Nandi Biotechnology Ltd
Winner of SMART: SCOTLAND Award
"Winning the SMART: SCOTLAND Award has greatly assisted Nandi Biotechnology Ltd to realise the commercial feasibility of its products."
The Way They Were
Dr Lydia Campbell, a South African-born food scientist, worked in the R&D Division of a major international food company, when she took an interest in 'natural' bio-engineering of food proteins to improve their functional properties.
After accepting a research position at Heriot-Watt University in July 2000, Dr Campbell lodged a patent application that dealt with the manipulation of egg white and whey proteins. One of the applications of the modified proteins was that they could be used as fat substitutes for manufacture of low-fat foods.
Using the SMART: SCOTLAND Award
The SMART: SCOTLAND Award allowed Nandi Biotechnology Ltd to conduct industrial manufacturing trials of the egg white and whey proteins. The products from these trials were tested in dairy cream and mayonnaise, confirming the claims for improved functionality, such as water binding and emulsifying properties. This meant that Nandi-products could be manufactured at low cost and could be utilised not only as fat replacements by the food industry, but also for the manufacture of innovative new products for the dairy-free (egg white) and gluten-free (whey protein) markets.
The Effect of the SMART: SCOTLAND Award
Winning the SMART: SCOTLAND Award has greatly assisted Nandi Biotechnology to realise the commercial feasibility of its products. The Award has also enabled the company to secure development agreements with large food companies in the UK, South Africa and the USA.
The company has now applied for a SPUR Award, which will be used to investigate the wider application of its products in the food industry and also to improve existing technology to the pre-production stage. The company plans to set up and equip a small food biotechnology laboratory in 2004. This will provide the environment to further support and expand its industrial joint ventures.
Contact Details
Nandi Biotechnology Ltd
Innovation Centre
I Harrison Road
Dundee
DD2 3SM
Contact: Dr Lydia Campbell
Director
E-mail:
lydia@nandibiotech.com
Website:
www.nandibiotech.com
