APPLICATION OF THE RESULTS OF RESEARCH PROJECTS
BIOCEN Laboratories manufactures and markets innovative cosmetic products and food supplements as well as the active ingredients for their production that originated as a result of the solution of original grant research projects by the parent company ECOFUEL Laboratories s.r.o. In particular, these are:
DIMASKIN
The Czech-Spanish EUROSTART program project aims at using microalgae to produce Omega -3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), arachidonic acid (ARA) and carotenoid Astaxanthin as cosmetic actives. These active ingredients are then stabilized and encapsulated in liposomal forms and on the basis of their combination are developed cosmetic ingredients useful in the field of premium nutraceuticals and pharma-cosmetics for treatment of specific skin problems.
ALGAL FOODS
The focus of an interdisciplinary project supported by the Ministry of Industry and Trade within the TRIO program is aimed at the isolation and biotechnological production of chlorophyll-deficient clones of heterotrophically growing microalgae and subsequent biorefining the obtained algae biomass for extraction of carotenes, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates for the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The procedure is unique due to the use of special clones of microalgae that lacking of chlorophyll which makes feasible the extraction of carotenoids as well as proteins.
NANO-CANNABIS
The project, supported by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic within the TRIO program "Nanofibre mesh with the admixture of cannabinoids for the treatment of wounds after extensive surgery", aims at the use of new biocompatible polymers for the formation of nanofiber nets and patches, embedded with cannabis active agents known for their antiinflammatory and antimicrobial effects. These materials are then used for the healing of surface and surgical wounds.
BIORAF
BIORAF - Biorefinery Research Center of Competence - supported by the Czech Republic's Technology Agency, is a green chemistry project focused on the use and conversion of biomass to high added-value products and alternative energy sources. New food, feed and fertilizers, new generation biofuels, as well as microbial, plant and animal biomass are being acquired thanks to the new proposed refining processes. Bio-refining is a unique way of replacing fossil fuels with a new, sustainable way with minimal impact on the environment, using the full biomass volume. Statutory representative of EcoFuel, Ing. Petr Kaštánek, PhD., is the project manager and director of the BIORAF Center, with more than 50 leading Czech researchers.
OMEGA-3 NUTRITION
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are indispensable in human nutrition for proper brain and eye development and function in children and for cardiovascular health in adults. The commercially available source of Omega 3 - EPA and DHA - is fish oil. Reducing fish populations and rising fish oil contamination by environmental pollutants calls for alternative Omega-3 sources. It is known that some microscopic algae are capable of producing Omega-3. The project "Micro-sources as Prospective sources of omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids and their incorporation in the human food chain", supported by the Czech Technology Agency under the ALFA program, addresses the development of new products - feed supplements for poultry based on micro-algae and new functional foods, such as OMEGA eggs OMEGA chicken.
SELECTED REFERENCE PROJECTS
