Development of agricultural microbiological products by solid state fermentation: relevant scale-up in, downstream optimization and application in eucalyptus and sugarcane

• Grant number: 23/05680-1
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Clarissa Hamaio Okino Delgado
• Grantee: Clarissa Hamaio Okino Delgado
• Company: IKOVE AGRO BIOINSUMOS AGRICOLAS LTDA
• CNAE: Testes e análises técnicas ; Pesquisa e desenvolvimento experimental em ciências físicas e naturais
• City: São Carlos
• Associated researchers: Débora Zanoni Do Prado ; Gabriella Souza Cintra ; Paulo Teixeira Lacava
• Associated research grant: 21/05291-0 - Production of auxin by Aspergillus flavipes through solid-state cultivation: scale-up and application in the rooting of Eucalyptus, AP.PIPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/11808-6 - Scale-up of biostimulant production by rooting-promoting fungal in solid-state fermentation bioreactors, BP.TT; 24/17368-5 - Development of agricultural microbiological products by solid state fermentation: relevant scale-up in, downstream optimization and application in eucalyptus and sugarcane, BP.PIPE; 24/12975-0 - Evaluation of the potential of microorganisms isolated from Brazilian savanna to development of a new biofungicide, BP.TT; 24/13030-0 - Scale-up of biostimulant production by rooting-promoting fungal in solid-state fermentation bioreactors, BP.TT; 24/14006-5 - Application of rooting promoting biostimulant in sugarcane and eucalyptus, BP.TT

Abstract

Microbiological bioinputs can increase the resilience of agricultural systems, making themmore productive and sustainable. This proposal aims to advance the development of rooting-promoting biostimulant produced from the TRL5 to TRL7 level. The phases of upstream were optimized in PIPE phase 1 and the technology's production process proved to be viable in laboratory scaling (50 mL up to 5 L of extract produced per batch) and in application in a greenhouse. In PIPE phase 2 the production process will be evaluated in environment closest to industrial reality, for this purpose scaling tests will be carried out with production capacity of up to 20 liters per batch, with increased automation (steam sterilization in the same cultivation vessel), which will mean a major advance for the solid state cultivation process, even carried out in plastic bag bioreactors (for other bio-inputs such as entomopathogenic fungi), the proposed changes could result in a 47% reduction in OPEX (human resources). The downstream will be optimized to adapt the product design for a shelf life of 180 to 360 days, increase agronomic practicality, and expand efficacy tests. Furthermore, as a way to take advantage of the infrastructure and advance the proposed business plan, new technologies will be developed using growth-promoting endophytic fungi isolated by UFSCar from Cerrado plant species. The new technologies are in TRL3 and the proposal is to advance to TRL 4 to 5, for this, production process optimization tests, laboratory scaling and application tests will be carried out. The data generated will make it possible to evaluate the technical viability of the technologies, evaluate whether the production process is scalable using automated equipment, prove the impact of the product on the production of eucalyptus and sugar cane and suitability of the technologies for outsourced production or acquisition by companies that have a production plant. (AU)