Newcastle University’s BioFresh lures £50k from NEEMF for launch

BioFresh Ltd., a spin out from the University of Newcastle, received £50,000 from the North-East Equity Matching Fund (NEEMF). The investment comes three months after a £200,000 investment from private equity investor, Jonathan Caisley.

BioFresh is seeking further investment of £100,000 to increase staff numbers from six to 25 within the next few years, while building up a sales force and forming partnerships in the U.S., Spain, Italy, France, Greece, the Netherlands and South-East Asia. It plans also to launch its products in the U.K., said BioFresh director Dr. Jerry Barnes in an interview.

The firm was set up by researchers at Newcastle University in 2003, to commercialise technology for extending the shelf life of fresh food. The technology uses ozone and ethylene as an alternative to traditional practices for arresting sprouting in potatoes and preventing fruit and salads from rotting in transit.

Ethylene was approved in the U.K. for use in suppressing sprouting in potatoes in September 2003. BioFresh's system uses patented sensor technology to maintain ethylene levels in potato stores at the legally permitted 10 parts per million.

Ozone's disinfectant properties can be used to control the spread of fungi and bacteria that cause spoilage of a wide range of fresh produce. BioFresh has developed a system for generating ozone at precisely controlled levels that santise the storage environment without being hazardous to staff. The system can be used while goods are in transit.

NEEMF provides equity to small and medium-sized businesses at the start-up or early growth stage of development.