Download Case: Oregano - a natural alternative to antibiotics

Case: Oregano - a natural alternative to antibiotics in animal
fodder
Meat producer’s use of antibiotics in animal fodder is a ticking bomb for our health system.
Already we are experiencing increasing problems with multi-resistant bacteria that are
transmitted to people via our food. People risk death from infections that antibiotics are
ineffectual against.
At Biosynergy we are working on making natural alternatives to antibiotics available to
meat producers. It is our aim to make these alternatives a real competitor to existing
solutions – both in terms of price and quality.
Various research indicates that oregano’s strong antibacterial effects can have a beneficial
effect against those diseases which farmers are currently fighting with penicillin. The
oregano needs to be blended with a number of other herbs to create a complete
alternative. However the real challenge remains in making these plant extracts available to
the meat producers.
Biosynergy’s answer to the challenge is to grow optimally and manufacture locally to
achieve effective formulations and reduce the costs for them. We have developed plants
with three times the content of the bioactive compound carvacrol, which the farmers can
grow in their own fields. With a mobile extraction facility, which can be driven into the field,
the bioactive compounds can be extracted directly during the harvesting process. This
ensures an optimal exploitation of the substances – while saving costs on drying, transport
and manufacturing.
Oregano as a natural remedy against some of the illnesses farmers are currently fighting
with antibiotics is still a project under development. The players in the meat industry are
interested in the idea and we are looking forward to a fruitful partnership in the realisation
of it. In fact, we can’t really see how the industry can afford not to. Who wouldn’t want to
be the first to deliver meat products free from resistant bacteria, without compromising on
price.