Scientists from NCIMB Ltd, a spin out company from the University of Aberdeen, have secured funding to the value of £30,000 as part of a major EU research program for the brewing industry.
The programme, which will involve researchers from a number of European countries, aims to develop a microbiological test kit that will detect low numbers of spoilage organisms for routine quality control testing.
The project is spearheaded by Dr Auli Haikara, of the Technical Research Centre at Espoo in Finland, and brings together brewers and research organisations from Finland, Germany, Norway as well as the UK. The team at NCIMB (the National Collection of Industrial, Food and Marine Bacteria) will be responsible for preserving intact any organisms discovered by the brewers, which may prove harmful to their product.
Terry Dando, Production and Patent Manager at NCIMB, said it is very important that breweries have an easy to use system that can detect very low numbers of microbial contaminants at source in order to prevent them from fouling the taste and smell of the beer at a later stage.
The expertise of NCIMB, which is based at AURIS Ltd, St Machar Drive, lies in its preservation of authenticated microbial reference strains is instrumental in the format of such a test kit. State-of-the-art facilities there allow preservation of very low numbers of microbes essential for improving detection limits of the test kit.
Dr Steve Minter, NCIMB’s Chief Operations Officer said: “We are delighted to secure this funding. The Company’s international reputation is a tribute to the quality of its staff and the service it provides. We are committed to building a world-class biotechnology business in Aberdeen and developing the company’s leading edge position at the forefront of biotechnology based on its expertise in microbiology.”
NCIMB Ltd is one of Scotland’s emerging biotechnology companies, specialising in developing novel uses of microbes and in the identification and preservation of bacteria. NCIMB Ltd houses the National Collection of Industrial, Food and Marine Bacteria, which is a leading member of the United Kingdom National Culture Collections (UKNCC).
For further information, contact Dr Caroline Marr, Marketing & Communications Manager on (01224) 272853/273332, or University Press Officer Alison Ramsay on (01224) 273778. Enquiries can be e-mailed to enquiries@ncimb.co.uk
University Press Office on telephone +44 (0)1224-273778 or email a.ramsay@admin.abdn.ac.uk.