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Advanced composting process – The Johnson-Su Bioreactor

In our endeavor to produce a highly diverse and rich compost for regenerating our soils, we have included an advanced technique called “Johnson-Su Bioreactor”. This composting method has been developed by molecular microbiologist David C. Johnson and his wife Hui-Chun-Su. They were looking for a composting system low in salts, presenting a high fungal bacteria ratio, low maintenance, and able to boost crop growth. That’s how the Johson-Su Bioreactor was born.

Some of the main advantages of the Bioreactor are that it’s made with easy-to-find materials, it’s cheap and doesn’t require maintenance once built and filled. In fact, we don’t disturb the composting process, allowing fungi to spread and colonize the pile. The Bioreactor is made of metallic mesh, used in the construction industry or for fencing, landscape cloth, a pallet, and perforated plastic pipes (10cm diameter), though they are only used for one day.

Volunteers Roberta and Christian, helping us with the levelling of a wooden base for two bioreactors.

Picture at the left: Chris is setting the plastic pipes for aeration. These pipes keep the Bioreactor with oxygen at the beginning of the process.

After the first day, fungal hyphae (the filamentous structure of a fungus) are already set in the pile so much that you can pull the pipes out. The six vents will stay open and allow air to flow up from under the pallet, which is slightly elevated, keeping an aerobic environment.

We gather material some days before the construction of the Bioreactor.


Picture at the right gives an overview of the working station where we soak the carbon material (woodchips) and the nitrogen-rich material (cow manure).

The materials should be completely wet before starting to fill the Bioreactor.
Starting to fill the pile
View of materials and tools
Bioreactor half filled

The most important thing is allowing it to mature long enough — for a year. Yes, one long year! but the final material obtained through this process is really worth it.

Picture at the left: view of the Bioreactor once filled and with the plastic pipes.

As we add the carbon and nitrogen-rich materials, the pile starts heating up for a couple of days.

Microorganisms start reproducing and generating heat quickly.

Also, moisture is a very important aspect of keeping the pile under ideal conditions for the microorganisms to thrive. The pile should keep a moisture level around 70% so the installation of an irrigation system is recommended.

You can find all the instructions from New Mexico State University here.

As we are curious people, 4 months after building the bioreactor we took a look at the partially composted material under the microscope and the results were outstanding. The diversity and richness in microbiology were amazing (some pictures below).

Arcella (amoeba)
Beneficial nematode
Testate amoeba
Beneficial fungal hyphae

We will use the final compost, after a year, as an inoculant for compost extracts, compost teas, and as mulch around the trees. We also see this material as a perfect complement to one of the most useful techniques in regenerative agriculture: cover crops!
Cover crops will feed the microbiology coming from the Bioreactor with sugars produced during photosynthesis (root exudates), and all together will regenerate the soils and the health of plants and trees.

Why do we love to see fungi in our land?

Our biggest interest in this Bioreactor is the fact of avoiding any disturbance, being high in carbon materials, and therefore, creating a perfect environment for fungi to thrive and grow.

Yes, we love to see fungi in our land!

Unfortunately, since the beginning of conventional agriculture in the early 20th century, agricultural practices have been extremely detrimental to fungal communities.

These fungal communities are essential to get healthy soil as they support the nutrient cycle of plants, making nutrients available (through powerful enzymes), establishing synergies between fungi and plants (exchange of sugars produced through the plant photosynthesis, called exudates, and water and nutrients provided by the fungi) and, last but not least, sequestering carbon by the formation of complex humic chain molecules in the soil.

Most of our soils are bacterial-dominated with almost no presence of fungi, meaning that the fungal-bacteria ratio is very low. This implies that in some cases, even more than 95% of the carbon (sugars) captured by the plant through photosynthesis goes to the soil to feed the microbial communities. However, in healthy soil, where fungi are present and therefore the fungal-bacterial ratio is higher, the plant only needs to send around 40-50% of the carbon to the soil keeping the rest of it for its own growth and development.

No wonder it makes us very happy when we see fungal hyphae in our soils with the help of our microscope.

And just a final note…

Science is unable to understand all the processes happening in the soil through the interactions between different microbial groups and quite often it uses a linear way of thinking, unfortunately. However, what seems more and more clear is that an increase in the diversity and presence of these groups can be translated into a higher resilience and strength. That’s why it’s so important to use tools like the Bioreactor to add that diversity.
In the same way, human health is dependent on the diversity and health of our microbial gut communities. Interesting, isn’t it?

Could the understanding of how the soil works help us to understand how the microbes in our guts interact and work for us, or vice-versa?

While we try to answer this question, we will continue taking care of our soils with the help of powerful microscopic armies produced in bioreactors and other composting processes, as we will continue taking care of ourselves by eating quality food produced in healthy soils.


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How to recognize a good or bad olive oil?

Every year we aim to enhance the quality of our extra virgin olive oil. Through regenerative techniques, we are increasing the amount and diversity of microorganisms in the soil.

We are improving the water-holding capacity of the soil and increasing the levels of organic matter through the application of compost, wood chips, and the use of cover crops.

We have also started applying biofertilizers and compost teas that nourish and protect the olive trees through the leaves (what is called foliar application). 

And we can monitor all these changes and the quality of our preparations thanks to our soil lab. (yeah :))

We are happy to see the first improvements on our trees and in the veggie garden. Happier and healthier plants tell us that we are going in the right direction.

We confirmed the effectiveness of our regeneration efforts while checking soil under the microscope and discovering a wider range of bacteria, fungi, and protozoa in the samples.

We have also confirmed that we are on the right track by conducting consecutive oil analyses and comparing the levels of compounds such as polyphenols and phenols in our olive oil (see below).

When we claim that our olive oil is medicinal we are not only referring to the fact of not adding any synthetic compounds in the form of pesticides, fungicides, fertilizer, or using tillage therefore disturbing the soils.

We also refer to the impact on the soil and biology contained in it which improve the level of medicinal compounds found later in the oil.

Let’s take a look at the medicinal compounds

Olive oil, apart from having a beneficial lipid composition for human health, is also an excellent source of phenolic substances with excellent health protection properties. European Regulation 432/2012 distinguishes olive oils in terms of their effect on health, depending on the content of these substances. Actually, olive oils with a polyphenol content of 250mg/kg or more can claim to be designated “health-protecting food products”. 

Do you know the polyphenol level of our extra virgin olive oil? 

It contains 438 mg/kg of total polyphenols and we are working hard to further increase this value 🙂

One of the most interesting phenolic compounds are Oleocanthal and Oleacein. They have received much scientific interest due to their outstanding biological properties such as anticancer and anti-inflammatory activity similar to ibuprofen able to inhibit the progress of Alzheimer’s disease. Oleacein presents anti-inflammatory, antiatherosclerotic (Atherosclerosis is the buildup of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in and on the artery walls.), antioxidant, and neuroprotective activity. 

oleocanthal in olive oil
Oleocanthal molecule representation.

All these polyphenols are found in olive oil in different concentrations, depending, among others, on the harvest season and the oil production conditions.

During the 2023 harvest, we produced a very early olive oil to get a product higher in some polyphenols such as Oleocanthal and Oleacein, and it worked: The values doubled in comparison to our oil from 2021.

Unfortunately, the fact of producing the olive oil so early has also an impact on the taste, which becomes less bright and zippy. Oleocanthal can activate some receptors in the oropharyngeal cavity and give a stinging feeling. This feeling is described as “pungency” and we feel it at the end of our throats. 

Contact us if you want to try some of our early, highly medicinal olive oil (called “Verdone”) or our regular extra virgin olive oil. While both are highly natural, premium quality olive oils, the latter has a slightly more pleasant, rounded taste (although we won’t argue with anyone who prefers the flavor of the medicinal “Verdone”.)

What is the most reliable way to identify a good olive oil?

Through our taste buds 😀

Resources:

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Producing medicinal olive oil

This year, 2021, we are happy to have harvested more than two tons of olives. Yeah!

We feel very fortunate to have had the help of volunteers and friends who joined us and enjoyed this experience with us. 

We have been harvesting alongside  Belgians, English, Dutch, Germans, Ghanaians, Polish, Swedish and Swiss… who offered their time and energy to make this happen 🙂

Pictures taken during the olive harvest 2021

Together, we’ve picked the olives directly from the trees or we used light machinery to shake the olives into the nets on the ground to be collected immediately.

View from a net used during the olive harvest

After sunset, when all the olives were safely packed in sacks, we drove them straight to the oil mill to be immediately cold-pressed on the same day. This way, the oil is extracted before the fermentation process of the fruit can start, thus preserving all of its amazing properties. 

It’s so rewarding to bring the olives to the mill and transform it into the beautiful amazing oil

In order to maintain a maximum quality standard, we do not use olives that have fallen from the trees prematurely, as they usually have already started to ferment or are otherwise damaged or attacked by insects.

Despite having had an extremely hot and dry summer, especially at the beginning, nature is generous and has provided us with high-quality olives from which we have made outstanding oil. 

Why do we know it is outstanding?

First of all, there is our own sensory assessment. We have made it a ritual to try the freshly pressed oil every time we come back from the oil mill. Usually, there is a quite complex sensation: on the tongue and palate, the full range of flavors of green olives present itself, while a rather spicy aftertaste unfolds in the throat. This itchy feeling in the throat is mainly caused by a polyphenol called Oleocanthal. 

Several studies have shown the medicinal properties of this component but Oleocanthal is just one of many sorts of Polyphenols that can be found in olive oil.

Polyphenols are a group of substances present in plants and in olive oil, with a high antioxidant capacity and with positive effects on our health.

The functions of polyphenols in the body are:

  1. Antioxidant – They act on the skin and fight free radicals, thus helping to slow down cellular ageing.
  2. Anti-inflammatory – They help reduce chronic inflammation and the risk of heart disease.
  3. Protective – They improve the functioning of the inner walls of blood vessels. This produces a cardioprotective effect that reduces the accumulation of platelets.

The amount of polyphenols in olives is higher in young olives that are still green than in more mature ones. This requires a clear decision-making process by the producer in terms of quality vs. quantity. The earlier the harvest, the higher the quality but the lower the quantity of oil.

Our priority is to produce an oil with the highest concentration of beneficial elements, so we harvest early in the season in order to obtain the highest amount of polyphenols.

Agronomic factors affect the quality of olive oil as they directly affect the olive. These factors are classified as follows:

  • Intrinsic: Those that can hardly be modified, such as the variety of the tree.
  • Extrinsic: Those that can be controlled, with relative ease, by the farmer himself. 

This is where our practice and experience can have an impact on the quality of the oil.

Through the application of regenerative methods, we focus on enhancing soil quality, improving water management, and increasing biodiversity.

So far, we have been adding organic matter around the olive trees, distributed rich compost extracts, and started sowing cover crops with leguminous species (Medicago Sativa, Vicia).

In the coming months, we’ll keep adding organic matter which is food for soil microbiology. In turn, these beneficial microorganisms will be making nutrients available for our trees. 

At the same time, we strive to increase the microbial diversity (especially fungi), with the application of compost extracts to our soils.

We also plan to apply bio-active compost teas on leaf surfaces and stems of the trees in order to protect them from parasites and diseases.

Finally, we try to avoid compaction of our soil by machines such as heavy tractors and keep it covered as much as possible with mulch or cover crops throughout the year.

It’s an exciting journey for us as we acquire new knowledge and continue learning about new techniques in this field. We will keep you posted about the progress in one of our next articles as soon as our efforts start to yield reliable results.

We hope that you share our enthusiasm and passion for producing high-quality olive oil that not only tastes great but provides such interesting medicinal properties.

If you are interested in getting our Extra Virgin Olive Oil, please send us an email and we’ll organize it. 

We would like to thank all our harvest hands: Carla, Stef, Jana, Hannes, René, Akasia, Sarah, Joël, Soul, Matthias, Vera, Ramses, Martin, and Corina. Thank you guys, you rock!