Equipment to pull new ingredients out of crops for the food and manufacturing sectors will be set up at the Saskatchewan Food Centre.
Saskatchewan MP Brad Trost announced almost $800,000 in funding Tuesday in Saskatoon, where the centre is based at the University of Saskatchewan, for investment in extruder equipment.
Extrusion is used to extract ingredients from cereals for products such as pasta or confectionery doughs, or low-density materials for such uses as puffy snack foods, breakfast cereals and gum.
The centre’s new extruder may also test oilseeds and plant-based materials to develop environment-friendly bio-polymers that could possibly replace petroleum-based plastics, the federal government said in a press release Tuesday.
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Using this equipment, the centre — which is operated by the university, the provincial ag department and the Saskatchewan Food Processors Association — can run pilot-scale processing tests on-site, as opposed to transporting material and personnel to the U.S. for such testing, the government said.
The technology can be used to test products for potential use in the pet, animal and aquaculture feed markets as well as food markets, the government added.
“This equipment will enable researchers to identify new ways to process Saskatchewan crops that could lead to new commercial products,” Trost said. The federal funding will flow through Western Economic Diversification Canada.
