The Aflatoxin–Nitrogen Opportunity

Two costly problems in legume farming — aflatoxin and inefficient nitrogen — and the microbial opportunity to solve both at once.

The aflatoxin problem

In peanut — the legume most exposed to it — Aspergillus flavus contaminates kernels with aflatoxin, a potent mycotoxin capped at just 4 ppb entering the EU and 20 ppb in the US. In 2022 alone, aflatoxin drove over 110 border rejections of peanut shipments into Europe — lost crops, costly testing, and downgraded harvests.

The nitrogen problem

At the same time, nitrogen is expensive — yet most legume crops capture far less of it than they could. Legumes can fix their own nitrogen through rhizobia, from ~30 kg N/ha in pulses to over 200 kg in soybean and alfalfa, but weak or poorly-matched nodulation leaves much of that potential uncaptured, forcing growers to buy fertilizer they shouldn't need.

The opportunity — solve both with biology

Two problems, two separate costs — until now. Our biology addresses both at once: Orvan™ couples the aflatoxin–nitrogen challenge — in OCRI-CAAS field trials, Orvan™-treated peanut showed markedly lower soil Aspergillus flavus alongside stronger nitrogen fixation — Nodu™ supplies region-matched rhizobia, and Vigor™ builds roots and soil health, a complete program across eight legume crops.