SCOTLAND’S thriving biotech sector has taken a significant step towards handling predicted market growth with the Glasgow-based Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) welcoming its 100th member.
Oxford Biotrans, an Oxford University spin-out company that uses industrial biotech (IB) to make natural scents and flavourings, joins firms such as GSK, Scottish Water and Ingenza at the Glasgow site.
IBioIC’s member companies work on using IB to reimagine everything we use in our daily lives to make society more sustainable, which leads to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and waste generation. Their expertise covers a wide range of industries, from food to pharma to materials.
Member companies’ work has included using prawn shells to make environmentally friendly cling film, manufacturing food flavourings using timber residues and converting methane into high-protein animal feed.
Some of the UK’s best untapped resources for IB are carbon dioxide, agricultural and municipal wastes and seaweed. These stocks and Scotland’s high level of academic expertise are helping attract investment from around the world. IBioIC says IB is changing the world, helping transition products and processes from being petro chemical-based to bio-based. Estimates suggest the UK’s IB market will be worth around £12 billion by 2025.
Oxford Biotrans was founded by Dr Luet Lok Wong from the university’s chemistry department, after 20 years of research. It develops enzymatic process technology to yield high-value chemicals from natural sources using environmentally friendly processes which leave less chemical waste and use less energy than traditional methods.
The company’s first produce is natural-grade nootkatone, a sesquiterpene (a class of chemical compound) which is the flavour and scent of grapefruit that is used in food, beverage and cosmetic applications.
This is traditionally an expensive ingredient and large quantities of grapefruit are needed to extract commercial amounts of it – 400,000kg of grapefruit will produce just 1kg of nootkatone.
Oxford Biotrans can now convert natural valencene, a citrus extract obtained from oranges, into natural-grade nootkatone, and is now offering an attractive, secure and environmentally-friendly supply of the compound. The company has just raised £2.1 million in investment, which will enable it to accelerate market entry of further products and build on the performance and capabilities of their technology. In a similar fashion to “incubators”, IBioIC supports its members by helping them develop their ideas from concept to commercial reality – offering a connection between industry, academia and government.
Oxford Biotrans has used IBioIC’s support to develop networks, secure project partners and grant funding and access academic support, hosting a PhD student in the organisation. The company will also use IBioIC’s scale-up facilities to test new ideas in the future, along with processes for commercialisation.
Roger Kilburn, IBioIC’s chief executive, said: “IB is changing the world, transitioning products and processes from being petro chemical based to bio based.
“Everything we use in our daily lives can be re-imagined using IB processes so that we are more sustainable.”
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