Brazilian biotechnology company BioinFood has secured R$7.9 million (US$1.57 million) from innovation funding agency Finep to develop yeast-based biological products for crop production, including biofertilizers, biostimulants and biological crop protection solutions.

The three-year project aims to advance the technology from laboratory development to pilot-scale production and greenhouse and field testing, with the goal of bringing new biological inputs to the agricultural market.

Based in Campinas, São Paulo, BioinFood is exploring yeast as an alternative platform for producing molecules that affect plant growth and development. While many biological crop inputs rely on bacteria and fungi, the company aims to use its expertise in yeast and fermentation to develop products for agricultural applications.

The company says yeast offers potential advantages for manufacturing, including relatively low nutritional requirements that could reduce production costs as processes scale up. The organisms can also be genetically modified to adjust metabolic pathways and increase production of targeted molecules.

Early laboratory tests using a yeast-based formulation produced with raw materials including sugarcane molasses showed an effect on seed germination. The results indicated that the target molecule retained its biological activity when incorporated into the formulation.

The Finep-funded project will use artificial intelligence-assisted metabolic engineering to improve the yeast strain, followed by production scale-up in pilot bioreactors. Greenhouse and field trials will then assess the technology’s performance in plants.

Conatus Ambiental, a startup based in Mogi Guaçu, São Paulo, is partnering with BioinFood on initial plant testing. The company has helped develop the prototype and will contribute to greenhouse and other plant trials.

BioinFood plans to work with an established biologicals manufacturer to advance commercial testing, identify suitable crops and develop a regulatory strategy. The company is already in discussions with potential partners, although no agreement has been finalized.

Rather than manufacturing and marketing biological inputs itself, BioinFood operates on a research-and-development-as-a-service model. It works with industrial clients to develop technologies tailored to specific production needs, drawing on its capabilities in genetics, biotechnology and fermentation.

Founded in 2018, the company has completed more than 20 projects with clients and partners across eight countries. Its expansion into agricultural biologicals builds on earlier work in food, beverages and biofuels, where yeast-based processes have been used to develop products and make use of industrial byproducts.

The new funding will support BioinFood’s effort to establish yeast as another production platform for agricultural biologicals, with further development and field validation needed before the technology can reach commercial use.