During last month of June, the BIOCAPS project developed by Nucaps Nanotechnology has received an important boost from the Government of Navarra and the European Union thanks to a grant amounting to € 155,228.00. It is part of the European Regional Development Fund through the ERDF Operational Program.
BIOCAPS is a project that will encapsulate probiotics in vegetable protein, free of allergens. Nucaps Nanotechnology is going to develop innovative microencapsulates of probiotic bacteria based on the use of allergen-free plant proteins that give them advanced technological characteristics for the food, nutricosmetic and nutraceutical sectors. This project has as a starting point the previous developments based on dietary proteins in the NANOCAPS, BIOFOOD and INMUNOCAPS projects.
The project is framed in the "Health" sector of the S3 smart specialization strategy, in the "Biotechnology" strategic technology and responds to the challenge "bet on healthy eating".
Probiotics for human consumption, the main application of the product
The main application of this product will be probiotics for human consumption. The market for probiotics, live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit, has great potential and its acceptance has grown rapidly with more than 60 million consumers worldwide.
According to the International Probiotics Association (IPA) the value of world sales will reach 74 billion dollars by 2024, and consumers demand new ways for their consumption more comfortable and convenient: in beverages, in products stable at room temperature, in functional foods and enriched and at affordable costs that allow a greater popularization in its consumption. Concern for the care of the immune system has grown with the pandemic caused by COVID-19, with immuno-feeding being one of the main trends in the current market.
This project will allow Nucaps, the first company in the world to encapsulate probiotics using natural proteins, to have new methods to encapsulate microorganisms, becoming an international benchmark.
