In the province in the East of France appeared an unusual greenhouse. Farmers in Laronxe, approximately 100 km from Strasbourg, grow plants in an unconventional way. From plants they extract liquid extract for the purpose of obtaining a rare molecules that can be used in medicines, cosmetics and agrochemicals.

Several major companies, including the German company for the production of chemicals BASF and the French manufacturer Chanel cosmetics, has teamed up with Plant Advanced Technologies (PAT) in the hope of obtaining privileged access to the so-called biomolecules are extracted using a patented method.

Under the leadership of PAT, the company's work is to develop plant platform, which will produce a very rare biomolecules on an industrial scale.

The French company, which turned ten years old, is testing about 100 species of plants annually. Plants are grown using the airponics, the process of growing plants in air without the use of soil in which nutrients to plant roots are delivered in aerosol form.

Plants produce useful commercial applications of biomolecules, when the protective system is in danger. In the process, similar to vaccination, farmers sprayed on plants liquid containing traces of bacteria, insects or fungi that attack the plant. The plant protective system activates, its roots are immersed in a solution to extract the necessary molecules. The process is repeated several times a year.

PAT is not the only company trying to extract promising from a commercial point of view components from plants. Doing this, companies such as Italian Indena of Italy and the French Pierre Fabre and Naturex. But it is the only company that uses a special extraction method to obtain molecules.

BASF, the world's largest company in sales of chemicals, entered into a contract with PAT in may, according to which it has exclusive access tests with molecules that can be used in agriculture, for example, in biological pesticides. In turn, the German company provides PAT research groups and industrial technology.

The global market for bio - and synthetic pesticides will grow from $54,8 billion in 2013 to $83,7 billion by 2019, according to research firm BCC. Biopesticides amounted to about $3.6 billion market last year, and this figure could grow to $6.9 billion by 2019.

PAT also aims to become one of the first companies that will extract proteins from genetically modified carnivorous plants. Proteins can be used by the health sector for the production of cheaper and more secure insulin or growth hormones.

Source: Thomson Reuters