Biotalys and 21st.Bio scale protein-based biocontrols for advanced crop protection

Belgium-based Biotalys has partnered with Danish precision fermentation company 21st.Bio to accelerate the production of Biotalys’ protein-based biocontrol solutions. Novonesis’ fermentation platform underpins 21st.Bio’s capabilities, supporting Biotalys’ development and commercialization of protein-based biocontrol products.

Part of 21st.Bio’s advanced precision fermentation technology is licensed from Novonesis, and the new collaboration will integrate 21st.Bio’s capabilities with prior work conducted by Biotalys and Novonesis.

“This partnership marks an important strategic step in strengthening the technical backbone of our Agrobody platform,” says Kevin Helash, CEO of Biotalys.

“Our collaboration with Novonesis and its relationship to the 21st.Bio was critical in unlocking this next step toward advancing our first commercial product, Evoca NG, and other products in our pipeline toward commercialization,” he adds.

Thomas Schmidt, co-founder and CEO of 21st.Bio, based in Denmark and the US, says the company wants to bring lab-scale innovation to reliable, cost-effective, industrial-scale biotech production “as fast as possible, and with reduced risk.”

The company is supporting Biotalys in lowering production costs and increasing time-to-market through its precision fermentation technology.

“Our collaboration will ensure that powerful protein-based biocontrols like Evoca NG become a sustainable and cost-effective option for growers around the globe, so that we can support a safer, more secure food chain for all,” says Schmidt.

Regulatory roadmap

Evoca NG is Biotalys’ next-generation version of its first-generation Evoca biofungicide and helps safely control the fungal diseases Botrytis (grey mold) and powdery mildew in fruit and vegetable crops.

Evoca NG is expected to be Biotalys’ “first commercial biofungicide,” with a planned launch in the US, Europe, and Brazil, targeting a combined market of around US$1.2 billion, says the company.

The collaboration with 21st Bio follows Evoca’s approval for large-scale greenhouse demonstration trials in the Netherlands in 2024. Dutch regulator CTGB (College voor de Toelating van Gewasbeschermingsmiddelen en Biociden) allowed the harvested fruits and vegetables to be sold for human consumption.

In February 2025, CTGB recommended EU-wide approval of Evoca.

“The European market for fungicides is estimated at around US$2.5 billion, significantly larger than the US market, which is around US$1 billion, so it’s crucial that we capitalize on the market opportunity in Europe,” Biotalys CEO Kevin Helash told Food Ingredients First at the time.

This move was followed by the US Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of Evoca in December 2025, paving the way for the regulatory submission of Evoca NG. Since it contains the same active ingredient as Evoca, the company anticipates a “significantly shorter” regulatory review process for the Evoca NG.

Next steps

As part of this new agreement, Biotalys will end its collaboration with Novonesis and is now in talks with global manufacturing and distribution partners to finalize its strategy for bringing Evoca NG to market.

“The company expects to have all key arrangements in place well ahead of the launch of Evoca NG, subject to registration, which is currently foreseen for 2028–29 in the US and 2029–30 in the EU,” says Biotalys.