Sooro Renner and Biopark Educação have signed an important partnership for collaborative researches. This technical cooperation is focused on enabling joint actions that aim at socioeconomic, scientific, and technological development, as well as the implementation of research and development projects that will benefit the companies in question. With each new project that is signed, there are more returns for the community.

The first joint work plan highlights the advantages of using Whey Permeate for the pharmaceutical segment. Currently, the pharmaceutical industry adds anhydrous lactose and some types of starches as an excipient agent during the manufacturing process of tablets. Thus, the idea of replacing Anhydrous Lactose with Non Caking Whey Permeate (because it has 90% lactose in its composition and non-hygroscopic characteristics) arose.

Among the advantages, it is possible to highlight that the pharmaceutical industry would not depend only on Anhydrous Lactose, besides the fact that Whey Permeate has a 50% lower cost compared to Lactose.

EXCELLENT RESULTS

During testing, the researchers were surprised by the potential results, as they observed excellent compression ratio, resistance to breakage (absorbs impact), and observed that the tablet was dissolving in the optimal recommended time. The tests using Whey Permeate were very good, surpassing in some aspects the comparative tests performed with Lactose.

Another highlight of this technical cooperation is that further studies may be conducted to verify the stability of the tablets throughout their storage. In addition, all the points necessary for the Whey Permeate to meet the pharmaceutical industry regulations will be evaluated.

In this first work plan, Sooro’s researchers and the laboratory infrastructure of Biopark Education were involved. It was also possible to provide teachers and students of the institution with access to laboratory tests, technical discussions and research done in partnership with Sooro.

FUTURE PROJECTS

Due to the high compression rate, other projects are on the radar, such as the development of tablets (mini format, mint flavor) with added proteins. However, these projects are more focused on the food industry.

Another project of joint development interest between the companies is in relation to the ‘characterization of the whey produced by Biopark and Biopark Education in their Fine Cheese processing plant’. This new work plan is still to be signed and will explore a possible synergy between the companies, since whey is the basis of the products developed by Sooro and, if the results point to its viability of utilization, the product could generate a new business angle for Biopark, Biopark Educação and, at the same time, a new source of raw material supply for Sooro Renner.