Alberta powders Ceapro

Alberta University and Ceapro have signed a licensing and development agreement. The agreement gives Ceapro the rights to a spray drying technique for processing water-soluble biopolymers.

The deal was made possible through TEC Edmonton, Alberta University’s technology transfer company and incubator. TEC Edmonton is expecting job creation as a result of the deal, and has welcomed the continuation of its relationship with Ceapro. With the assistance of |TEC over the past couple of years, the Canadian biotech has been developing and commercialising active ingredients for health care and cosmetic industries from natural and renewable resources.

The so-called PGX Technology – pressurized gas expanded liquids – can produce biopolymers ranging from fine fibres to granular powder, which are water soluble. The technology could find application in a range of industries such as functional foods, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and pharmaceutical products. PGX also operates at lower temperatures than conventional spray drying, thereby allowing the incorporation of materials sensitive to temperature.

The technology us based on research by Feral Temelli, professor of food process engineering, and his former PhD student Bernhard Seifried. It has previously received funding from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada – through its Discovery Grants programme – and the Alberta Ingenuity Scholarship.

Gilles Gagnon, president and CEO of Ceapro, said: “The signing of this agreement is a significant milestone for our company since this technology would allow the development, production and commercialisation of powder formulations that could be used as active ingredients in large markets like functional food, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals, a vision that we have expressed over the last two years. This partnership between Ceapro and Alberta University is a great example of translational research from lab to market.”