Canada has an extensive range of research centres, food incubators, accelerators and labs supporting food and beverage innovation through the research they do and/or the services they offer. Each week throughout 2023, we’re highlighting an organization that’s supporting food innovation in Canada.
Mission: The Centre for Natural Products and Medical Cannabis (CNPMC) is an innovation hub within Loyalist College with expertise in plant-based technologies.
Focus: The Centre works with startups and small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the natural products and cannabis industries to transform research into products.
Services: CNPMC offers expertise in plant-based technologies, state-of-the-art equipment and training, support and access to funding, technology transfer and commercialization support, collaborative consultation services, and dedicated R&D space. It has 5,100 sq. ft. of equipment in three laboratories, including equipment for extraction and advanced analytics, tissue culture, formulation and product development, and sample preparation.
The Centre also helps clients with:
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Applied research projects, including: method and process optimization, benchmarking, concept design, testing, feasibility studies, extraction and formulation, and collaborative contract research projects, including tissue culture projects.
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Analytical testing of natural products, food, beverages, and cannabis, including specializations in: cannabis (cannabinoid & terpene quantification), beer and wine (alcohol & sugar content, turbidity and more), hops (alpha and beta acids & terpene quantification), and functional mushrooms (beta-glucan content & key bioactive quantification). In addition, tests for the potency of bioactive ingredients, impurities, product chemical and physical characteristics, and stability/shelf life reporting.
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Customized training opportunities in the above areas, as well as customized trials and training on specific equipment.
What you need to know: The Centre collaborates with industry partners, funding agencies and applied research institutions to develop new methods and improve products and processes. It encourages interdisciplinary research and its network of partners include academia, industry and community organizations.
Notable News: CNPMC is Canada’s only National Technology Access Centre for Natural Products and Cannabis. Loyalist College was the first college in Canada to have a laboratory licensed by Health Canada to conduct cannabis research and analytical testing, and the first college in Ontario to have a research license renewed for five years and analytical license renewed for three years. In October 2023 Loyalist College became the first college in Canada to receive a Controlled Drugs and Substances License from Health Canada for psilocybin research.