Established five years ago by managing director Lee Wright, Encapsula develops tailored delivery solutions for manufacturers and suppliers by micro-encapsulating active and functional ingredients, using various controlled and timely release methods.
The company has introduced encapsulated sorbic acid and patented encapsulated water fibre (for the baking industry, which adds moisture to post-baked goods), plus a probiotic coating system that allows probiotics to be incorporated into hot processed foods such as biscuits, breads, chocolate etc, and protects their viability until they reach the small intestine with minimal loss of activity. Encapsula has now perfected an encapsulation process for delivering liquid alcohol in powder form.
Unlike spray drying, Encapsula’s development transforms liquid alcohol into a stable, dry, free-flowing fine powder that doesn’t compromise the integrity of the alcoholic content of the original liquid. Due to the fineness of the powder, it can be easily incorporated into manufacturers’ formulations and isn’t detectable on the palate.
Branded as ‘Alco-PIP’, with PIP standing for ‘Polymer Impregnated Particles’, the new technology is the culmination of over two years’ in-house research and development.
Immediate applications such as packet sauces, bakery, breads and ice cream, where, for example, frozen alcohol wasn’t an option in the past, would obviously benefit from the Alco-PIP technology, and Encapsula is now seeking distributors and commercial partners to work with on the wider use of this technology.
“We believe this innovative product will create a lot of interest from food and beverage manufacturers worldwide, and Encapsula has made heavy investments in bespoke production plant to accommodate the forecasted demand,” said Wright, who explained that to arrive at this point involved designing and commissioning tailored equipment to fulfil the commercial production of Alco-PIP. “Encapsulated Alcohol was a development I considered five years ago when I started the company, and the industry said ‘you can’t do it’. We broke the barrier last year at lab scale and have now invested in pilot plant, which will be installed in April this year.”
The Alco-PIP production process creates a particle distribution range between 35-50 microns. The particles can be loaded with up to 50% liquid alcohol or lower to suit client requirements. As an example, a 40% alcohol by volume whisky can make up 50% of the total particle. Once the liquid alcohol has been converted into powder, it cannot revert back to the original liquid.
The company has also developed what Wright describes as a 21st century version of ‘scratch and sniff’ technology, which involves microcapsules incorporated into the over-varnish of packaging such as cans, cartons or labels.
“The warmth and touch of a hand will release the fragrance’s vapour from the microcapsules, and when the consumer takes their hand away, the aroma release will stop,” said Wright. “When the consumer puts their hand back on the pack, the aroma will release again. Unlike a ‘scratch and sniff’ mechanism that releases all the liquid fragrance in one ‘hit’, Acti-PIP’s stop/start technology can last for about a year. Packs can be placed on supermarket shelves where they sit happily without emitting any unwanted odours into the store until they are touched again by a potential consumer.
“Brand owners could use lovely juicy-looking apples on a label that, when touched, would emit the delicious aroma of fresh apple juice,” said Wright, who confirms that there has already been significant interest in the Acti-PIP aroma-release technology from major industry players.
“We have a lot of encapsulation concepts on our R&D table, including the encapsulation of gases such as CO2, which has some obvious benefits to the food and beverage industry,” he said.
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