Micropore Technologies, LLC, is based in Madison, NJ and is the sister company of Micropore Technologies, Ltd. (UK), which was established in 2003. These organizations are commercializing products and technology based on novel emulsification processes using their patented metallic membranes. The discoveries for these technologies originated in the department of chemical engineering at Loughborough University (UK). The intellectual property (IP) resides in Micropore Technologies, Ltd., with the University holding an equity position in the company.
The principal inventor, Richard Holdich, is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at Loughborough University. He has published many papers in the field, and is author of a book on Particle Technology (1). His research on surface filter membranes led to the inventions of the emulsification processes capable of forming liquid or solid particles with the average size controlled over a narrow range. Particle diameters can be controlled from as low as 10 microns to 600 microns.
Micropore Technologies has now demonstrated at the pilot scale a proprietary process to disperse water-based ingredients as stable spherical particles in fatty substances, e.g., water in chocolate. Additionally, development work is underway with major industrial companies to form polymeric and other types of particles as suspensions in water, which are subsequently dried to yield mono-disperse solid spheres. One example is the use of these solid particles as chromatography beads. Products based on the technology are under development in the US and Europe, although the range of applications still needs to be more fully explored.
The following is a partial listing of applications for the technology:
Encapsulation of aqueous particles as an emulsion in fatty compounds that can be used for
Low fat confections
Delivery of nutraceuticals
Specialized creams
Formation of mono-disperse chromatography resins.
Multi-component particle formation for controlled release of drugs, with the active pharmaceutical
ingredient encapsulated in a ‘release’ phase, and the coated drug is dispersed in a fluid medium.
Encapsulation and isolation of mammalian cells in defined sized droplets.
The technology has been developed to the scale of 3 kg/hr of product, and is available for demonstration. Alternatively, sample particles and emulsions can be produced upon request.
