Nature is teeming with countless micro-organisms potentially of benefit to human and animal health. Lactic acid bacteria are among the best-known of those invisible helpers. But they are certainly not the only ones. As part of the GOBI (Good Bacteria and Bioactives in Industry) strategic alliance, Organobalance GmbH, Bionorica SE and Evonik Nutrition & Care GmbH are not only conducting further research on known candidates but also actively looking for new beneficial bacteria suited to the manufacture of innovative products in the animal feed, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Their goal: to find a bacterium to replace antibiotic use in the case of humans and animals. As the winner of the "Innovationsinitiative Industrielle Biotechnologie", the consortium will be funded by the Federal Government's Department of Education and Research (BMBF) over the next six years in a project worth up to 9 million euros.

Lactic acid bacteria are among those strains that promote our well-being by providing us with healthy intestinal flora. In addition to the so-called "probiotics" already found in many foods, micro-organisms with healing powers are also present in the environment. Not only that: the microbial cosmos remains largely unexplored, meaning that many types of beneficial bacteria have yet to be described. Sustainable resources such as micro-organisms are playing an ever bigger role on the path towards a bio-based economy, replacing petroleum. In 2011, the BMBF published the "Innovationsinitiative industrielle Biotechnologie" under the auspices of the "Nationale Forschungsstrategie BioÖkonomie 2030" to advance the process of innovation and thus structural change in industry. It focuses on fostering alliances in which companies from the most diverse sectors work together.

Alliance searches for beneficial bacteria

Organobalance GmbH, Bionorica SE and Evonik Nutrition & Care GmbH have come together to form just such a strategic alliance. As the name suggests, the GOBI – "Good Bacteria and Bioactives in Industry"– alliance aims to research beneficial bacteria for use in animal feed, healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry. "We want to evaluate the rapidly expanding knowledge of micro-organisms' interplay with humans and animals, as well as of balanced micro-flora's importance to our health, actively and systematically, afterwards turning it into products," explains Christine Lang, Manager of Organobalance GmbH.