BEYOND THE BENCH. Empowering innovation in agritech with Solaris Biotech

Welcome to our new series “BEYOND THE BENCH” — exploring how Solaris Biotech supports innovation across diverse fields of application, from laboratories to manufacturing.

Agritech, short for agricultural technology, is transforming the future of farming by making agriculture more efficient and sustainable in the face of global challenges.

At Solaris Biotech, we believe that bio-innovation is the key to a better world.
Our mission is to enable sustainable innovation across the bioprocessing lifecycle — advancing health, food security, environmental care, and economic progress.

To us, innovation is not only technical achievement at scale — it’s also delivering meaningful value to producers, consumers, and the planet.

Biotech in agriculture

The agriculture industry is increasingly turning to biotechnology as a catalyst for sustainable transformation.

Agritech integrates advanced tools and digital innovation to enhance farming efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and improve adaptability to climate change — ultimately strengthening global food security.

This rapidly growing market is driven by:

• Climate and environmental pressures
• Rising global food demand
• Evolving regulations and policies
• Shifting consumer preferences

Technological advancements, data analytics, and increased investment have made this evolution possible.

Biological & genetic innovation

Biological and genetic innovations are at the heart of the agritech revolution, from genetic engineering to cellular agriculture, creating smarter, more sustainable agricultural systems. Plant protection components and fertilizers can be defined or undefined products.

Undefined products are the ones that usually have biological origins, since they aren’t fully chemically characterized products and derive from natural raw materials.

Biostimulants: Biologically derived products that enhance plant productivity through synergistic effects , beyond simple nutrient supply.

• Benefits: Improved nutrient uptake, enhanced crop quality, increased stress tolerance (e.g., drought, salinity), and support for climate-resilient agriculture.
• Examples: Seaweed and higher plants extracts, animal substances, chitin and chitosan, complex organic mixtures, humates, trace elements microorganism and their metabolites, combinations from components above.

Biofertilizers: Natural alternatives to synthetic chemicals, using living organisms or organic compounds to nourish plants.

• Benefits: Better nutrient efficiency, improved soil health, sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and long-term benefits.
• Examples: Composts, wastes, seaweed extracts, humates, N-fixating microorganisms, phosphorus solubilizers.

Biopesticides: Natural alternatives to protect crops from pests.

• Benefits: Target specificity, low resistance risk, environmental safety, regulatory and market acceptance.
• Examples: Microorganisms and metabolites, plant (botanical) extracts.

Microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts, and fungi are central to developing these new solutions. Cultivating them efficiently, safely, and repeatable is the foundation of the next-generation agro-industry.

Process overview: Fermented seaweed and probiotic bacteria biostimulant

The chart below illustrates the step-by-step process involved in creating a biostimulant derived from fermented seaweed and probiotic bacteria.

Solaris Biotech’s tailored bioreactors for agritech

Solaris Biotech supports agritech innovators with advanced fermenters and bioreactors designed to cultivate microorganisms at every scale — from lab to industrial production.

Solaris Biotech product portfolio for the agritech market spans from benchtop lab equipment up to pilot- industrial manufacturing with a volume range from 200 mL and above.

We’ve partnered with agritech pioneers to:

• Innovate and explore new ways to valorize fermentation broth, identifying novel applications such as biostimulants.
• Discover new biopesticides and optimize their cultivation and formulation processes, leading to commercially viable solutions.
• Develop highly effective formulations that enhance crop health and soil fertility, scaling from benchtop experiments to industrial production.
• Prioritize real-world performance and scalability to ensure practical impact in agricultural settings.

Jupiter & industrial equipment

Solaris Biotech bioreactors are configurable for batch, fed-batch, or continuous processes, featuring high-efficiency mixing, aeration, and precise control of key parameters: temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, agitation speed, and more.

Solaris biotech bioreactors provide the optimal environment for cultivating microorganisms to be used as whole cells or for producing valuable biomolecules — supporting innovation from concept to commercialization.

The future of farming is biological

Solaris Biotech — Empowering innovation. Growing the future.

Stay tuned for our next chapter: Food & Beverage.

Reference

1. Yakhin, O.I., Lubyanov, A.A., Yakhin, I.A., & Brown, P.H. (2017). Biostimulants in Plant Science: A Global Perspective. Frontiers in Plant Science, 7, 2049. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.02049
2. Ayilara, M.S., Adeleke, B.S., Akinola, S.A., Fayose, C.A., Adeyemi, U.T., Gbadegesin, L.A., Omole, R.K., Johnson, R.M., Uthman, Q.O., & Babalola, O.O. (2023). Biopesticides as a promising alternative to synthetic pesticides: A case for microbial pesticides, phytopesticides, and nanobiopesticides. Frontiers in Microbiology, 14, Article 1040901. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1040901 [frontiersin.org]
3. Ammar, E.E., Rady, H.A., Khattab, A.M., Amer, M.H., Mohamed, S.A., Elodamy, N.I., Al-Farga, A., & Aioub, A.A.A. (202. A comprehensive overview of eco-friendly bio-fertilizers extracted from living organisms. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30, 113119–113137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-30260-x