Increasing demand for Missouri soybeans isn’t accomplished through just one idea or solution; rather, it takes a multitude of concepts and avenues to build new value and uses for soybeans grown in the Show Me state.
Narrowed in on Soy
“Ohio Soybean Council saw the same challenges we did,” said Bryan Stobaugh, director of licensing and commercialization at MSMC. “Soy-based products were being researched but not commercialized and if they get commercialized it would take way too long and cost way too much.”
While the lab started in Ohio, the venture quickly expanded and began offering opportunities for other states to invest. Half of the budget is covered by Ohio Soybean while the other half is funded by six other state checkoff organizations.
“I consider MSMC a part of Airable Research Lab,” said McGraw. “That’s the whole premise of Airable. We’re not funding one specific project or one specific technology. The lab and soybean states have a common goal to drive demand for soybeans, and we’re all working together—using a variety of strategies—to achieve that goal. That’s the whole idea.”
McGraw and Stobaugh agree, its exactly what soybean farmers want.
Time is Money
According to Stobaugh, Airable alleviates a common hurdle in soybean research: time.
Working with Airable gets better and faster results than relying solely on traditional university research. Because the lab is funded by soy states rather than commercial clients, the research process is much more cost- and time-effective.
“We don’t do research just to do research,” explained McGraw. “If we get a good idea, we can start a project and do it for a couple weeks to see if it’s worthwhile. If we don’t think it will work, we kill the project. Or if the client isn’t responding—if we’re sending samples and they’re not evaluating them in a timely manner—we can just move on to the next project. The clients aren’t funding us, so we don’t have to waste time with that. We can focus on products that are likely to hit the market and sell.”
From Concept to Commercialization
Airable partners with commercial and industrial companies that are looking for specific bio-based solutions. Those companies already see a path to commercialization—and have structures in place to usher soy-based products down that path.
It starts with an identified need or idea.
“A company will come to us and request a soy-based alternative to an existing product. We are typically using soy to replace petroleum as a feedstock,” McGraw explained. “Petrochemicals from oil and gas are part of the manufacturing process for thousands of products, including plastic and rubber. As markets move away from petrochemicals, the opportunities for soy become vast.”
The next phase is research. The Airable team takes a couple of months to develop formulations and determine whether they’re viable and likely to meet the client’s needs. If the researchers find a successful formulation, they develop sample materials and send them to the client for testing. The client provides feedback, and if needed, Airable tweaks the formulation to achieve the desired results. The next phase is development, which involves scaling up the product for field trials. If field trials go well, the company licenses the formulation, and the product enters the market.
The whole process, from concept to commercialization, can take anywhere from 9 to 24 months. During any given period, Airable juggles between 30 and 40 projects of various sizes, stemming from 12 to 15 clients.
To date, ten of those projects have resulted in commercial products. These products range from Sofia’s Soy Cleaner, which is an environmentally friendly and non-hazardous household cleaner, to DeWalt Bar and Chain Oil, which can be found at 1,600 Home Depot stores nationwide, as well as Lowes, Ace Hardware and Amazon.
“Airable’s work allows us to identify more needs, drive demand for meal and oil, and continue to let soy be that product that creates a pathway into a more sustainable, natural, healthier environment,” Stobaugh said.
To learn more about Airable, visit www.AirableResearchLab.com.
