Microbes for cleaner crops: how Talam Biotech tackles heavy metals in agriculture

We’re continuing our preview series as we gear up to launch our new Position Paper: “Soil Tech: The Future of Sustainable Farming” with another cutting-edge startup transforming how we think about soil health and food safety.

This time, we spoke with John Chrosniak, CEO of Talam Biotech, a U.S.-based company with labs in Ireland that is developing microbial solutions to reduce heavy metal uptake, such as cadmium, arsenic and lead, into food crops. Talam’s approach combines deep Ag-science with practical application: a seed coating that fits into farmers’ existing practices while helping reduce health risks and improve crop resilience. With proven results in wheat and promising work underway in rice, spinach and tubers, their mission is clear: make food safer from the ground up.

Headquartered in Connecticut with its main laboratory in Dublin, Ireland, Talam Biotech is developing microbial solutions to reduce heavy metal uptake from soil into food crops. John has been leading Talam since late 2021, and as the former CEO of Invaio Sciences and chief strategy officer of Corteva, he brings in a wealth of experience, paramount to the advancement of the company’s solutions. We interviewed him to get a better sense of the solution they offer as well as their vision to enable farmers to grow healthier, more sustainable food.  

Could you please provide a 2-liner on Talam’s technology and how you are tackling heavy metal uptake for crops?  

Talam is improving food safety by developing innovative natural microbial solutions that reduce the uptake and accumulation of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead by food crops. They do so by inhibiting the bioavailability of heavy metals to plants. 

What is the application method of your microbes and how easy is it for a grower to use it? 

We are currently using seed coating as the delivery mechanism for our solution as these methods are already widely used in agriculture. That said, we are constantly exploring other application methods that might be better suited to certain crops. 

What crops / heavy metals were you able to test so far and what are the outcome of first validation trials?  

Our solution has already demonstrated its potential to reduce cadmium in spring wheat grain by up to ~50%. In addition, we are developing solutions for arsenic in rice and wheat, and cadmium in spinach and tubers. 

How long does it typically take before the microbe’s efficacy is proven and deployed on a scale? 

3-5 years, depending on the number of harvests for a given crop within a year. For crops that are harvested once a year, the development process would typically be:

• Year 1: microbe discovery,
• Year 2-3: screening and validation,
• Year 3-4: testing in expanded geographies and cropvarieties,
• Year 4-5: trials toward product registration.

For crops with more than one harvest a year (such as leafy greens) this process can be accelerated by about 2 years. 

How do those improvements become actionable data points (ROI, yield increase, land conversion, etc) to convince farmers to use your solution?   

Heavy metal content is a datapoint that is actively regulated in the EU by EFSA and there is increasing focus on managing heavy metal content in food in the US led by FDA. The pull for growers will be from food companies and driven by consumer demand and new legislation. In addition, we expect that there will be a yield improvement associated with relieving the stress that heavy metals have on plants. This is particularly relevant for grains and is documented in the literature.