The managing director and founder of the company, Bernd Baumstümmler, PhD additionally quoted as follows: "Due to great demand from the food industry, we decided to expand our product portfolio by customized and innovative solutions for this industry. The MicroJet reactor allows us to implement the product needs of our customers in a targeted and very cost-effective manner, and also develop customized particles. We draw on our pharmaceutical industry knowledge and experience."
The intended use of the MicroJet reactor technology in the food and dietary supplement industry includes the protection of the substances against external factors (such as high temperature, light, oxidation, hydrolysis and reaction with other compounds), improvement of properties (e.g. increased solubility in water), transfer of technological advantages (e.g. easier dosing and handling of dry powders), elimination or reduction of disadvantageous properties (such as unpleasant taste or smell). For example, flavoring agents can be stabilized by encapsulation with protective substances, which increases their stability while facilitating their processing. Since the encapsulated flavors are less sensitive to external parameters, the stability of such substances will be increased. As a positive side effect, the packaging costs are also reduced, because stabilized flavors require less complex packaging.
Besides the classical use of stabilization or smell and taste masking, new application areas are open up for the MicroJet reactor technology in the food industry, such as the production of functional particles with targeted release. MJR PharmJet GmbH works currently on encapsulation of flavors, which unfold one after the other, or only after a specific cooking time (at a certain temperature).
The first products for the food and dietary supplement industry are currently under development. A part of this development work will be supported by Saarland (ZPT Saar), until industrial application.