Others— Beneficial Microbes Are on the Right Side of History.

MicroSynergies LLC is the world leader in sourcing for the largest collection of commercial microbial ingredients on the planet. Through our agreements, partnerships, and network of global microbial manufacturers, we connect our customers to thousands of strains in formats including bulk cultures, concentrates, contract fermentations, and specialty biologicals and market them under our proprietary brand names. In many of these formats, we’re able to include our value-added MicroSynergy™ technology for creating enhanced stability, longer shelf-life, and increased activity post-production. From there, we can augment our offerings with expert formulation and technical support, market access, our award-winning 3+80™ supply risk guarantee, and microbialspecific marketing expertise. All information and data supplemented by data and visuals are independently verified, current, and correct to the best of our knowledge. For more information, contact your MicroSynergies representative.

The use of probiotic and other approved beneficial bacteria in animals (collectively and officially referred to as “Direct-Fed Microbials”) works much in the same way as seen in other industries and applications: the point is to control the environment — whether it’s the soil, water, feed, or digestive system— by creating an ideal environment to promote the good microbes and metabolites and competitively exclude the harmful ones.

In addition to the health benefits conferred on the animal itself, the most practical commercial reasons for the use of “DFMs” include improved feed efficiency and profitability of the operation, reduction in morbidity, reduction in antibiotic use, and the prevention of foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella and E. coli. DFMs have been both a staple and growing in popularity for some time. Yet, new research into the larger benefits of beneficial bacteria and the industry’s move away from antibiotic use has accelerated the need to include DFM products in livestock feed portfolios, such as those for dairy, calves, beef, swine, poultry, aquaculture, and others.

BENEFITS OF DIRECT-FED MICROBIALS

The microbiota in the intestinal tract are important to the host, not only in relation to food digestion, but also in terms of reducing infection by pathogens (colonization resistance) and it is becoming increasingly apparent that the microbiota are important in developmental programming and function of organ systems in the adult. This is not surprising as there are ten times as many microbial cells as host cells and 100 times as many microbial genes. The microbiota could be considered an additional organ that not only influences function in the

adult, but also development in the neonate. The microbiota is an important component of the host animal’s genome. During and immediately after birth, the intestinal tract is colonized by a succession of bacteria. The presence of these bacteria is important for functional development of the intestinal tract (angiogenesis, epithelial tissues, mucosal system) and more recent data suggests a role in development and function of the brain and hypothalamic pituitary axis (HPA) that last throughout life (1).

EARLY APPLICATION

Recent data suggest that the early microbial colonizers influence the development of subsequent microbial populations as well as host development and function. There is increasing interest in the use of probiotics, prebiotics, and other dietary additions to improve animal health and well-being (1).

For example: Early colonization of intestines of 1-day-old chickens by a probiotic containing Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Enterococcus faecalis results in significant enhancement of the systemic IgM response to sheep red blood cells. Dalloul et al. found that feeding chickens a Lactobacillusbased probiotic had a positive impact in that it stimulated some of the early immune responses against Eimeria acervulina, characterized by early interferon (IFN)-g and interleukin (IL)-2 secretions, resulting in improved local immune defenses against coccidiosis. Numerous studies have demonstrated that giving probiotics has beneficial effects on humoral immune responses (2).

SPECIES-SPECIFIC OUTCOMES: DAIRY

In the United States, the dairy industry includes approximately nine million cattle that produce, on average, 19,000 pounds of milk a year (USDAERS 2009). During the past four decades the number of dairy farms has decreased, whereas the

Brad Glocke President MicroSynergies

Chris Muellenbach Vice President of Marketing and Business Development MicroSynergies

average dairy herd size has increased (USDA-ERS 2009). This concentration of cattle on fewer but larger farms has occurred to meet the demands of economies of scale. This focus on improving the efficiency of milk production has led to the development of dietary strategies to improve this critical factor in farm profitability. To achieve this goal, dairy cattle are fed a variety of rations from very high grain diets, to total mixed rations (TMRs), to even solely grass-based grazing systems. Many of the diets fed to dairy cattle in recent years have included the use of probiotic feedstuffs, or directfed microbials (DFMs) (3).

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract of cattle is a fully mature ecosystem comprised of more than 600 known species of bacteria as well as protozoa and fungi. This mixed, diverse microbial consortium occupies all environmental niches and utilizes nearly all available nutrients. The symbiotic relationship between the host animal and its resident gastrointestinal microbial ecosystem is critical to animal health and production efficiency. The ability to utilize cellulose has allowed ruminant animals to occupy environmental niches free of competition, but this has come at a cost of relatively low feed efficiencies. Utilization of the native or an artificially introduced microbial population to improve some aspect of animal production has been termed a “probiotic,” or a competitive enhancement approach. Generally speaking, these approaches offer a natural “green” method to improve production, efficiency, and safety of dairy production (3).

Most of the DFMs used in dairy cattle fall into the category of probiotics. The dairy cattle industry has used various DFMs for years primarily to increase the growth rate, milk production, and/or production efficiency. Recent years have seen the development of probiotic preparations to address other concerns related to dairy production and cattle health (3).

Cattle are inherently inefficient in converting feed to milk or meat because of the symbiotic relationship between the cow and her resident ruminal microbial ecosystem. Feed efficiency in dairy cattle typically ranges from 3 to nearly 1, depending on the stage of lactation,

parity, dietary composition and digestibility, body composition, genetics, animal health, environmental conditions, and other management factors. Feed efficiency, in turn, has a significant impact on the profitability of a dairy farm, one that can mean the difference between a successful operation and one that fails. The use of DFMs in dairy cattle rations has improved feed efficiency in some studies and conditions and as a result has produced a positive impact on dairy profitability (3).

Many studies have demonstrated that probiotic products can enhance production efficiency and thus improve dairy farm profitability; yet this can vary widely based on the product type (i.e., fungal versus bacterial; live culture versus fermentation extract), organism selected, diet that the cattle are fed, and the stage of lactation (3).

SPECIES-SPECIFIC OUTCOMES: BEEF

The feeding of direct-fed microbials (DFMs) has received much consideration from the beef cattle industry. This is due in part to a current public perception that there is a need for sufficient disease prevention while simultaneously reducing the utilization of antimicrobials in beef production. Probiotics have been long used in the beef industry as a method to improve cattle health and productivity… evidence regarding the use of some of the DFMs used in beef cattle are explored, and the benefits and challenges of inclusion of these feedstuffs in the diet are addressed. Changes in rumen function and the microbial ecosystem and effects on carcass merit are also addressed (4).

The feeding of direct-fed microbials (DFMs) has received much consideration from the beef cattle industry. This is due in part to a current public perception that there is a need for sufficient disease prevention while simultaneously reducing the utilization of antimicrobials in beef production. At the same time, the reduction in antimicrobial use must be achieved without losing the current advantages of production efficiency. Trying to find ways to accomplish this has been an area of concentrated research in recent years. DFMs have been a well-received alternative in beef cattle diets because they contain a source of live, naturally occurring microorganisms (4).

The original concept of feeding a DFM to cattle was based on the presumption of potential benefits on intestinal effects, which included the establishment of more desirable microflora and prevention of the establishment of pathogenic organisms. Data suggest that feeding a DFM to cattle decreases the fecal shedding of Escherichia

Generally speaking, these approaches offer a natural “green” method to improve production, efficiency, and safety of dairy production.”

coli. Other beneficial responses observed when providing bacterial DFMs to cattle include increases in average daily gains and improved feed efficiency in feedlot cattle; improved health, increased immunity, and increased performance in young calves; decreased potential for ruminal acidosis; increased propionate concentration in the rumen; and altered rumen microflora populations (4).

IMMUNITY

The foremost function of an immune response is to identify and eliminate pathogenic infections. The immune system of vertebrates is made up of two functional elements – innate and acquired responses – which contrast in their mechanisms of pathogen recognition. The innate system uses germ-line encoded receptors, known as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that recognize the evolutionarily conserved molecular components [microbial-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs)] of infectious microbes. The acquired response uses highly specific antigen receptors on T and B lymphocytes that are generated by random processes by gene rearrangement. Therefore, antigen receptors of the acquired immune system can be produced for any given antigen. One should not regard the acquired and innate systems as autonomous networks working independently of each other, however. Instead, the two systems are heterogeneous constituents of a single interdependent network (2).

Nowhere is this interdependence between the innate and acquired systems more pertinent than at the mucosal surface of the GI tract, which contains the largest number of immune cells and the highest concentration of pathogens and potential pathogens but also harmless dietary antigens and large populations of commensal bacterial flora. Thus, the mucosal immune system must be tightly controlled to assess and respond to antigens to which it is exposed and mount an appropriate effector or regulatory response. Hence, the concurrent establishment of resident intestinal microbiota and the development of resident immune cells produces a state of “physiological inflammation” that is responsible for a rapid host

response to a pathogenic infection (2).

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the largest interface between an animal’s internal milieu and its exterior environment. As such, it forms a physical barrier between the two environments. However, the function of the GI tract in the wellbeing of an animal is more complex than this passive role. The GI tract not only regulates the selective entry of nutrients while keeping vigilant against pathogens, it is largely responsible for shaping the immune response. Through specialized receptors and other general mechanisms, the GI tract senses changes in its environment and actively responds to the changes. These responses allow the intestine to contribute to the defense against microbes as well as control and regulate the local immune response. In addition, the luminal microbial ecosystem is a highly complex community of primarily bacterial microbes that communicates extensively with itself and the host. The microbial community has major influences on the host, including effects on nutrient absorption, cancer, inflammation, host metabolism, barrier function, and gut function (neuromotor, immunological, vascular) among others (2).

There was significantly higher antibody production in chickens fed probiotics than in control birds. In addition, these investigators found that the differences in the weights of the spleen and bursa of probiotic-fed and conventional-fed broilers could be attributed to different levels of antibody production in response to sheep red blood cells. Similarly, in a group of broiler chickens given a probiotic supplement the antibody titer was significantly higher at 5 and 10 days after immunization than in the controls (2).

A BETTER ALTERNATIVE TO ANTIBIOTICS

In recent years, there have been increasing societal concerns over the use of antibiotics and other growth stimulants in the livestock industry. This situation is further complicated by the increased emphasis placed on the industry to reduce diseases and pathogens while simultaneously improving production efficiency. The combination of these two concerns has led to an increased interest in the effects of

“… the reduction in antimicrobial use must be achieved without losing the current advantages of production efficiency. Trying to find ways to accomplish this has been an area of centralized research in recent years. DFMs have been a well-received alternative in beef cattle diets because they contain a source of live, naturally occurring microorganisms.”

DFMs on animal health and performance. The original concept of feeding a DFM to livestock was based on the presumption of potential beneficial intestinal effects, which included establishing a more desirable microflora and pre- venting the establishment of pathogenic organisms. Some additional responses to bacterial DFMs in cattle include increases in average daily gains and improved feed efficiency in feedlot cattle; improved health, increased immunity, and increased performance in young calves; decreased potential for ruminal acidosis; increased propionate concentrations in the rumen; and altered rumen microflora populations (4). Society’s concerns over the continued use of antibiotics in production agriculture and the increased interest in disease and pathogen prevention in the food supply have led to an increased interest in use of DFMs in growing and finishing cattle. Other, more economical reasons for the increase in usage of DFM products in growing and finishing cattle include improved performance, improved health responses in sick cattle, and significantly reduced mortality in heavier cattle (4).

FOOD SAFETY

Another reason for giving probiotic products to dairy cattle involves food and environmental safety. Each year more than 27% of the U.S. population is sickened by foodborne pathogenic bacteria. The indirect and direct cost each year of the five most common foodborne pathogenic bacteria in the United States totals more than US$40 billion. Food-borne pathogenic bacteria can be harbored asymptomatically in the gut of dairy cattle or on their hides. Pathogenic bacteria such as enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (including E. coli O157:H7), Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Listeria have all been isolated from cattle (3). Although it is a food safety concern, Salmonella can also cause severe disease in cattle and is a problem both from food safety and animal health perspectives. Waste streams emanating from dairy farms are being viewed increasingly in some regions of the United States

as a threat to the environment and to public health. Thus asymptomatic carriage of pathogenic bacteria represents a threat to the integrity and the efficiency and profitability of milk production. Consequently, strategies to reduce animal health/ food safety pathogens in various phases of dairy cattle production have been developed, including the development of targeted probiotics (3). Because of the U.S. Food Safety Inspection Service’s declaration of E. coli an adulterant in ground beef, there has been intensified interest in probiotic research aimed at reducing E. coli in both beef and dairy cattle. Early researchers in this topic found that a variety of commercial probiotics provided neither benefit nor detriment in regard to E. coli populations in cattle. In later results, an L. acidophilus culture reduced E. coli shedding by more than 50% in finishing cattle. Other research demonstrated that this DFM reduced E. coli populations on the hides of cattle by up to 75%; furthermore, the highest DFM dosage reduced Salmonella shedding in the feces by 50% (3).

References:

(1) J.A. Patterson “The Commensal Microbiota”, Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

(2) M.H. Kogut, C.L. Swaggerty “Effects of Prebiotics and Probiotics on the Host Immune Response”, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, College Station, TX, USA

(3) T.R. Callaway, T.S. Edrington, T.L. Poole, D.J. Nisbet “Current Status of Practical Applications: Probiotics in Dairy Cattle”, USDA/ARS, Food and Feed Safety Research Unit, College Station, TX, USA

(4) B.K. Wilson “Current and Future Status of Practical Applications: Beef Cattle”, Willard Sparks Beef Research Center Oklahoma State University, 4224 W. McElroy, Stillwater, OK 74075, USA

“In recent years, there have been increasing societal concerns over the use of antibiotics and other growth stimulants in the livestock industry. This situation is further complicated by the increased emphasis placed on the industry to reduce diseases and pathogens while simultaneously improving production efficiency. The combination of these two concerns has led to an increased interest in the effects of DFMs on animal health and performance.”

Popular Bacterial Species by DFM Animal

MORE species.

MORE knowledge.

MORE market access.

MORE secure supply chain.

MORE dedication to your long-term goals.

MORE than just bugs.

MORE of a partner than you’d expect.

microsynergies.com

Connecting you to the largest and most stable collection of microbial cultures on the planet.™

Partnering with MicroSynergies

Brad Glocke President

Chris Muellenbach Vice President of Marketing and Business Development

With over 75 years of on-board experience, we match our customers’ needs with a high-quality network of organisms, microbial manufacturers, blenders, packagers, scientists, and import/ export, and regulatory partners— delivering a detail-focused, customer-service-rich experience every time.

ACCESS

MicroSynergies’ network power consists of over 5,000 commercially scalable strains with over 150 cultures in production and available in highly concentrated raw cultures, blended to specified CFU count, in blends of multiple organisms, or in finished-product formats.

We can provide multiple species within the following genera (and growing… See InProduction Microbial Cultures and Ingredients on

page 18): Aspergillus, Bacillus, Bifidobacterium, Bradyrhizobium, Carnobacterium, Clostridium, Enterococcus, Kluyveromyces, Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Mezorhizobium, Mycorrhiza, Paenibacillus, Pediococcus, Propionibacterium, Phanerochaete, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, Saccharomyces, Streptococcus, Streptomyces, Trichoderma, and over 35 enzymes.

CAPABILITIES

Shipping globally (see Global Market Access, page 35), efficient lead times, GMP and NSF certified human grade facilities, a network of highly-skilled and application-specific PhD technical staff, a customer-service-first philosophy, customizable research-backed specialty microbial ingredients tailored to your unique needs (see Pre-Formulated Microbial Blends, page 24), contract strain fermentation (see Contract Fermentation, page 30), product development experience in over 30 industries, proprietary technology for increased stability and extended shelf-life (see How to Build

Roy Glocke Founder and Chief Technical Advisor

John Weir Falquez

Technical Dir. of LATAM, Oceania, and Southeast Asia

“If it’s bacteria, we know them and can grow them.”

Strong Microbes, page 10), an unmatched supply chain guarantee to reduce your supply risk (see Establishing New Links in the Chain: Our AwardWinning 3+80 Guarantee™ on page 33) and expert marketing support (see advertisement on MicrobeMarketing that follows).

MicroSynergies works with over a dozen microbial manufacturers worldwide, acting as their expert representative. So…

... why would you go through MicroSynergies when you could just go straight to the manufacturer?

PRICING & MARKET PULSE

Because we mostly serve non-human industries, we’re able to secure the pricing-level needed accordingly.

The fact is that if a manufacturer can sell a kilogram of bacteria into a non-human industry for $300 (for example)— and the same kilogram can go for $600 into a human industry, manufacturers will of course choose the latter… and who can blame them? Yet in part because of MicroSynergies’ purchasing power and the knowledge of industries where profits are penciled-out to multiple

decimal places, we have been able to get to the right pricing levels with great manufacturers who understand the value in being active and present in these vital non-human industries — and in turn, we pass the savings on to our customers.

Additionally, we’re able to see pricing levels across geographic areas, culture grades, and industries, giving us an accurate landscape of where pricing should be and how it fits into the greater formulation and marketing pictures (see Why Microbial Prices Can Vary Widely on page 20)

SUPPLY CHAIN RISK

Because of our 3+80 Guarantee™ (see Establishing New Links in the Chain: Our Award-Winning 3+80 Guarantee™ on page 33) we are committed to having a three-deep backup supply for the top 80% of our most popular cultures.

UNMATCHED RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT AND KNOWLEDGE NETWORK

We have access to over 5,000 strains and more than 150 in-production microbial cultures. Because of this, we’re able to provide honest, unbiased guidance to our customers.

We regularly communicate with our customers. We know their industry, their business, their projects, and plans for the future.

Where most manufacturers focus on the science of a few organisms or a specific industry that their organisms go into, we have an incredibly broad range of knowledge of microbials including industry application, formulation and scientific considerations, international and domestic regulations, novel applications, and marketing and branding leverage.

WE USE OUR OWN SCIENCE TO AUGMENT OUR PARTNERS’ PRODUCTS AND

BUILD EVEN BETTER MICROBIAL CULTURES

MicroSynergies is way more than a representative or agent for key global manufacturers. Yes— in many cases, we serve as the sales arm, technical arm (or both) for manufacturers, but we’re much more than that.

For years we’ve been using our own research and development and science to strive to create the strongest, most stable, and active microbial cultures in the world (see How to Build Strong Microbes, page 10)

We take the processes we’ve developed and transplant this science and knowledge into our partner manufacturers’ microbial fermentation operations, creating a true synergy between their ability to produce high quality cultures and our ability to improve upon them with collaborative science.

COME PARTNER WITH US

We hope to demonstrate our capabilities and show you what makes our microbials truly better. Check out the back cover of this volume of The Bug Book for an invitation for a unique and collaborative approach to product R&D (with some added Milwaukee-style fun too).

MicroSynergies LLC is the world leader in sourcing for the largest collection of commercial microbial ingredients on the planet. Through our agreements, partnerships, and network of global microbial manufacturers, we connect our customers to thousands of strains in formats including bulk cultures, concentrates, contract fermentations, and specialty biologicals and market them under our proprietary brand names. In many of these formats, we’re able to include our value-added MicroSynergy™ technology for creating enhanced stability, longer shelf-life, and increased activity post-production. From there, we can augment our offerings with expert formulation and technical support, market access, our award-winning 3+80™ supply risk guarantee, and microbial-specific marketing expertise. All information and data supplemented by data and visuals are independently verified, current, and correct to the best of our knowledge. For more information, contact your MicroSynergies representative.

“MicroSynergies provides great customer service and always comes through with our microbial culture needs. We really appreciate the hard work and dedication to keep our business running smoothly.”

General Support Specialized Support

Microbial Marketing ToolKit™

MicroSynergies logos and licensing.

Access to proprietary research articles and data.

Network of Ag-specific professional marketers.

* Figuratively, literally, and pun intended.

Species and product-specific marketing input.

Customized sales and technical training.

Collaborative microbial product research studies, trials, and analysis.

When all we do is live and breathe is microbes*, we know MicrobeMarketing™ well. Let us help your team solve the puzzle of simplifying microbial science and getting a focused message across to your customers.