Novel encapsulation

BASF Venture Capital is investing two million Euros in the German biotechnology group Cavis Microcaps, a developer of proprietary technology that can be used to encapsulate ingredients for the food and animal feed industries.

To date, Cavis has raised five million Euros in its Series A financing. BASF Venture Capital is providing two million and Inventages Venture Capital Investment, which specializes in the field of life science, the other three.

Cavis has developed a technology and production process that can allow sensitive substances like yeast to be encapsulated inside multi-layer casings, which then act as a membrane that allows the selective entry and exit of other substances.

The encapsulation of enzymes, for example, produces miniaturised bioreactors: The substrates diffuse into the capsule where they react; the product of the reaction then diffuses back into the surrounding media.

One example where Cavis' technology can be used is in the production of sparkling wine. In the traditional process, yeast and sugar are added to ferment the wine and the yeast is then removed once the sugar has been converted into carbon dioxide and alcohol.

Using Cavis' technology, the yeast can be encapsulated before it is added to the wine, allowing it to do its job while being prevented from dissolving. The method reduces the production cost of the wine because the yeast capsules are easier to separate from the wine than in the traditional process.