As part of the IDOH (Infectious Diseases and One Health) Academic Program, the University of Tours organized a technical seminar last November at Hôtel Oceania L'Univers Tours (France), where Olmix Group was invited to share its knowledge on the potential properties of algae to develop innovative production strategies for farmers to reduce the use of antibiotics and chemical additives.
On this occasion, Ms Pi Nyvall, Olmix Group’s Scientific Director, gave an insight into the company’s commitment to developing a healthy food chain by using natural resources, specially those ones coming from the sea.
Founded in 1995 by Hervé Balusson, Olmix Group has become a worldwide actor in terms of marine biotechnology and circular economyvia an integrated value chain from harvest to the final product. This means collecting algae from the coast, a biorefinery processfor valorizing their extraordinary properties, developing natural algae-based products for plants and animals organised in programs for an agriculture with less chemical intrants and antibiotics in order topropose healty food products to the final consumer.
“Marine algae are a renewable resource that does not require arable land or fresh water to grow. Olmix Group has developed an integrated value chain that goes from harvest to the final product. Our great investment in innovative technologies has allowed us to deposit 20 different patents and to create new products for animal and human health and for plant nutrition”, Ms Nyvall explained.
Ms Pi Nyvall (Olmix Group).
In order to find natural alternatives to the current production system Olmix Group has invested on algae as a source to reduce antibiotics and other chemical additives in livestock due to their unique and strong biological properties:
“Antibiotic resistance is a worrying issue all around the globe. More and more deadly pathogens are becoming incurable and mortality related to drug resistance is rising sharply these days. That is why consumers are looking for antibiotic-free products in the supermarket. Olmix has developed a full antibiotic-free protocol to better raise animals, which is based on specific algae extracts from macroalgae”.
These specific sulfated polysaccharides, called Olmix’s MSP®, are extracted by Olmix Group from the cell wall of marine macroalgae; they can be extracted from green seaweeds (Ulvan), red seaweeds (Carrageenans) or brown seaweeds (Fucoidans). This extraction of specific molecular fractions (by size, molecular weight, degree of sulfation…) is the key to ensure targeted effects on plants, animals and humans. And that is precisely the purpose of the SAGA Program, a pure concept that Olmix has develop to offer Solutions Alternative Grace Aux Algues:
“Olmix’s Saga Program aims to demonstrate the efficacy of Olmix’s algae-based products and to provide practical solutions on the use of treated animals. It is, also, a concept that aims to reduce the use antibiotics while maintaining performance and improving animals’ well-being”, Ms Nyvall said to close her speech.
