Vitalisâ„¢ is a patent pending, 100% natural bioactive spray developed by Nutrition Technologies,
derived from Black Soldier Fly (BSF) frass that has been fermented and enhanced with additional chitin and a microbial inoculant to create a highly effective plant protection product.
The bacterial strain, Bacillus halotolerans was isolated from the BSF larvae itself, and has been
shown to inhibit plant pathogens and improve plant drought tolerance. These components work
together to enhance the plant’s natural defences against pathogenic microbes, and to create
healthy, disease resistant foliage and root zone. Vitalisâ„¢ can be used as a foliar spray or root
drench on its own, or in combination with Diptia® bioactive fertiliser.
Nutrition Technologies has been working with BSF since 2015, and is the largest tropical
producer of insect-based products in the world. Using Decomposition Ecology principles, its
leverages natural systems to optimise the upcycling of nutrients – working with nature instead of
against it. With a team of 20+ scientists, and a dedicated microbiology laboratory it has
rigorously tested products internally and with third parties.
The Product Innovation
Vitalisâ„¢ is precisely formulated to prevent fungal disease, boost beneficial microbes and
provide micronutrients to plants. Vitalisâ„¢ is derived from enriched Black Soldier Fly (BSF) frass,
enhanced with a microbial inoculant and added insect chitin to provide highly effective protection
for all kinds of plants. The bacteria, isolated from the larvae digestive system, is proven to inhibit
plant pathogens by up to 96%, and the chitin comes from the exoskeleton of the mature larvae.
This added chitin supports the growth of chitin-degrading bacteria in the liquid, particularly
effective at destroying pathogenic fungus. These components work together to enhance the
plant’s natural defences against pathogenic microbes, and to create healthy, disease resistant
soil around the plant root zone, protecting against fungal pathogens in the soil.
Conventional solutions and the need for innovation
Conventional disease control measures currently rely on fungicides and aggressive sanitization
such as burning the soil. For many fungal pathogens these methods are rarely effective, where
they do work they are associated with damaged soils and provide the conditions for the
development of fungicide-resistance strains. Vitalisâ„¢enhances beneficial microbial activity in
the soil, increasing nutrient availability and plant health. One bottle of Vitalisâ„¢contains 12 billion
beneficial bacteria and applying Vitalisâ„¢ is a quick way to improve the microbial profile of soils.
The microbial activity leads to increased nutrient absorption through bacteria such as
phosphorus solubilizing bacteria and can protect plants from fungal infections.
Multiple modes of action future-proof the performance
Insect frass is a nutrient source for plants in nature where their complex mechanisms benefit
from frass. The bacteria in Vitalisâ„¢ including Bacillus halototerans, directly inhibit fungal
pathogens and stop them from growing, and prevent spores from germinating. They do this
using many methods, including the production of enzymes that cut open the fungal cell walls,
and the use of Siderophores (molecules that bind to iron), which is needed by the fungi to grow.
Limiting the availability of iron to the fungi inhibits its growth.
Tested in both laboratory and field settings
A trial was conducted by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Noor Baity Saidi from the Faculty of Biotechnology and
Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), a plant pathologist and an expert in
the fungal pathogen Fusarium sp. She is also a research associate at the Laboratory of
Sustainable Agronomy and Crop Protection, Institute of Plantation Studies, UPM. In the trial the
plants were infected with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (FocTR4), and
where the plants were treated with Diptia® and Vitalisâ„¢ only 4% showed any disease
symptoms (a 4% disease index score average) compared to 100% for the untreated control.
The disease symptoms were reduced by 96% vs untreated plants.
Low energy, sustainable production system
Nutrition Technologies have developed a low-energy tropical production system that uses a
unique combination of micro-organisms and Black Soldier Fly to bioconvert 60,000 tonnes/year of organic by-products into value-added products for livestock and agriculture. As a tropical
species, the Black Soldier Fly larvae grow quickly and efficiently in the ambient Malaysian
climate, meaning that very little energy is required to grow or breed the flies. This low-energy
model means that the company benefits from a very low cost of production, but with the same
high standards as any European or North American manufacturer, and is able to pass-on those
savings to the customer. This makes Nutrition Technologies’ products some of the most
competitively priced insect products in the world, without compromising on quality or safety. The
company currently ships industrial volumes of material throughout Asia, North & South America
and Europe, from the two hectare factory in southern Malaysia.
“This is the second of two plant health products we have launched this year †said Nick Piggott,
Co-CEO, Nutrition Technologies. “Understanding how disease prevention using liquid
products can effectively complement existing fertilisation programmes has helped us find a
critical niche in industrial agriculture. . Vitalisâ„¢ directly addresses two of the most economically
dangerous plant pathogens in the world – Ganoderma in oil palms and Fusarium oxysporum in
bananas. Both of these diseases have the potential to wreak havoc on the global food supply
chain if left unchecked, so the release of Vitalisâ„¢ is a massive step forward in securing the
future supply of these two staple cropsâ€.
The insect sector has gathered increasing attention over the past few years, with the global
insect protein market alone estimated to be worth US$343 million in 2021, and expected to grow
with a CAGR of 26.49% to reach US$1.3 billion by 2027. As a sustainable solution to help
minimise multiple unsustainable practices, the sector as a whole has seen investments totalling
nearly US$1 billion.
