THREE DECADES AGO, Biomin pioneered mycotoxin risk management. In the years that followed, it made the science of mycotoxin inactivation a global phenomenon. Now, can it do the same with phytogenics?

Dr Erich Erber, founder of Biomin and chairman of Erber Group, said passion, people and profits are the three pillars of success.

“I have the right passion for Mycofix as well as phytogenics,” he said.

People who are passionate in what they are doing will always do a good job. When pursuing a passion, leaders automatically find the right people. Therefore, performance and profits are the inevitable result.

“Don’t get the sequence backwards. You will definitely fail if you put profit first, then the passion and people. That’s why Erber Group has undergone changes in a bid to regain passion,” said Dr Erber.

“We want to be a leader and a product leader in this category,” he added.

Dr Erber noted that there is virtually no entry barrier in the phytogenics market and anyone can jump on the bandwagon. Phytogenics are loosely classified and registrations are not mandatory. As a result, even shady operators can come up with a novel product by simply buying a few essential oils and mixing them with carriers.

However, few companies can match the dedication to scientific research that put Biomin at the forefront in mycotoxin risk management and mycotoxin deactivation. That’s why science, service and speed will be the keys for Biomin’s drive to achieve the top position, he said.

Dr Hannes Binder, Biomin’s managing director said that applying the same concepts that served so well in mycotoxin research will propel the company into the leading position in phytogenics.

The sciences of “omics,” for example, transcriptomics, proteomics and more, have been commonly applied in developing mycotoxin inactivation products. These technologies have also provided new insights into understanding the modes of action of phytogenic products.

Biomin has worked on phytogenics since the 1990s, and it has been an integral component of the active ingredients used in Mycofix, Biotronic Top 3 and Digestarom.

“We can carry this knowledge over to improve our phytogenics solutions,” said Dr Binder.

Biomin has committed to setting aside 6% of its annual turnover for R&D activities by 2018. So far, it holds more than 270 international patents.

Besides scientific research, it offers solutions backed by unrivaled service and technical support and can supply products to customers in a fast, professional way due to excellent supply chain management.

In 2019, it plans to add more production sites for phytogenics products and double its sales by 2021. More investment in research is aimed at reducing lead time in bringing new innovations to market.