Kerala plans India's first 'state bacterium' to boost beneficial microbes

Kerala is set to become India's first state to name a 'state bacterium', aiming to boost awareness, conservation, and innovation around beneficial microbes

With an objective to create awareness about good microbes, Kerala is set to become the first state in India to have state ‘bacteria’.

 

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will on January 23 officially announce the name of one of the most beneficial bacterium, useful for humans in multiple sectors like agriculture, health, and environment.

 

The announcement will be made during the inauguration of Centre of Excellence in Microbiome (CoEM), which will soon be developing microbiome-based products, including food products and probiotic bacteria, a top government official told Business Standard.

 

The centre, with ‘Microbes for Life’ motto, is currently housed at the KINFRA Film & Video Park, Kazhakoottam, Thiruvananthapuram, and will be permanently relocated to Bio 360 Life Science Park at Thonnakkal, Thiruvananthapuram.

 

“The idea is to conserve and create awareness about beneficial bacteria. We have tags of state animals and birds. However, the invisible world of microbes is doing a lot of things for us in nature, not just for human beings but for the entire life,” said Sabu Thomas, director of CoEM.

 

He said the move is to change people’s mindset of linking microbes only to pathogenic bacteria or viruses.

 

Thomas added that the state has selected its bacteria through an expert committee under the State Council for Science, Technology and Environment.

 

“The main aim is to conserve not just one bacterium, but many. The tag of state bacteria will only be a representation,” Thomas added. CoEM will study the entire spectrum of microbiome related to humans, animals, environment, and aquatic life, among others.

 

State officials said that India already has a national microbe- Lactobacillus Bulgaricus- used for the production of yogurt. It was formally announced in 2012.

 

The industry in itself is not small in India. The overall microbial fermentation technology market in India is worth around $4.47 billion and is set to be over $8 billion by 2030, according to Horizon Grand View Research. This is in addition to the use of bacterial fermentation to produce antibiotics, vaccines, enzymes, biologics, and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Bacteria are also used industrially for biofertilisers and biopesticides to enhance soil health and eco-friendly crop protection.

 

Another booming use is the manufacturing of probiotics, used for better gut health and for dairy products. This industry mainly depends on Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Bacillus strains. Microbiome-based therapies are also developing fast, analysing an individual’s gut bacteria and designing treatments that promote beneficial microbes while reducing harmful ones.

 

“CoEM also wants to act as a platform for developing microbiome-based products for the industry. Hence, this will not just be a research centre, but will be transferring technical expertise of such products to the industry,” he said.

 

The major focus of the centre is co-ordinating interdisciplinary research and entrepreneurship, cross-domain collaborations, and innovative product development. It will also be mapping microbiome data utilising big data technologies and artificial intelligence to create a microbiome database and to generate startups.

 

CoEM was initiated by the Government of Kerala under the aegis of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, along with the partnership of the Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council and the scientific mentoring of the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology.