Scaling up spirulina: ScotBio expands natural food colorant production

14 Nov 2019 --- ScotBio, a Scottish-based biotech business offering spirulina extract has officially opened a new production facility in Lockerbie, Scotland. Over the past four months, ScotBio has tested a method for producing its natural food colorant in a 50,000-liter production tank at the Lockerbie facility. Production capacity will increase further over the next year with the addition of several more of the 50,000-liter vessels in operation at the site. The company is also looking at several additional sites in Europe, the US and the Eastern Asia as part of its long term growth plans.

The new facility complements ScotBio’s existing R&D and head office facility at BioCity outside Glasgow and plays a key role in the business’s scaling up program.

“This is a key stage in our stated business plan. A move to a larger facility was essential to allow us to increase production levels significantly and, importantly, to allow us to closely monitor the outcomes in a phased manner,” says CEO Polly Van Alstyneat. “The new facility in Lockerbie provides us with the space to do that and the ability to expand even further.”

 “Product development and R&D is continuing apace at our headquarters at BioCity. We are speaking with global food manufacturers who are keen to know more about the production of our phycocyanin and other functional food ingredients as well as our plans for scaling up production levels,” he adds.

ScotBio has developed a patented, vessel-based process to respond to the worldwide demand for clean labels and products free from artificial colors by providing FMCG’s with traceable, natural blue and green colorants.

 Natural blues and greens are produced using phycocyanin, also known as spirulina extract, an algae-derived pigment which received international regulatory approval in 2013. Phycocyanin-rich algae is traditionally grown in pond systems, which are seasonal and subject to environmental contamination but ScotBio has developed indoor vessel-based systems that are modular, scalable and capable of meeting the demand from global food manufacturers.

In February, ScotBio appointed two former senior directors of Robert Wiseman Dairies PLC to its board. Martyn Mulcahy and David Dobbins are advising ScotBio on scaling up production and commercializing the company’s products.

The oversubscribed £2 million (US$2.5 million) funding round last November saw investment syndicate Kelvin Capital, Investing Women, Oghma Partners and private investors in the UK, the US and Ireland joined by Sorbon Investments.

Edited by Gaynor Selby