Unique poultry feed additive created in Latvia to fight food pathogens naturally

Tue, 04/22/2025 - 18:16

Elogium Probiotics is a biotechnology start-up developing innovative probiotic additives for poultry feed. According to its CEO Kārlis Ūdris the company’s solution will significantly help poultry producers to comply with European Union food safety requirements. Using completely natural and unique probiotics the technology enables the effective control of campylobacter, a bacteria dangerous to human health.

The company originated out of the international science commercialisation platform Commercialisation Reactor, where Kārlis Ūdris met scientists from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. They had already made promising advances in research with the company’s unique probiotic bacteria, and from this collaboration Elogium Probiotics was born. Today, the core of the company consists of a team of four: three Slovenian microbiologists and Mr Ūdris, who oversees business development, including product commercialisation, certification and fundraising.

EloSafe+, developed by Elogium Probiotics, is an innovative solution offering an alternative to antibiotics to fight harmful bacteria and increase the weight of broiler chickens. There is a demand for natural solutions in the industry and EloSafe+ probiotics work in two ways: not only do they effectively fight campylobacter, which is harmful to humans, in the intestinal system of chickens, but they also help birds gain weight faster.

Elogium Probiotics is currently working on the commercialisation and certification of the product. The certification process for feed additives in the European Union (EU) is research-based and complex, so the company plans to enter the market with a fully certified product in 2027.

The first target market is EU countries where there are strict regulations for natural and effective bacteria control solutions in poultry production, but the company’s long-term ambitions extend beyond Europe. “Europe is 5-10 years ahead of the rest of the world in animal agriculture development and regulation. We believe in our product and its global potential,” Mr Ūdris says.

In recent years, Elogium Probiotics has made active use of various state support instruments to promote its development. The company has participated in the Latvian Investment and Development Agency’s (LIAA) business incubator, has received financial support from the Start-up Programme to cover the salaries of its employees, as well as other resources. The most important support, according to Mr Ūdris, has been the innovation voucher programme. “Thanks to this funding, we were able to carry out a very important study last autumn. The voucher helped at a critical time and without it our development might have stalled,” he explains.

He also highlights the Mini MBA course “Innovation Management” organised by LIAA in cooperation with the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga as a particularly valuable experience. “It was an excellent opportunity! Not only because of the knowledge provided by experienced lecturers, but also as a networking tool. The group consisted of entrepreneurs at a similar stage of development and the mutual exchange of experience was very valuable. Even though the training is over, we are still in contact with our course mates,” Mr Ūdris shares his impressions.

This article has been produced with financial support from the European Regional Development Fund

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