Marrone Bio Innovations and DSM Food Specialties announced they have signed a collaborative agreement involving early-stage research of several biological active ingredients. Marrone Bio Innovations Inc. (MBI) [NASDAQ: MBII] is a leading global provider of bio-based pest management and plant health products and DSM Food Specialties B.V. (DSM) is a Netherlands-based manufacturer of specialty ingredients for international food and beverage industries.

The agreement’s goal is to unlock the full potential of biological active ingredients to improve the critical end points—crop production and food safety—of the food supply chain. MBI and DSM will exchange microorganisms from their libraries in order for their respective research teams to screen for biological activity in their specific areas of interest. For DSM, its area of interest is applications for its food ingredients business and for MBI, its interest is in crop protection and plant health areas.

“This agreement takes advantage of each company’s strength in its core competencies. DSM Food Specialties is a world leader in fermentation and enzyme technology and is the ideal partner for exploring new applications of microbial strains for food safety and other food ingredient applications,” states Dr. Alison Stewart, MBI senior vice president of research and development and chief technology officer. She adds, “Conversely, MBI has an industry-leading screening and development process to identify and commercialize candidates for crop protection and plant health applications. I believe we can expect viable development candidates to emerge from our collective research.”

Ruth Donners, innovation manager, food and crop protection for DSM, comments on the agreement, “This is a great example of how new advances in research can be maximized through collaboration. Both DSM and MBI have focused sets of skills that will be utilized in finding new applications for active ingredients the companies may not have accessed otherwise. Each of our teams conducting the research in which they specialize will give us the best opportunity for success.”