Development and Manufacture of Novel Cyclodextrins
NCIMB Ltd is an Aberdeen based biotechnology company providing microbiology services to companies spanning oil and gas, food & drink, pharmaceuticals, environmental businesses, and biotechnology. The Company has established a strong international reputation for quality and service. NCIMB has also built a large and diverse microbial strain collection. This collection supports a wide range of sustainable industrial biotech products including food and feed, renewable chemicals, crop biocontrol, carbon-capture, healthy living, and therapeutics.
A Scottish Biobased Manufacturing Launchpad award was used to translate NCIMB’s innovative enzyme technology based on a microbial strain from its collection. The enzyme produces a novel cyclodextrin. Cyclodextrins are cyclic oligosaccharides produced from starch hydrolysis. They are safe, natural products that trap, solubilise, and stabilise a range of bioactive molecules and used in a broad range of applications e.g. drug delivery, food ingredients, cosmetics, and bioremediation. During the project, NCIMB demonstrated the cyclodextrin produced is smaller than conventional cyclodextrins on the market. This novel molecule should offer new functionality. The technology has been patented, and we demonstrated, during the project, a fermentation route to manufacture. The company is now looking for development partners to help scale and test.