Reserach & Development

Innovative Solutions for Plant Protection

Our development team is constantly working to improve existing products and develop new solutions for crop protection. The focus of our developments is on high-purity plant extracts (so-called ‘botanicals‘). These can be used against pests, phytopathogenic fungi or bacteria. In many cases, these active ingredients can also be transformed for other applications. Therefore, Trifolio-M draws on extensive know-how in the fields of extraction, analysis and formulation.
‘From the plant for the plant’ is tested in 3 steps:

Laboratory
Greenhouse
Field trials

Thanks to our close contact with universities, colleges, and research-based companies, as well as our active participation in various committees, we are always up to date with the latest research and have an excellent network.
As an industry partner in various national and international research projects, we are constantly involved in research and development tasks.

Preparatory Laboratory

For research and development of new active ingredients and formulations we have our own laboratory. Here, pre-treatments, solid-liquid and liquid-liquid extractions, as well as downstream process steps up to a scale of 25 L can be carried out and optimized on appropriate equipment. An HPLC system and a photometer are available for analysis. GC/MS measurements can be performed. For the development of user-friendly formulations of active ingredients from phytoextracts or microorganisms, various devices for comminution, mixing and homogenization are available. In addition, there is an infrastructure for investigations on stability and application properties of newly developed formulations.

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Research Projects

Projects with University Institutions and Companies

upSCALing Efficient alternatives for contentious InpuTs in organic farming

Promoting Efficient Alternatives for Contentious Inputs in Organic Farming

Start: 1 May 2025, duration 4 years
Funding: State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI); European Commission

SCALE-it (upSCALing Efficient alternatives for contentious InpuTs in organic farming) is a four-year innovation project funded under Horizon Europe, officially launched on May 1, 2025. The project aims to reduce the dependence of organic farming on contentious inputs such as copper, mineral oil, conventional fertilizers, antibiotics, anthelmintics, spinosad, and genetically modified or synthetic vitamins. To achieve this, cost-efficient and scalable alternatives are being developed, tested, and disseminated.

Collaboration Across Sectors

Experts from agriculture, advisory services, veterinary medicine, science, industry, associations, and consumer protection are working together to identify, further develop, and test alternatives under real farming conditions. SCALE-it builds on existing research results and brings promising solutions closer to market readiness. Less developed approaches will be further investigated and trialed on organic pilot farms.

Field Trials and Knowledge Transfer

More than 65 demonstration trials across Europe will be coordinated by regional partners. They will conduct tests, collect ecological and economic data, and organize local knowledge transfer events. In addition, companies will receive support in scaling, approval processes, and intellectual property protection.

Acceptance and Policy Impact

To foster acceptance, SCALE-it develops information and training materials, provides decision-support tools, and formulates practice-oriented regulatory recommendations. The results will feed into policy processes at both national and European levels.

Contribution to the Farm-to-Fork Strategy

SCALE-it will help reduce the use of contentious inputs and strengthen alternatives in both organic and conventional farming. The project supports the transition to sustainable agricultural systems in line with the EU’s Farm-to-Fork Strategy.

More information and the latest news about the SCALE-it project

The project now has its own website where you can find all the information, updates and news about SCALE-it:

Healthy vines (Vitis vinifera) in organic viticulture through research, innovation and transfer – Acronym: VitiFIT

Start: 2019, Duration: 7 years
Funding: Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL)
Funding reference number: 2818OE004

Healthy vines (Vitis vinifera) in organic wine growing through research, innovation and transfer

Combating downy mildew in vineyards, which is caused by Plasmopara viticola, is one of the major challenges in wine grape production. This is especially true for organic viticulture. Against the background of an imminent ban on copper-containing pesticides and due to the massive effects of climate change, organic viticulture is increasingly falling into an economic crisis.

Objective of the project

The overall objective of the project is therefore to optimize and combine existing strategies and to develop new approaches in accordance with the requirements of the Future Strategy for Organic Agriculture (Zukunftsstrategie Ökologischer Landbau ZÖL) and the NAP Action Plan in order to reduce the use of copper in the medium term, but in the long term to dispense completely with copper-containing plant protection products. This should create a basis for securing and further developing organic viticulture in Germany.

The objective of the joint project VITIFIT, which was started in 2019, is to develop a catalog of measures with practical strategies for maintaining the health of the vine in close cooperation with the organic farming associations and viticultural practice.

VITIFIT has 20 partners from research, consulting and practice.

For more information and the latest news on the VITIFIT project, please visit the project homepage:

RUENNA

Residue-free, energy-efficient overall production processes for natural products (RUENNA)

Start: 2021, Duration: 5 years
Funding: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK.IIB5)
Funding reference number: 03EN2067A

With the RUENNA project, Trifolio-M GmbH, together with research partners, is developing modern, energy-efficient processes for the production of highly purified plant-based active substances intended to serve as natural alternatives to chemical-synthetic crop protection products.
The foundation is provided by biogenic raw materials that lie outside the food chain. Using partially continuous production processes in combination with smart sensors, digital measurement technology, and automated process control, the project aims to achieve a technological leap toward Industry 4.0.
These innovative methods enable resource-efficient production with high product quality, reduced energy consumption, and no harmful residues – fully in line with the vision of sustainable, environmentally friendly crop protection.

Project Objective

The aim of RUENNA is to establish a new production platform that enables the economic, sustainable, and scalable manufacturing of plant-based active substances.
Trifolio-M pursues the long-term goal of reducing the use of chemical-synthetic crop protection products by replacing them with biodegradable natural substances, while at the same time meeting the highest quality standards.
By combining continuous process engineering, digital monitoring, and automated control, the project makes a tangible contribution to industrial sustainability goals and the digital transformation in line with Industry 4.0.