The Olivebiome project is moving into its most crucial stage after completing its first research phase and launching the first animal trials of the selected raw materials. The initiative, focused on developing biotechnological solutions for animal feed using agri-food byproducts, has finished characterizing its raw materials, identified the one with the greatest prebiotic potential, and successfully scaled up the fermentation process to obtain the first batches of fermented functional product.
The Olivebiome project is moving into its most crucial stage after completing its first research phase and launching the first animal trials of the selected raw materials. The initiative, focused on developing biotechnological solutions for animal feed using agri-food byproducts, has finished characterizing its raw materials, identified the one with the greatest prebiotic potential, and successfully scaled up the fermentation process to obtain the first batches of fermented functional product.
During the first phase of the project, which ended in April 2025, the technical work focused on the chemical characterization of the fiber in all the selected raw materials. This analysis provided a detailed understanding of their composition and potential functional behavior. Simultaneously, their prebiotic activity was evaluated through specific assays designed to measure their capacity to promote the growth of specific microorganisms present in the gut microbiota.
The conclusions of this first stage were clear: all the raw materials studied showed fiber with a probable functional profile, but one of them—derived from the olive oil and table olive industry—stood out for exhibiting the highest prebiotic activity of the group analyzed when these raw materials were used as fermentation bases with two bacterial strains isolated from olives. This result positioned it as a priority candidate for the next phases of the project, focused on targeted fermentation and the development of a potential fermented and unfermented functional ingredient.
With this selection made, the second phase of the project—which began in May 2025—has focused on optimizing and modeling the fermentation conditions of the two bacterial strains isolated from olives on the selected raw material. The work has specifically aimed to establish the optimal fermentation conditions for both strains, evaluating their growth curve and pH evolution.
The technical teams have developed a complete model of the fermentation conditions, adjusting process variables to maximize growth efficiency and the final quality of the resulting product. This step has been key to ensuring the reproducibility of the system and its future transfer to a production scale.
As a result of this optimization, the project has already achieved industrial-scale fermentation of the process. This transition from laboratory conditions to a production environment represents one of the most significant milestones to date. This work has resulted in the completion of an initial production batch of the product, which will be used in proof-of-concept testing on broiler chickens and piglets.
In addition, the manufacture of a second industrial batch is planned for the first week of March, which will be used for subsequent validation tests, involving a larger number of animals and allowing for statistically more robust data to be obtained.
In parallel with the production scale-up, the project has already begun its field trials. Currently, a proof-of-concept study is being conducted on broiler chickens, a trial designed to measure the impact of fermented and unfermented ingredients on the animals’ productive and physiological parameters. This phase will conclude on February 16, at which point the analysis of results will begin.
Additionally, the proof-of-concept trial in piglets is scheduled to begin in the first week of March. This will allow the project to cover two key species in intensive livestock production, enabling comparisons of behaviors and effects on animals with different digestive systems and production systems.
These proof-of-concept tests constitute an essential intermediate step: they allow verification of the ingredient’s behavior under real-world conditions, before undertaking larger-scale validation tests.
According to the technical plan, validation trials—with a larger number of animals and an expanded experimental design—will begin around June in both chickens and piglets. This phase will be crucial to confirming the functional efficacy of the raw materials and their potential commercial application.
The project’s overall approach combines by-product valorization, biotechnology, and advanced animal nutrition. The strategy starts with underutilized raw materials from the agri-food sector and applies controlled fermentation processes with selected strains to generate value-added ingredients. The objective is twofold: to improve animal health and resilience parameters and, at the same time, to promote more sustainable production models.
The production of the first industrial batches and the commencement of animal trials have now placed Olivebiome in an applied verification phase. The coming months will be crucial in confirming the performance of the ingredients under production conditions and in defining their potential for market transfer.
With characterization complete, the optimal raw material identified, the fermentation model optimized, and industrial production underway, the project enters its most strategic phase. The results of trials in chickens and piglets will guide the final stage and allow for an evaluation of the true scope of a proposal that combines biotechnological innovation, the utilization of byproducts, and next-generation animal nutrition.
The project, technically coordinated by Maslina, is moving towards biotechnological solutions that transform agricultural by-products into sustainable probiotics for animal feed.
