MDG News and Updates

If you’re a probiotic supplier or manufacturer in the United States, you may be feeling uncertain about the state of the human health market. Unpredictable tariff adjustments and shifting regulatory guidelines on topics like self-affirmed GRAS status are just a couple of the challenges affecting U.S.-based probiotic companies today. While conditions are always subject to change, it’s useful to have a baseline awareness of current market happenings so you’re prepared to navigate the road ahead—here’s what you need to know. Potential Elimination of Self-Affirmed GRAS Status If you’re not already familiar, there are currently two pathways to GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status for probiotic ingredients: self-affirmation and FDA review. If a company’s ingredients have self-affirmed GRAS status, the ingredients have been reviewed by internal experts, but the FDA has not been notified of their use in food, beverage, or probiotic/supplement products. An FDA-reviewed GRAS affirmation, on the other hand, occurs if the FDA is alerted via a GRAS notice and subsequently approves the ingredient.1 In early March 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a statement sharing Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s directive for the organization to “enhance the FDA’s oversight of ingredients considered to be […]

Leaky gut is an issue often caused by inflammation of intestinal tissue cells. Sometimes, complications from this problem, commonly referred to as leaky gut syndrome, can lead to even more inflammation throughout the body, creating a negative cycle and potentially leading to a host of adverse health outcomes. In order to address these issues and improve your customers’ overall health, it’s essential to understand the link between inflammation and leaky gut. Luckily, probiotics with anti-inflammatory properties could offer a great solution—here’s how. What is leaky gut? Leaky gut refers to increased permeability of the intestinal lining. This lining is comprised of intestinal tissue cells and acts as a barrier between the gut and the rest of the body, allowing nutrients and other beneficial material to pass into the bloodstream while preventing the escape of undesirable bacteria, food particles, and toxins. However, if these cells become inflamed, intestinal permeability increases, reducing the lining’s ability to prevent potentially harmful substances from entering the bloodstream. As these substances leak out, they trigger a greater immune response, leading to increased, sustained inflammation.1,2 How are leaky gut and inflammation connected? These two issues are closely tied: Leaky gut is caused by intestinal inflammation, and the […]

Join us at the 2025 Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB) Annual Meeting! We’re exhibiting July 27–30 at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco. Visit us at Booth #20 to speak with an expert in person and learn more about our capabilities for microbial contract fermentation. About the Event The SIMB Annual Meeting provides an opportunity for professionals working in industrial microbiology and biotechnology to learn about new research and advancements in their fields through guest speaker presentations, technical sessions, and networking on the exhibition floor. The session topics and exhibiting companies all fall under at least one of five main SIMB categories: biocatalysis, cell culture and fermentation, environmental microbiology, metabolic engineering, and natural products.1 Our Impact at SIMB 2025 This year on the SIMB exhibition floor, you’ll get to learn about our expansion into our third production facility. With two new fermentation tanks and additional drying space, we’ve greatly expanded our capacity, which will benefit both current customers and future partners. We have the capability to rapidly scale up microbial organisms for commercial use. Our focus on strain purity and adherence to the highest quality standards ensure that our partners receive a final product that will fit their […]

At MDG, we offer specialized products for many wastewater treatment applications. However, we know that sometimes your customers need to combat a wide variety of issues with just one product. Enter Biotifx® 40B, an all-in-one, easy-to-use, Bacillus-based solution! Take a closer look at how 40B works to address common problems in the wastewater treatment industry, and learn how you can get in on the action by becoming one of our distribution partners. Advantages of Biotifx® 40B The concentrated nature of Biotifx® 40B is where its power lies. At 10 times the strength of our standard Biotifx® products (and up to 40 times the strength of some of our competitors!), it’s one of the strongest ready-to-use bioaugmentation products on the market. This means a little bit of 40B goes a long way, so you can use less to treat more, increasing ROI and saving both you and your customers money in the long run. Biotifx® 40B also contains a complex blend of micronutrients to maximize microbial community performance. Including this complex array of micronutrients alongside our highly effective Bacillus strains allows 40B to provide increased benefits to the wastewater system. Biotifx® 40B Works on… Sludge Excessive sludge can accumulate in wastewater […]

The changing of the seasons can have a pronounced effect on wastewater systems, particularly when the weather gets cold. Lower temperatures correspond to a decrease in microbial activity, which slows the treatment process. If you’re looking for a solution for your wastewater customers, we offer a product specifically designed to perform well in colder water temperatures: Biotifx® FRZ.   How does Biotifx® FRZ work? The Bacillus strains in FRZ are scientifically selected for their ability to maintain their biological activity in colder water, specifically temperatures at or below 59°F/15°C. This means that treatment doesn’t slow down as much during winter, keeping wastewater facilities functioning more efficiently and avoiding system upsets caused by seasonal changes. In our in-house labs, we put our solution to the test against competing cold-weather biological products. Overall, Biotifx® FRZ performance stayed consistently high across both colder and warmer temperatures.   Biological Activity Comparison As shown in Figure 1, FRZ maintained 92% of its biological activity during a drop in temperature from 77°F/25°C to 39°F/4°C. In comparison, the two competitor products we tested maintained only 1% and 5% of their biological activity throughout the same decrease in temperature. Figure 1: Comparing biological activity at 39°F/4°C to that […]

Summer is here, which means your customers might be bringing out their RVs for the first trip of the season. However, even on a carefree camping adventure, RVs need to be maintained, particularly their sewage systems. If you’re looking to add an RV tank treatment to your product line, or if you’re searching for ways to improve the RV treatment products you already offer, a Bacillus-based solution from MDG is a great place to start. With our high-quality strains and a wide variety of ingredient formats, you can formulate effective RV treatment products that address your customers’ concerns and take your business to new heights! What makes Bacillus effective for treating RV sewage systems? Wastewater from RV bathrooms and kitchens is stored in tanks until it is manually pumped out. While these tanks are designed to hold significant amounts of organic solids, too much buildup can decrease the effectiveness of the system. This can result in odors, backups, and other costly issues, including difficulty with routine pump-outs. While some traditional chemical products tackle odors and buildup on the surface, these treatments often don’t get to the root of the problem—the actual odor-causing compounds and organic material contributing to buildup. Bacillus-based […]

Microbial contract manufacturing doesn’t have to be confusing when you work with the right partner. In our upcoming webinar, we will explore the first steps of contract manufacturing at MDG, giving you the inside scoop on what you should know before you grow. Hear from Shannon Losing (Director of Quality and Regulatory) and Stephanie Weber (Research Manager of Process Development) as they discuss pre-screening questions you will encounter as a potential client and our process development workflow. Stick around until the end for a chance to ask your questions live! Join us on Thursday, June 12, at 1:00 PM CDT as our experts present “Know Before You Grow: Microbial Contract Manufacturing with MDG. Register below.

According to the EPA, over 20% of US homes rely on septic systems to treat their wastewater.1 When these systems are not properly maintained, multiple issues can arise, such as backups, odors, and flooding. To offer your customers reliable septic system maintenance solutions, you need a trusted partner who’s dedicated to your business growth. At MDG, we provide both high-performing Bacillus-based ingredients for your products and the education you need to succeed in the marketplace. Discover the advantages of using microbial treatments for septic systems, and learn why our Bacillus delivers superior cleaning power. Why should I offer Bacillus-based products for septic system maintenance? It’s crucial to keep septic systems clean and clear between routine pump-outs. Otherwise, minor issues can compound into system failures, causing a host of problems for your customers. Products formulated with SporActiv®, MDG’s line of Bacillus-based ingredients, are great choices for maintaining septic systems. First, Bacillus bacteria thrive in environments rich in sludge, waste, and odor-causing compounds—which is just what a typical septic system looks like, making them the perfect place for growth. As these resilient bacteria digest and remove the unwanted substances in septic systems, they decrease odor production and slow the buildup of solids. […]

Water quality is crucial for wastewater treatment facility operators to maintain—not only to meet compliance standards for their effluent, but also to keep their systems running smoothly. As experts in helping you monitor and improve this key metric at your customers’ facilities, we offer powerful solutions that grow your business. In this brief guide, learn about the variables that contribute to water quality and discover how you can harness the power of bioaugmentation to help your customers see improvements. Defining Water Quality Variables There are three major variables that indicate water quality in a wastewater treatment system: total suspended solids, or TSS; chemical oxygen demand, or COD; and biological oxygen demand, or BOD (Figure 1). Figure 1: A visual depiction of the relationship between the three main water quality variables. TSS is a measurement of the amount of solids present in wastewater. The makeup of TSS varies from system to system, but it typically includes both organic and inorganic material. Organic elements of TSS include biomass (the living and non-living cells present in the system) and particulates (organic material from the influent). Non-living biomass and particulates are the components of many common problem-causers in wastewater, such as FOG and sludge. […]

Our mission to Feed, Clean, Save the World focuses on improving human health and diving deep into research and development of Bacillus-based probiotic ingredients. We recently released our new probiotic product, BoostBac™, which positively affects the gut microbiome and can lead to a variety of beneficial health outcomes. If you’re a supplier or manufacturer of probiotics seeking to expand your product portfolio with an innovative, versatile ingredient, BoostBac™ could be the solution you’re looking for! Discover the capabilities and mechanisms of this powerful product, and find out how you can partner with us to use BoostBac™ in your own formulations. What does BoostBac™ do? After preclinical and pilot studies, we conducted a six-week randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical efficacy study for BoostBac™. Nearly 300 people across the United States completed the study, representing a wide range of ages, genders, and ethnicities. The results of this trial provide clinical evidence that BoostBac™ can reduce sleep problems and decrease persistent, systemic inflammation throughout the body. BoostBac™ and Sleep A portion of the clinical study included a validated questionnaire with statements assessing various elements of sleep quality that participants responded to weekly. The prompts were scored on a numerical scale, where lower scores directly […]