Anacail, a spin-out of Glasgow University, has secured £2m ($3m) in a series A led by Sussex Place Ventures and backed by commercialisation firm IP Group and state-backed Scottish Investment Bank.
The company is working with food-processing companies and looks to turn oxygen in packaging into ozone molecules. Oxygen at ground level is bound together in pairs, whereas ozone oxygen molecules contain three, and can both improve food safety as a germicide and also extends shelf life.
Ian Muirhead, CEO of Anacail, said: “After a short time, all the ozone decays back to oxygen, leaving no residual chemicals, and a decontaminated or sterilised package and contents. Because this innovative approach offers rapid, safe and chemical-free sterilisation, the technology can be applied wherever there is a need to reduce microbial contamination inside sealed packaging.”
