Greetings microbiome enthusiast. 

Discussing the microbiome necessitates a conversation about the formulation of biologicals as well. At least, that’s my perspective 🙂 Therefore, the next few blog posts will focus on formulation. 

Generalizing microbes is neither possible nor advisable. Even among the same species, the behavior of microbes can vary significantly. I consider each microbe as unique; akin to humans, where no two individuals are exactly alike, no two microbes are identical. Even in fermentation, where we propagate billions of the same strain, there could be tiny variations that escape our current detection capabilities.

Generalization is generally not the correct approach, yet there are characteristics and attributes that categorize microbes. For example, there are gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Generally, gram-positives are more stable than gram-negatives, but this doesn’t mean there aren’t instances where a specific gram-negative is less susceptible to a particular environment compared to a gram-positive! Among gram-positives, there are spore-forming and non-spore-forming categories; spore-formers are known to be more stable than non-spore-formers, yet there are spore-formers that show less adaptation and are more susceptible to certain conditions than non-spore-formers. 

All this makes it challenging to generalize a formulation strategy that works for all microbes. Over the years, it appears that the number of various microbes compatible with at least one drying method has increased. This provides a general method for creating dry formulations, resulting in strains that are more stable as the microbes enter a “sleep” state, making them unresponsive to their environment.

My professional recommendation is to thoroughly comprehend your microbe and the intended product before deciding on the optimal formulation for both the microbe and its application. Keep in mind that most of the time, the formulation required for the microbe may not be the one suitable or approved for the final product. This is where the excitement lies for formulation scientists, as they unravel the puzzle from different angles – a challenge I certainly relish!

Until next blog, cheers