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Better nutrition, and more business for berry growers. That’s the goal for a $300,000 investment by the federal government in an innovative new technology developed by Mazza Innovation.
The Summerland company has developed a patented process to extract phytochemicals from plants, and use them to create naturally sourced nutraceuticals in foods and beverages.
The result would be products enhanced by the highly nutritious polyphenols from BC berry fruits that have been shown to fight cancer, boost the immune system, and even boost brain activity.
Member of Parliament Dan Albas (Okanagan-Coquihalla), on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, said the government is investing $300,000 from the Agri-Innovation Program. Albas says the government’s interest is in helping BC farmers turn traditional crops into new revenue streams by extracting natural chemicals from plant materials for use in foods and cosmetics.
“Our government is proud to support companies that develop innovative, leading-edge technology that contributes to a strong, modern and economically sound agricultural and agri-food sector,” said Albas. “This Canadian-made pioneering technology will increase the demand for a wide variety of Canadian agricultural crops and help processors boost their profits while fulfilling the growing demand for health enhancing foods.”
The funds will be used to help Mazza Innovation Ltd. study the economic feasibility of using phytochemicals, such as antioxidants, to create naturally-sourced nutraceuticals in foods and beverages on a commercial scale.
Mazza Innovation was founded by Dr. Giuseppe (Joe) Mazza in 2011 to developways to recover high value molecular components from plants.
The extracts would then be shipped to ingredient manufacturers for the food and nutraceutical industries.
