Three Colorbiotics products approved by USDA program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has accepted three soy-based additives created by Colorbiotics, Ames, Iowa, into its BioPreferred Program, which is intended to encourage wider use of biobased, sustainable products across the country.

Invigorate Additive and Invigorate Topical are both used in asphalt paving applications, and Peak 301 is an additive designed to revive and protect asphalt shingles, says the company in a press release.

 “We’re excited to get this stamp of approval from the USDA because it really hammers home the concept of green chemistry used within Colorbiotics,” Colorbiotics Product Manager Austin Hohmann says. “We are committed to products that are good for the planet and even better for the bottom line. That is why we work primarily with soybeans and other natural ingredients.”

Among the perks of qualifying for the BioPreferred Program is inclusion in the USDA’s BioPreferred Program Catalogue, which is a source of information for federal agencies that are part of a mandatory federal purchasing plan. All three products are listed on the USDA’s catalogue.

Colorbiotic has received certification for Invigorate Additive, Invigorate Topical and Peak 301 “allowing them to display the USDA Certified Biobased Product label on the product,” the USDA’s website says. “This label assures a consumer that the product contains a verified amount of renewable biological ingredients (referred to as biobased content). Consumers can trust the label to mean what it says because manufacturer's claims concerning the biobased content are third-party certified and strictly monitored by USDA.”

To be eligible for the BioPreferred Program, products must be comprised “wholly or in significant part” of biological matter, says the company. Third party testing indicated that Invigorate Topical and Peak 301 are made of 96 percent biobased content, and Invigorate is comprised of 100 percent biobased content.