Macphie of Glenbervie has boosted its sales by £500,000 in the last 12 months working with researchers to create hi-tech foods and bakery processes.
The 80-year-old firm has taken scientific applications to its heart, including pioneering the use of ultrasound in cooking.
The food ingredients maker, which is based on the 2,000-acre Glenbervie Estate at Stonehaven, worked with scientists at Heriot-Watt University to develop the new process, which improves the density, volume and texture of products during the baking process.
The family-owned firm and the university have filed a joint patent on the process, now being developed as a fully commercial system with a £500,000 grant from the Technology Strategy Board
Macphies, which produces ingredients for bakeries, caterers and food manufacturers, has worked on 15 collaborative research projects over the past three years.
Ashley Baker, head of research and development at Macphie of Glenbervie, said: “Our partnerships with academia have ranged from short-term projects that address specific business challenges, to longer term ‘blue sky’ research and development collaborations.
“Through engagement with Scotland’s academic research base, we have strengthened our innovation capabilities and, most crucially, translated research into practical and profitable business propositions.”
The partnerships were facilitated by Interface – a research “matchmaker” which connects businesses with Scotland’s 24 universities and research institutes.
“The business benefits of these collaborative projects, facilitated by Interface, include new product developments, improvements in the manufacturing process and a broader understanding of food science, all of which are important for future growth of the business and will ensure that we continue to meet the needs of our customers,” said Mr Baker.
“We have also been looking at streamlining the manufacturing process to make it more energy and resource efficient; thanks to the academic partnerships created by Interface we have been able to reduce our packaging by 170 tonnes, reducing our carbon emissions and costs while simultaneously increasing our environmental credentials and our profits.”
Dr Siobhán Jordan, director of Interface, said: “Macphie represents an outstanding example of how knowledge exchange works, and should illustrate to other businesses the wealth of benefits that partnering with Scotland’s world-leading academic and research institutions can bring.”