Frontier IP university spin-out sells protein idea to Tate & Lyle
FRONTIER IP Group, the London listed portfolio company which sells intellectual property rights to firms, yesterday licenced one of its protein products to Tate & Lyle.
The company, through its portfolio company Nandi Proteins Ltd – which is a spin-out venture from Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh – will benefit from advisory fees paid by Tate & Lyle.
Tate & Lyle, well known for its sugar products, will add the licence to its “texturant” product portfolio.
Frontier chief executive Neil Crabb said: “Tate & Lyle look for innovations that will lead to exciting new food and beverage ingredients and Nandi’s technology offers this. The agreement also reflects Nandi’s strategy of developing partnerships with major industry players, which continues.”
The protein product is said to improve the functional properties of common proteins. In food and beverages it can boost the textural attributes, or “mouthfeel”, of food.
Frontier IP, listed on Aim, works by helping university research departments commercialise their research by selling intellectual property rights to corporate firms. It now has three university partnerships with University of Dundee, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen and Plymouth.