Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

PGX (Pressurized Gas eXpanded liquid) technology has been developed and patented by the applicants at the University of Alberta. It is licensed to Ceapro Inc for them to scale it up from the laboratory to commercial scale. With this technology it is possible to dry high molecular weight biopolymers, like polysaccharides or proteins, and generate powders with different characteristics. It is challenging to perform such drying using traditional technologies because high molecular weight biopolymers form highly viscous or very thick solutions. By controlling the processing parameters associated with the PGX technology, powders in different forms, ranging from very fine to coarse can be obtained. Because the powders obtained have a large surface area, they can be used as a carrier for other ""natural"" components with health benefits. Such bioactive components can be deposited onto the powders in a second step of the PGX process. Because the bioactive components are in general sensitive to heat and can be damaged easily, the low processing temperature of 40oC is particularly suitable for their handling. It is anticipated that such carrier systems for bioactive ingredients would make them more effective in the human body. The proposed research aims to study the formation of such ingredients based on different bioactive/biopolymer combinations and to carry out detailed characterization to better understand their interactions and performance of the technology for a variety of ingredients. The findings will be invaluable to expand the utilization of the technology and to generate novel high-value ingredients, targeting applications in functional food, dietary supplement and cosmetic products with far reaching benefits. Training of highly qualified personnel by the research team members working in close collaboration will contribute to meeting the demand for such individuals. The proposed research is essential to achieve the full potential of this promising technology at commercial scale and contribute to growing the bioeconomy.