Biotalys reports 15-fold production efficiency gain with 21st.BIO

Biotalys has completed five consecutive pilot production batches of its protein-based biofungicide EVOCA NG with precision fermentation specialist 21st.BIO, reporting a more than 15-fold improvement in production efficiency compared with its first-generation EVOCA product.

• Biotalys completed five consecutive pilot batches with 21st.BIO.
• Production efficiency improved more than 15-fold versus EVOCA.
• Contract manufacturing scale-up is the next step.

“Five consecutive production batches demonstrate the robustness and reproducibility of our manufacturing approach,” said Carlo Boutton, CEO of Biotalys.

The Belgian company said the campaign generated material and process validation data for registration work. It now plans to scale production through contract manufacturing organizations. The announcement did not disclose batch volumes, manufacturing costs or the metric used to calculate the efficiency improvement.

The collaboration addresses the economics of manufacturing protein-based crop protection products. In its announcement of the partnership, 21st.BIO said its work with Biotalys focused on reducing production costs and accelerating development through precision fermentation.

The partners identified strain engineering and production economics as priorities in preparing Biotalys’ products for commercial volumes. Their collaboration covers biocontrol proteins intended to protect crops against disease, applying fermentation technology to agricultural products.

21st.BIO’s broader technology offering combines microbial strain development, fermentation process optimization and downstream recovery and purification. The company works with both startups and established manufacturers, offering shared development programs for nature-identical molecules and individually designed projects for proprietary proteins.

Its platform draws partly on technology licensed from Novonesis, alongside further development at 21st.BIO. The company describes its role as providing the production technology needed to move proteins and peptides from laboratory development into industrial manufacturing.

EVOCA NG targets Botrytis, or gray mold, and powdery mildew in fruit and vegetable crops. Biotalys plans US and EU registration in 2029. The product uses the same bioactive ingredient as the original EVOCA, which received US Environmental Protection Agency approval in December 2025.

SEO image filename: biotalys-21st-bio-evoca-ng-precision-fermentation-production.jpg

‍If you liked this, check these out...

‍• 21st.BIO introduces safer fungal strain for industrial protein production

• 21st.BIO aims to disrupt dairy protein market with precision-fermented alpha-lactalbumin licensed from Novonesis

• Talking Heads: Cost Decides