[nanoPost] Encapsulation of aqueous particles

Company USA

The company's core technology is its novel membranes, which can be used for the production of emulsions and particles as well as filtration applications. They have commercialized systems for the production of monosized particles: resins, microspheres, carrier and tracer particles, medical diagnostic particles and for injecting immiscible phases in to oils and creams for food and health care products.

The process is highly scalable, being modular in design. So, reliable scale up from laboratory tests to production units are provided. 
      
Other expertise is in surface chemistry, novel operating conditions and the chemical engineering of processes. There are a number of processes which the company are involved in where batch stirred tanks are being replaced by continuous production of drops and particles.

Core Technology

At the heart of The company technologies are microfiltration membranes, which are very uniform pores that pass straight through from one side of the membrane to the other. They are truly described as being microsieves. The membranes are made from metal and are very robust. They do not suffer from brittle fracture and can stand fluctuations in pressure, thermal shock, etc.

Food and Nutraceutical Applications

Up to 50% encapsulated water in cocoa butter while retaining the ‘feel’ of cocoa butter and no water-chocolate interactions.

The encapsulation stops the water from interacting with the cocoa butter, or chocolate components, giving a product that has a lower fat content and one that can contain water soluble nutrients within the encapsulation.

Other food applications include flavoring and fragrances encapsulated by coacervates, where capsule size can be between a few microns to over 1 millimetre, with a narrow distribution around the mean size.

Mono-Disperse chromatography type resins
 
The company make monosized polymerised particles from a number of monomers, such as: styrene, acrylics, PVA and PVA/PEG. The mean diameter of the particles can be between a few microns to particles as big as 1 millimetre.

The particles may be functionalised and the company are happy to supply particles to customers specifications on size, size distribution and functionality. 

Multi-component particles for controlled drug delivery

The company techniques are used to produce monosized particles of many different polymers for medical test particles as well as controlled release particles, including those for subcutaneous use. Polymers used so far include: PLGA, PEG, PVA, sodium hyaluronate, polyethyleneoxide polybutylene-terephthalate (PEO:PBT) copolymer (Polyactive), all of which can be successfully used to form monosized particles between a few microns and 100's of microns in diameter, depending on the required size and the operating conditions.

The techniques are also used for double-emulsion based particles, where encapsulation of both hydrophilic, or hydrophobic, active ingredients are possible. The particles are ideal for controlled release applications.

Encapsulation and isolation of mammalian cells

The company key technology is the novel microfilter design used for both filtration and membrane emulsification. For encapsulation The company use membrane emulsification expertise to encapsulate the active ingredient within a carrier particle. The company are experts in surface chemistry, hydrocolloids and techniques for encapsulation.

The company can also provide microcarrier particles tailored to your specific requirements for size and characteristics using The company novel technology.

For the filtration of mammalian cells the company's novel slotted microfilters provide a very low pressure drop over the filter and gentle filtration conditions that do not distrupt the cells to be filtered. THe company's novel operating techniques, not based solely on crossflow, mean that the cells are very gently filtered, avoiding problems with cell disruption.