Member Article

Expansion follows top food research

A Teesside firm is expanding in order to be able to market new products after carrying out state-of-the-art research.

Wilton Centre-based Coressence, a pharmaceutical and food research specialist, has discovered that ancient varieties of apples contain unique health-giving properties as part of some cutting edge investigations.

And to support its move to the next stage of refining the process to produce end products to be marketed, Coressence has signed a lease to occupy three units in Wilton Centre’s Innovation Accelerator.

The specialist facility, located at the 75-acre business and science park between Redcar and Middlesbrough, is dedicated to nurturing innovative businesses within the science, technology, engineering and life sciences sectors and provides pilot plants, specialist laboratories and office space.

During research, Coressence has found a number of bioactive substances present in the fruit that can be used in cardiovascular health products, colon cancer therapy and foodstuffs for chronic kidney disease sufferers.

Using a series of processes, the company’s scientists have been working on the project since December 2011.

The firm’s chief executive Richard Wood said: “Without the Innovation Accelerator we would have found it very difficult to upscale our process and progress to the next and much bigger stage of development.

“Epicatechin is a naturally occurring molecule that has been shown to improve the flexibility of arteries and improve bloodflow, which is good for people with poor vascular health who suffer from high blood pressure, for example.

“Recent evidence has also shown that the molecule can offer benefits such as improved exercise performance and endurance, muscle growth and tone, improved memory and cognition, recovery from myocardial infarction and potentially improved outcomes for people suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) and Coressence has established research projects underway in each of these areas.”

Wilton Centre’s site director Steve Duffield said Coressence perfectly illustrates the value of the facility to companies that want the ability to expand and build on initial research and development projects.

“This is very exciting work by a highly creative specialist company and it is the reason that the Innovation Accelerator was built,” he added.

“Coressence has been able to access the support and physical space it needed as its processes developed and its latest expansion is very positive news indeed.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Martin Walker .