Question 1

What agricultural problems can precision fermentation help solve?

Accepted Answer

Precision fermentation enables the development of targeted biological inputs for a range of agricultural challenges — addressing problems that conventional synthetic chemistry or generic biological products are not well-suited to solve with specificity and consistency.The four areas Immobazyme works in for agriculture:Crop protection — biocontrol proteins and enzymes engineered to target specific pests or pathogens, designed for integration into IPM (integrated pest management) programmes.Plant nutrition — enzyme-based systems that improve nutrient availability, support phosphate solubilisation, or reduce fertiliser losses at the root zone — helping inputs perform more efficiently in the field.Stress resilience — recombinant protein-based bio-stimulants that support plant responses to heat, drought, salinity, and transplant stress — developed for specific crop varieties and growing regions rather than generic application.Early establishment — biological actives for seed treatment, soil inoculation, and root-zone application targeting germination, root architecture, and early-stage nutrient uptake.In each case, Immobazyme's approach begins with the agronomic problem — designing the molecule for the specific application — rather than adapting an existing catalogue product.

Question 2

What is the difference between a biostimulant and a biocontrol agent?

Accepted Answer

These two terms describe fundamentally different roles in a crop production system — and the distinction matters for regulatory classification, application strategy, and product development approach.A bio-stimulant is a substance or microorganism applied to plants, seeds, or soil to improve nutrient use efficiency, stress tolerance, crop quality, or yield — without acting directly against a specific pest or pathogen. The mechanism is indirect: bio-stimulants enhance the plant's own physiological processes rather than attacking an external threat. Examples include protein hydrolysates, amino acid formulations, and recombinant growth-promoting proteins that trigger stress-response pathways.A biocontrol agent is a biological substance or organism used specifically to suppress a pest, pathogen, or weed — acting on a defined biological target. Biocontrol agents work by direct antagonism, competition, parasitism, or toxicity against the target organism. They are positioned within IPM programmes as biological alternatives to synthetic crop protection chemistry, with an emphasis on target specificity and environmental stewardship.Immobazyme's precision-fermentation platform can develop both — bio-stimulant proteins tailored to a specific crop stress response, and biocontrol proteins or enzymes engineered for defined specificity against a pest or pathogen target. The development approach differs: bio-stimulant projects typically start from a known stress-response pathway; biocontrol projects typically start from a specific target organism.

Question 3

How does Immobazyme approach a custom agricultural development project?

Accepted Answer

Every agricultural development project at Immobazyme begins with the agronomic problem — not a product catalogue. The process typically follows four stages:Brief and target identification — we work with the client to define the target crop, the specific challenge (pest, pathogen, nutrient constraint, or stress condition), the intended application format (foliar spray, seed treatment, soil drench, or root-zone inoculation), and any regulatory or field trial requirements. From this brief, we propose a target molecule and a development approach.Molecular design — using computational protein engineering and in-silico sequence design, we develop a gene sequence encoding the target protein or enzyme — optimised for the desired activity, field stability, and expression yield in our fermentation system. This stage happens before any physical production begins.Expression and production — the designed gene is synthesised, cloned into a microbial host, and expressed by precision fermentation. The resulting protein or enzyme is purified by FPLC chromatography to a verified specification and lyophilised into stable powder.Delivery and trial support — certified material is delivered with a full Certificate of Analysis confirming identity, purity, and safety. We support clients through formulation guidance and can produce additional quantities for field trial programmes.A  bespoke agricultural protein typically reaches certified, trial-ready material in approximately six weeks from design brief (based on previous project timelines).

Question 4

What is precision fermentation and why is it relevant to agriculture?

Accepted Answer

Precision fermentation is a bio-manufacturing process that programmes a living micro-organism to produce a single, precisely-defined molecule — a protein, enzyme, or peptide — which is then purified and formulated for its end application. Unlike traditional fermentation, which produces a mixture of metabolic by-products, precision fermentation is targeted: the host organism is engineered to manufacture one specific molecule with high fidelity and consistency across production batches.For agriculture, precision fermentation is relevant for three reasons:Specificity — it enables the production of biological inputs with a defined molecular identity and documented mode of action, rather than the complex, poorly characterised mixtures common in conventional biological agriculture.Consistency — batch-to-batch variability is a persistent challenge for biological crop inputs. Precision fermentation produces material with consistent purity and potency confirmed by analytical testing on every batch — providing the performance reliability that agronomic applications require.Local production — South Africa imports more than 95% of its plant protection chemicals and more than 80% of its fertiliser. Precision fermentation enables the development and manufacture of bio-based crop inputs locally — at Immobazyme's Cape Town facility — reducing import dependency and supply chain risk for South African agriculture.

Question 5

Can Immobazyme develop a biocontrol protein for a specific crop pathogen?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Immobazyme's molecular design and precision-fermentation platform can develop protein-based and enzyme-based biocontrol agents targeting specific crop pathogens, pests, or disease organisms.The development approach for a biocontrol project typically begins with identifying or designing the target molecule — this may be an antimicrobial protein that disrupts pathogen cell membrane integrity, a lytic enzyme that degrades pathogen cell wall components, a protease that inactivates pathogen virulence factors, or a receptor-binding peptide that blocks infection pathways.The molecule is designed computationally for:Target specificity — activity against the defined pathogen with minimal off-target effects on beneficial organisms or the crop plant itself.Field stability — sequence engineering for stability under anticipated temperature, UV, and humidity conditions in the target crop environment.Production yield — codon optimisation for efficient expression in Immobazyme's fermentation system, ensuring the molecule can be produced at quantities suitable for field trial.The resulting biocontrol protein is delivered as certified, analytically verified material with a full Certificate of Analysis — suitable for formulation, efficacy testing, and field trial evaluation. Projects are conducted under a custom R&D engagement. Contact Gabriele Schoeman, gabriele@immobazyme.com, to discuss your specific pathogen target and crop system.

Question 6

What types of organisations does Immobazyme work with in agriculture?

Accepted Answer

Immobazyme's agricultural development work is suited to organisations that need a biological ingredient developed to specification — rather than an off-the-shelf product adapted to a new use case.We work with:Agritech companies developing novel crop input products and seeking a precision-fermentation development partner for the biological active at the core of their product.Agricultural input manufacturers looking to develop bio-based alternatives to synthetic crop protection chemistry or conventional fertilisers — particularly where a targeted, analytically defined biological active is required.Research institutions and universities investigating biological approaches to crop challenges — including plant pathology groups, agronomy departments, and precision agriculture research programmes — who need access to defined, research-grade biological material that is not available commercially.Crop producers and grower organisations with a specific, persistent agronomic challenge that conventional inputs are not adequately addressing, and who are open to exploring a bespoke biological solution developed for their specific crop, soil, and climate conditions.If you are working on an agricultural challenge that requires a biological ingredient no current supplier offers, contact us to discuss whether our precision-fermentation platform is the right fit.

Question 7

How does Immobazyme's approach differ from existing biological crop input suppliers?

Accepted Answer

Most biological crop input suppliers offer catalogue products — microbial inoculants, plant extracts, or fermentation by-products — that are characterised at a mixture level and adapted to new applications after the fact. Performance can vary between batches, modes of action are often not fully defined, and the active ingredient cannot be modified to target a specific pest, crop, or growing condition.Immobazyme's approach is different in three ways:Molecule-first design — we design the active ingredient for the specific agricultural application from the outset, using computational protein engineering. The molecule's sequence, structure, and activity are defined before production begins — not discovered after the fact.Defined molecular identity — every biological active Immobazyme produces has a confirmed molecular identity (by mass spectrometry), a documented purity level, and a known mode of action. This provides the analytical foundation for credible field trial data and eventual regulatory registration — a requirement that mixture-based biological products often cannot meet.Bespoke by default — Immobazyme does not sell from a catalogue. Every agricultural engagement involves developing or adapting a molecule for the client's specific agronomic challenge. This is the only route to a proprietary biological input that a competitor cannot source from a shared supplier.For agritech companies building a differentiated product pipeline, this is a meaningfully different starting point than sourcing from an existing biological input catalogue.

Question 8

Where is Immobazyme based and do you work with agricultural clients outside South Africa?

Accepted Answer

Immobazyme is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa. Our agricultural development work is conducted at our Cape Town precision-fermentation and analytical laboratory facility — the same platform that produces recombinant growth factors, food enzymes, and cosmetic peptides for clients across South Africa and internationally.Our primary agricultural focus is South African crop systems — including the specific pest pressures, soil conditions, climate challenges, and regulatory environment relevant to South African producers. This local grounding is a practical advantage: molecules can be designed and tested with input from agronomists familiar with the specific conditions your crop faces.We are also open to collaborative agricultural development projects with agritech companies and research institutions internationally — particularly where the development brief requires a precision-fermentation capability not available locally in the client's market.Delivered material — certified, lyophilised protein or enzyme — can be shipped to any location for field trial and formulation evaluation. To discuss an agricultural development project, contact Gabriele Hunter, gabriele@immobazyme.com, or submit your brief through our contact form.

Biological solutions
for modern agricultural constraints

WHERE WE WORK

South Africa's Import dependence of critical farming inputs

How our proteins
help your crop.

Nutrient efficiency and fertiliser performance

Biostimulants and
plant resilience

Biological crop
protection

Seed, soil, and root-zone solutions

Tell us what you're working on.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTONS

Agritech and Biocontrol

What agricultural problems can precision fermentation help solve?

What is the difference between a biostimulant and a biocontrol agent?

How does Immobazyme approach a custom agricultural development project?

What is precision fermentation and why is it relevant to agriculture?

Can Immobazyme develop a biocontrol protein for a specific crop pathogen?

What types of organisations does Immobazyme work with in agriculture?

How does Immobazyme's approach differ from existing biological crop input suppliers?

Where is Immobazyme based and do you work with agricultural clients outside South Africa?

Biological solutions for modern agricultural constraints

WHERE WE WORK

South Africa's Import dependence of critical farming inputs

How our proteins help your crop.

Nutrient efficiency and fertiliser performance

Biostimulants and plant resilience

Biological crop protection

Seed, soil, and root-zone solutions

Tell us what you're working on.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTONS

Agritech and Biocontrol

What agricultural problems can precision fermentation help solve?

What is the difference between a biostimulant and a biocontrol agent?

How does Immobazyme approach a custom agricultural development project?

What is precision fermentation and why is it relevant to agriculture?

Can Immobazyme develop a biocontrol protein for a specific crop pathogen?

What types of organisations does Immobazyme work with in agriculture?

How does Immobazyme's approach differ from existing biological crop input suppliers?

Where is Immobazyme based and do you work with agricultural clients outside South Africa?

Biological solutions
for modern agricultural constraints

How our proteins
help your crop.

Biostimulants and
plant resilience

Biological crop
protection