Canadian BioExx to take proprietary extraction process abroad
Bio-Extraction's proposed expansion into the United States and
Europe, where the fledging bio-extractor hopes to make inroads with
a proprietary process that allows for an optimum recovery of
proteins and lipids.
The Canadian capital pool company announced it has signed a letter of intent with Bio-Extraction (BioExx). According to BioExx, its extraction process is novel because it allows for the preservation of heat sensitive protein or lipid content, but at a low cost compared with other services on the market.
The company highlights that it can recover significant amounts of proteins or lipids in its extraction process and is placing heavy emphasis on the quality of its residual mass.
"Right now we have done most of our work in extracting for pharmaceutical or nutraceutical products,"BioExx president and CEO Chris Carl told NutraIngredients-USA.com. "We are looking into nutrient oils such as canola or soy, and biodiesel processing."
With just over three years of research and development, BioExx is beginning to offer full scale services through its plant on Prince Edward Island off of Canada's East coast.
While the extractor is just coming out of its R&D phase, the Toronto-based BioExx is already looking to take its approach to the US or Europe with Lifesciences' help. Toronto-based Lifesciences sees great potential for what it says are low cost services with high quality results.
"You can chalk it up to greater flexibility with what can be done with the residual mass," Lifesciences CFO Chris Schnarr told NutraIngredients-USA.com.
BioExx said its technology combines elements of the two existing extraction technologies: organic solvent extraction and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). While being environmentally friendly, it operates in a closed-loop system at low pressures and temperatures, which leads to high quality and high yields of the extracted materials without degrading valuable proteins and lipids that may be present.
"We extract lipids and proteins at ambient temperature," BioExx director of R&D, Laurence Parslow, told NutraIngredients-USA.com. "Never above 30 degrees Celsius [or 86 degrees Fahrenheit]." According to Parslow, many extraction processes involving heat use temperatures between 60 and 100 degrees Celsius (or between 140 and 212 degrees Fahrenheit).
Since its extraction is achieved without the high operating and capital costs of SFE, BioExx believes it can become the technology of choice for many applications.
Having tested its technology on a small commercial scale, the company said it is now seeking to fully engage global commercial market opportunities.
With regards to potential product applications, BioExx said it has two categories: biomass-derived products and industrial products.
The biomass-derived category includes processing and extractions based on organic matter,such as plants, fish, and animal materials. Ingredients have included lutein and lycopene.
"We believe that on an outsourcing basis we can offer higher quality with reducing capital costs," said Carl.
While in its R&D phase, the Prince Edward Island plant has had seven fulltime employees, but by mid-2007 will have 17 according to Carl.
