27 Jun 2023

How Sprouts Biotech Labs Successfully Scaled From 500 to 50K Plant Jars Using PPM™

Anjali Singh, MS

As a content and community manager, I leverage my expertise in plant biotechnology, passion for tissue culture, and writing skills to create compelling articles, simplifying intricate scientific concepts, and address your inquiries. As a dedicated science communicator, I strive to spark curiosity and foster a love for science in my audience.

Table of Contents

By incorporating PPM™ into their workflow, Sprouts Biotech successfully reduced contamination by more than 80% in their tissue culture setup.

Introduction

Sprouts Biotech Laboratories, a renowned plant tissue culture lab in Pakistan, has been at the forefront of providing disease-free and high-yielding plant varieties to growers in the country. With a focus on expanding its reach to international markets, Sprouts Biotech aims to meet the demands of growers for quality crops, including potatoes, bananas, papayas, and ornamental plants such as Philodendrons and Monstera. 

Led by Nausherwan Mughal, the CEO of  Sprouts Biotech Laboratories, the company has overcome numerous challenges to establish itself as a key player in the industry. One of the significant hurdles faced by the lab was contamination, which hindered their ability to produce clean cultures. Fungal and viral diseases frequently plagued their plant cultures, posing a threat to their operations.

In search of an effective solution, Sprouts Biotech experimented with various local biocides. However, these attempts proved futile, as the biocides either failed to eliminate contamination or caused damage to their cultures. Realizing the urgent need for a reliable contamination control product, the company discovered Plant Preservative Mixture™ (PPM™). 

Implemented since 2017, PPM™ has played a pivotal role in Sprouts Biotech's tissue culture process, aiding in the initiation, multiplication, shooting, and rooting stages. Through rigorous experimentation, they determined the optimal concentration of PPM™ for combating contamination, witnessing remarkable results. 

By incorporating PPM™ into their workflow, Sprouts Biotech successfully reduced contamination by more than 80% in their tissue culture setup. This breakthrough enabled them to scale their production from 500 tissue culture plant jars per month to an impressive 50,000 jars per month, housing 5-10 plants each. The use of PPM™ propelled their monthly plant production to over one million, revolutionizing their business. 

In this case study, we delve into the challenges faced by Sprouts Biotech Laboratories, the solution they found in PPM™, and the remarkable results they achieved by implementing this innovative contamination control product. Nausherwan Mughal, the CEO of Sprouts Biotech, shares his insights and experiences, highlighting the efficacy of PPM™ in enhancing production, saving resources, and driving the growth of their tissue culture facility. 

Join us as we explore how Sprouts Biotech Laboratories overcame contamination challenges and transformed their operations with the support of Plant Preservative Mixture™ (PPM™).

About Sprouts Biotech Laboratories

Sprouts Biotech Laboratories, a prestigious plant tissue culture facility in Pakistan, has earned its reputation as one of the foremost labs in the field. Committed to delivering disease-free and high-yielding plant varieties, Sprouts Biotech focuses on meeting the needs of growers across the country. 

While currently operating locally, the company has set its sights on expanding its presence in international markets. Their goal is to meet the demand for superior crops, with a particular emphasis on potatoes, bananas, papayas, and ornamental plants like Philodendrons and Monstera. 

Situated in the quaint village of Karachi, Sprouts Biotech boasts a dedicated workforce, with approximately 70% comprised of highly skilled women! These diligent individuals work tirelessly to uphold the exceptional quality of the plants supplied by the company.

Sprouts Biotech Laboratories harnesses the power of PPM™ (Plant Preservative Mixture) to ensure plant quality and propel their business growth. With the introduction of this remarkable product, they experienced a staggering 1000-fold increase in production compared to their previous output. 

To gain valuable insights into the impact of PPM™ on their operations and the achievement of their production goals, let us hear directly from Nausherwan Mughal, the CEO of Sprouts Biotech Laboratories. Nausherwan Mughal will shed light on his firsthand experience with PPM™ and how it has empowered him and his team to reach new heights in their plant production endeavors.

Challenges Sprouts Biotech Faced

When Sprouts Biotech embarked on its journey, it was a small company consisting of just four individuals. However, they encountered a significant obstacle in their modest facility: contamination. Limited resources posed a challenge in their pursuit of producing pristine cultures. 

Their plant cultures frequently fell victim to fungal and viral diseases, hindering their progress. In an attempt to eliminate the contamination, they experimented with a locally produced biocide. Unfortunately, the results fell far short of their expectations, leaving them searching for a more effective solution.

The Solution to Sprouts Biotech Problems With Contamination

The persistent contamination of their cultures was taking a toll on Sprouts Biotech's resources and straining their budget. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, they came to a crucial realization: a fresh start was necessary, and they required an effective solution for contamination control. 

During this critical period, they discovered the remarkable capabilities of Plant Preservative Mixture (PPM™) in eliminating various types of contamination. Driven by curiosity, they decided to order the product to assess its effectiveness in their own cultures. To their delight, PPM™ proved to be the miraculous solution they had been desperately seeking for their labs.

Procedure

Since 2017, Sprouts Biotech lab has been incorporating PPM™ at every stage of their plant tissue culture process, encompassing initiation, multiplication, shooting, and rooting stages. Recognizing the importance of effectively combating contamination, they embarked on an experiment to determine the optimal concentration of PPM™. 

During their study, they tested two different concentrations of PPM™, namely 0.5 ml and 1 ml. This investigation aimed to identify which concentration would provide the greatest efficacy in their fight against contamination. Through careful analysis, they discovered that the recommended concentration of 1 ml PPM™, as advised by Plant Cell Technology, was the most effective solution to address their contamination challenges.

Results

By incorporating PPM™ at every stage of their plant tissue culture process, Sprouts Biotech witnessed a remarkable decrease in contamination. They successfully managed to control more than 80% of the contamination issues that previously plagued their tissue culture setup. 

According to Nausherwan Mughal, the CEO of Sprouts Biotech, the introduction of PPM™ significantly mitigated the presence of fungal and other contaminants. This breakthrough allowed them to maintain a contamination rate of around 20% or below, offering a substantial improvement in the overall quality of their cultures. 

With contamination under control, Sprouts Biotech experienced exponential growth in their production capacity. They scaled their output from 500 tissue culture plant jars per month to an impressive 50,000 jars per month. Each jar accommodates 5-10 plants, resulting in a monthly production of 250,000 plants in their facility. This extraordinary achievement was made possible by the utilization of PPM™.

Currently, Sprouts Biotech produces over one million healthy and disease-free plants using PPM™. The CEO, Nausherwan Mughal, enthusiastically endorses the product, praising its excellence and the absence of any side effects. He wholeheartedly recommends PPM™ to others seeking to enhance their production, minimize media and culture losses, and overcome issues such as media browning. Incorporating PPM™ into their tissue culture media proved to be the solution they needed to resolve such challenges. 

Thanks to the outstanding performance of PPM™, Sprouts Biotech has transitioned from operating within a small 10x12' room to a professional tissue culture facility spanning acres of land. They now conduct their operations with an efficient team in partnership with their trusted ally in contamination control, Plant Preservative Mixture (PPM™).