SBIR Phase II: Sustainable production of high-performance dietary supplements

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will be to facilitate improved animal husbandry practices by providing high-performance natural supplements that can replace prophylactic antibiotics, drugs, and hormones. The use of medically-relevant antibiotics in animal feed initiated the spread of “super bugs,” causing a public health concern.

Reducing the dependency on antibiotics in animal feed requires a concerted effort from multiple sectors. The outcome from this project may provide pragmatic alternatives to using antibiotics. Through research and demonstration, this project aims to overcome consumer skepticism towards accepting new supplements and contribute to maintaining profitability in animal farming even after antibiotics are eliminated from feed.

The proposed project uses state-of-the-art computational tools in enzyme design to create new biocatalysts with tailored microorganisms. The resultant designer microorganisms with new functionalities may produce supplements used in animal feed using sustainable bioprocesses. A crucial component of the project is to design efficient bioprocesses that provide supplements that are fungible with existing supply chains, without the need for any additional on-farm infrastructure.

Many natural supplements are either extracted from plants or produced using harsh processes, contributing to their expense. Successful completion of this project may overcome geographical or seasonal limitations in supplment production and represent the use of cutting-edge technology in the dietary supplements sector.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.