Mach One acquires Ceres Organic Harvest
Mach One Corporation is a biotech focused on providing wellness solutions. It has developed an immunoglobulin (IgG) from bovine serum, which has immune-boosting properties.
It decided to buy Ceres for $8m in order to have access to grain, which it plans to coat with IgG and market as an animal feed to boost the immune system of stressed animals in the short term and help prevent the spread of E coli.
CEO Monte Tobin told FoodNavigator-USA.com that the food part of Ceres Organic Harvest will not be affected by the new ownership.
He said Mach One did not go out shopping for an organic firm especially, but that Ceres Organic Harvest was a good fit as “it is a well run company and we liked the management team”. The existing management team will remain in place.
Ceres’ subsidiary Organic Grain and Milling has a grain elevator in North Dakota. It supplies to the food, feed and dairy industries, and its product line up includes wheat, corn, flax, oats and barley.
Nutraceutical future
Tobin said that the company has already done some small trials using its animal feed, and large trials are currently under way.
Mach One hopes to extend the technology into dietary supplements in the future.
Tobin said a trial is currently taking place in India using colostrum to boost the immunity of people recovering from black fever, to prevent them becoming ill from drinking unclean water.
The downside of colostrum, however, is that it comes from the very first milk produced by a mammal for its offspring, so there is not much available.
Mach One is planning a follow-up human trial in India using IgG supplements.
