Benjamin Laga, CEO of Protealis, reacted: “This VLAIO support is key to scaling both our team and production capacity as we bring our innovative soy seed coating, MagNfix™️, to market. It enables us to accelerate our commercial activities so European farmers can benefit sooner from an easy-to-use and highly effective seed coating that supports more reliable nitrogen fixation, higher yields, and increased protein content.”
Today, over 34 million tonnes of soy is imported annually[1] in Europe, mainly from Brazil, Argentina and the US. The growing food and feed markets make Europe heavily reliant on imported soy, and related import taxes. Cultivating soy locally in Europe has historically been difficult because of long daylight hours and the absence of natural Bradyrhizobium bacteria in European soils. Soybean plants need these bacteria to effectively extract atmospheric nitrogen from the air and fix it in the root nodules into a form the plant can use to grow and produce protein. Without these bacteria, soy delivers low yields.
Over the past decade, soybean acreage in Europe has grown steadily, driven by the introduction of higher-performing varieties adapted to European growing conditions. Current soybean seed inoculation methods however still struggle to deliver consistent results at farm scale. Whether applied at the factory or on-farm, many existing approaches rely on bacterial strains that are not adapted to local soils, are difficult to store or transport, and are applied unevenly. In addition, most inoculants have a very limited shelf life: live bacteria must be applied within one to two days before planting or they rapidly lose effectiveness. These constraints make large-scale inoculation impractical and limit the yield and protein potential farmers can achieve.
Protealis’ seed coating technology[2] MagNfixTM differentiates through the use of a unique local Bradyrhizobium bacteria strain that remains biologically active even in this temperate Western European climate. Most importantly, the coating will be offered as a ready-to-sow solution, replacing today’s cumbersome inoculation steps with a simple, farmer-ready approach. After several years of testing and field trials demonstrating consistent improvements in yield and protein content compared with existing inoculation products, Protealis is now ready to scale its solution. The company is expanding its team and preparing the industrial activities required to bring its unique seed coating technology into large-scale production.
Soybean production in Europe reached 3.00 million tons in 2024, making soy the leading plant protein crop before peas, faba beans and lupins[3]. Demand for locally grown, non-GMO soy continues to rise in Europe, driven by growth in plant-based food markets, sustainability targets, and high import costs. This trend aligns with Protealis’ mission: since its inception in April 2021, the company has rapidly built a portfolio of high-performance, early-maturing soybean varieties tailored to cooler northern and central European regions.
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More information:
Renate Degrave
Head of Communications and Marketing Protealis
renate.degrave@protealis.com | +32 471 53 60 64
About Protealis
Protealis develops superior plant protein seeds and seed technologies, optimized for the European soil and climate. Being at the forefront of sustainable agriculture, Protealis aims to empower European farmers with sustainable and resilient alternatives to traditional protein sources by developing legume seed solutions with enhanced crop yield and protein levels, while at the same time minimizing the ecological footprint. By addressing the growing demand for more plant-based protein sources, the company is committed to contribute to more sustainable food systems. Today, Protealis operates as a commercial-stage company with nine early-maturity soybean varieties currently on the market and registered in Belgium, France, Germany, and Ukraine. Ukraine represents a significant growth market, with soybean acreage projected to reach 2.3–2.4 million hectares and production forecast at 5.7–5.8 million tons in 2025 (Donau Soja, 2025). In parallel, the company is rapidly advancing its yellow pea breeding program within its development pipeline. The company is headquartered in the biotechnology cluster in Ghent, Belgium. More info on www.protealis.com, LinkedIn or facebook.
