Scottish biotech business making a natural blue colourant ScotBio has officially opened a new production facility in Lockerbie in the south of Scotland and announced what it describes as ambitious plans to expand further.

The new facility complements its existing R&D and head office facility at BioCity outside Glasgow and plays a key role in the business’s scaling up programme.

Over the past four months, ScotBio says it has successfully tested its pioneering method for producing its natural food colourant in a 50,000 litre production tank at the Lockerbie facility. Production capacity will increase further over the next 12 months with the addition of several more of the 50,000 litre vessels in operation at the site. The company says it is also looking at a number of additional sites in Europe, the US and the Far East as part of its longer term growth plans.

Polly Van Alstyne, Chief Operating Officer at ScotBio said: “This is a key stage in our stated business plan. A move to a larger facility was essential to allow us to increase production levels significantly and, importantly, to allow us to closely monitor the outcomes in a phased manner. The new facility in Lockerbie provides us with the space to do that and the ability to expand even further.” 

“Product development and R&D is continuing apace at our headquarters at BioCity and we are speaking with food manufacturers across the world who are keen to know more about the production of our phycocyanin and other functional food ingredients, and our plans for scaling up production levels.” 

Tom Craig, Chairman of ScotBio said: “The board and staff are continuing to deliver the milestones set out in the company’s business plan. This latest scale-up phase is essential as we look to build capacity, while identifying any challenges that the increase in production may produce. We also have an outstanding team of scientists who are working on additional proprietary IP to bring added value to the business.”

based in BioCity Glasgow, the biotech incubator located just outside Glasgow, ScotBio has developed a patented, vessel-based process to respond to worldwide demand for clean labels and products free of artificial colours by providing traceable, natural blue and green colourants.

Natural blues and greens are produced using phycocyanin, also known as spirulina extract, an algae derived pigment which received international regulatory approval in 2013. Phycocyanin rich algae is traditionally grown in pond systems, which are seasonal and subject to environmental contamination but ScotBio has developed indoor vessel-based systems that are said to be modular and scalable and capable of meeting the demand from global food manufacturers. 

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