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For more information contact:

The Commercial Relations Teamcrm@ed.ac.uk

Edinburgh Research and Innovation Ltd is the University of Edinburgh’s research and commercialisation office. We engage with and support industry in a variety of ways:

• Technology licensing

• Consultancy

• Collaborative Research

• Studentships

• Strategic alliances

• Access to facilities/services

FOOD & DRINK

Analytical Chemistry

The School of Chemistry benefits from possessing a wide range of world class facilities for research as well as analytical and technical services. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is for structural determination and identification, typically of organic materials. Mass Spectrometry (MS) is for identification of substances, including protein determination, trace analysis of metal species, and inorganic mass spectroscopy.

With a recent investment of £1.2m, the NMR and MS facilities in the School of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh remain at the leading edge, both nationally and globally.

www.chem.ed.ac.uk/research/ business-development

Key Expertise

Edinburgh Complex Fluid Partnership (ECFP)

The Edinburgh Complex Fluids Partnership (ECFP) is a knowledge based organisation supporting companies with product innovation and providing consultancy in formulations, processing and product characterization.

Scientists in the ECFP specialise in understanding interactions between components in soft materials and complex fluids and how they influence product performance and manufacturing challenges. They also have expertise in working with live microorganisms within complex fluids and in developing instruments for characterising material properties.

www.edinburghcomplexfluids.com

Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences (IMPS)

The Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences is part of our School of Biological Sciences. The Institute is one of the most active university departments for plant sciences in the UK. They have close links with the Centre for Synthetic & Systems Biology at Edinburgh, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and Scotland’s Rural College allowing for collaboration and consortia. Recently they have become a founding partner in Edinburgh Plant Science.

www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/biology/molecular-plant-sciences

Key areas of research

Manufacturing

Processing research, covering fluid and granular mechanics

Granular materials and their interaction with production lines

Modelling and simulation of manufacturing processes

Crystalline material researched at pressures found in grinding

Rapid prototyping of packaging and devices with our fabrication services

Ingredients

Formulations research including complex fluids such as gels, pastes and emulsions

Characterisation of soft matter including rheology and product stability

Visualisation of 3D microstructures

Industrial Biotechnology covering novel bio-based responses to remediation

Crop science and disease understanding

Plant development and fruit ripening including regulation of germination and growth

Sensors & Analytical Science

Design and production of integrated sensors using cleanroom facilities

Sensors for chemical detection, process management and safety

Detection of trace metals and structural characterisation for traceability

Analytic detection methods for quality assurance

The Consumer

Using Big Data research to understand collected retail information

Logistics, routing and understanding the benefits of local vs long distance sourcing

Understanding consumer behaviours with our social science research

Commercial challenges, cutting edge solutions

The University of Edinburgh is one of the world’s leading universities, with a rich history of innovation, underpinned by world class research. We have an outstanding track record of novel research through our three Colleges: Science and Engineering; Humanities and Social Science; and also Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.

The University of Edinburgh has world-class research capabilities in areas applicable to food and drink. We work with commercial partners to deliver innovative solutions.

Together we are:

Creating novel technologies for the Food & Drink market sector

Applying these technologies commercially in partnership with industry

Enhancing the growth of existing companies and powering the creation of new spin-outs

For businesses, expertise at Edinburgh can provide manufacturing efficiency, promote waste reduction, and discover novel ingredients for new product development. Some examples of our research strengths and its impact are highlighted here. Contact us to find out more about our innovative research and how it can benefit your business.

Circular EconomyDr Louise Horsfall is collaborating with Diageo, a global leader in beverage alcohol, to produce copper nanoparticles from distillery waste streams. In addition to environmental benefits, this work will conserve resources and reduce operating costs.

Dispersion Physics for Efficient ProductionMars Incorporated has been working with soft matter researchers from the Institute for Condensed Matter and Complex Systems (ICMCS), drawing on their expertise to unravel some of the basic physics determining the flow properties of chocolate, which will help optimise the production process.

Natural Products for Healthy MouthsDr Dominic Campopiano in our School of Chemistry has been working with Wm Wrigley Jr. Company in Chicago, researching enzyme activity in oral health. They have been analysing the activity of a bacterial enzyme, the function of which produces biofilms in the mouth. By studying the structure and function of this enzyme and it’s interactions with natural compounds they have been able to understand its impact on the oral cavity. This exciting research can lead to great new advances in flavours and oral health.