- The Newcotiana project to extract high-value substances from tobacco has attracted the biotech giant German NOMAD Bioscience, which is already testing a sweetener 11,000 times sweeter than sugar in Extremadura.
- Biovegen showcases advances in genetic editing techniques at Fruit Attraction, both in bioplants and in fruit improvement, such as the IHSM-CSIC research aimed at extending the shelf life of strawberries and improving the quality of olive oil.
- Microorganisms are key: bio-stimulants from AlgaEnergy’s algae increase yields by up to 22%, Biome Makers decodes soil biology, collaborates with Bayer Cropscience, and creates a system to measure soil quality.
Despite the restrictive legislative framework of the EU, now under review, Spain strives not to lag behind in the scientific revolution that is driving the development of new genetic editing techniques. One of the emerging fields in this area is the development of biofactories to obtain new molecules for agricultural use (pheromones replacing synthetic insecticides or new biological insecticides), food (supplements, sweeteners, additives…), health (vaccines, antibodies, cancer drugs…), industrial (stain-removing enzymes, for example), or cosmetics. Obtaining these high-value proteins or metabolites from plants, and not, as has been done so far, from the ‘reprogramming’ of bacteria, yeasts, or fermentation systems, will be key to advancing towards greater sustainability. In fact, plants account for 81% of the planet’s biomass, and therefore obtaining such molecules from them is a process that is cheaper, faster, and allows for greater scalability in production. “Spain is very well positioned in research for the development of biofactories. We have managed to attract investment from multinationals for large projects, and we have an ecosystem of start-ups with great potential,” explained Diego Orzáez, researcher at the Molecular and Cellular Biology Institute of Plants (IBMCP, a mixed research center of CSIC and the Polytechnic University of Valencia, UPV) at the inauguration of the Biotech days organized by Biovegen during the Fruit Attraction fair.
Biovegen, the platform dedicated to connecting biotechnology research with industry, wanted to emphasize how the use of CRISPR-Cas-9 is enabling the leap towards more sustainable solutions, facilitating the medium-term consolidation of a cutting-edge agricultural industry. A good example of this has been, internationally, the obtaining of the first vaccine against Covid-19 from plants, and in the Spanish case, the notable results of the European project Newcotiana. This program aims to modify -through this high-precision genetic technique- the composition and, therefore, the use we make of tobacco plants, enriching them with high-value substances. Work is being done on this crop – which spans 9,000 hectares mainly in Extremadura – as well as on another plant that is a ‘relative’ of tobacco, N. benthamiana, for its exploitation in biofactories and the obtaining of molecules for industrial use, feed, additives, or pharmaceutical products.
According to Orzáez, coordinator of this project, the success in field trials and the results obtained in the laboratories have attracted the German biotech giant NOMAD Bioscience, which, since 2021, has been working alongside the Agricultural Technological Center CTAEX, in trials with plants in Extremadura that express ‘Thaumatin II’, a natural high-intensity non-caloric sweetener of plant origin, which turns out to be 11,000 times sweeter than sugar. Furthermore, the multinational is also testing another bioproduct in Spain on tobacco, ‘Salmocin E1b’, for controlling Salmonella in the food processing of poultry, pigs, fish, and eggs.
To delve into this area related to the possibilities of new genetic editing techniques, this time applied to the improvement of varieties, Biovegen invited José Ángel Mercado, head of the Fruit Growing Department at the Institute of Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticulture ‘La Mayora’ (a center also linked to CSIC and the University of Málaga). There, work is being done on improving strawberries to “reduce softening and extend their post-harvest life through ripening control and increase tolerance to fungal pathogens,” clarified the researcher. In a similar vein, this time in an improvement process with olives, “we have sought the overexpression or silencing of certain genes to increase tolerance to Verticillium wilt (a fungus), to shorten the juvenile period of the trees and induce flowering, and to modify the composition of volatile compounds in the oil,” warned Mercado, who acknowledged that such advances open the door to “obtaining olive oil-producing plants with customized aromas.”
Soil improvement
Biotechnology is also working to adapt to climate change by improving soil quality and enhancing response to abiotic stress caused by drought periods. In this regard, the presentation by the General Director of Algaenergy, Carlos Rodríguez-Villa, illustrated how the new generation of bio-stimulants derived from microalgae can contribute to regenerative agriculture. “Phytoplankton provides us with more than 50% of the oxygen we breathe and is key to capturing the CO2 we emit; it does not compete with human food or other raw materials, is very productive, and is an unlimited source of highly valuable compounds (proteins, carbohydrates, fatty acids…)” he explained. Rodríguez-Villa clarified his model, stating, “We are the first company in the world to utilize CO2 emitted by other industries to cultivate microalgae as part of a circular business.” Trials with the bio-stimulants obtained from crops such as lettuce, tomato, or strawberry, as well as cereals like rice or corn, have shown an improvement in nitrogen efficiency, resulting in an average yield increase of 9% with peaks of up to 22%.
Also working to measure soil biodiversity, another disruptive project was presented, that of Biome Makers. This Spanish agrotechnology company has collaborated with Fyffes and Bayer Cropscience to test some of its biological solutions – specifically ‘Serenade’ and ‘Sonata’. Biome Makers applied the metric they created to measure soil health, in this case, in banana fields. “The substitutes for the fungicide Mancozeb – banned in the EU but supplied once a week throughout the year to control in South America the Sigatoka disease (a fungus that reduces the harvest by 30/50%) – were applied, and we resorted to our ‘Becrop Trials’ method to check their effects,” explained Diego Moreno, commercial director of Biome Makers. “To measure and communicate the impact of regenerative agriculture, that change must be quantifiable. We have developed a biological soil quality standard, a scientifically validated metric based on the life of the soil,” he clarified.
Gallery
Video
Program
12:00 h. Opening of the Day
12:15 h. Disruptive biotechnologies for the agro sector
- Biofactory plants, an emerging sector. Diego Orzáez. IBMCP (UPV-CSIC)
- Applications of plant biotechnology for the improvement of horticultural species. José Ángel Mercado. IHSM (UMA-CSIC)
1:00 PM. Innovative companies in agrobiotechnology
- Algaenergy: Deciphering the way microalgae act in agriculture. Carlos Rodríguez-Villa. General Director AlgaEnergy
- BIOME MAKERS-Microbiome. Diego Moreno. Head of Sales EMEA & LATAM
1:30 PM. Updates on funding for plant innovation
- State Agency for Research (AEI). María Angeles Ferre. Head of Scientific-Technical Thematic Programs
- CDTI aids for plant biotechnology. Carlos de la Cruz. Director of Technical Evaluation and Technological Cooperation. Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI)
14:00 h. Conclusions and closure
Cocktail and networking