Services and facilities

The Richardson Centre for Food Technology and Research offers a variety of services in support of advancing food quality and human nutrition through traditional and innovative food processing techniques. The Centre houses state-of-the-art facilities with internationally recognized research expertise.

Milling and dry fractionation

Two technicians mill lentils.

RCFTR has a range of food processing capacities in a state-of-the-art, federally regulated grain milling and dry fractionation facility. This unique facility includes laboratory and pilot scale equipment suitable for research, pre-commercial and commercial milling activities.

  • Pilot scale debranning
  • Lab and pilot scale milling
  • Pilot scale air classification/dry fractionation

As a leader in functional food research and development, RCFTR undertakes a range of innovative activities to support industry and research organizations including:

  • Evaluating and testing of various debranning, milling and dry fractionation process parameters for grains and oilseeds
  • Providing food grade, federally regulated toll milling and dry fractionation/air classification services
  • Particle size distribution and flour functionality testing
  • Additional analytical services – in house or through many RCFTR partner organizations

Human nutritional studies

  • The RCFTR Nutritional Research Unit is comprised of highly trained personnel and equipment for conducting safe and controlled trials investigating a range of food products, extracts or specific nutrients on human nutrition and wellness. RCFTR has expertise in the following human nutrition areas:

    • cardiovascular health
    • body composition
    • post-prandial glycemia
    • appetite
    • food intake & endurance testing

    RCFTR offers the following tools on site ensuring quality data collection during nutritional research projects:

    • Blood collection and analysis
    • Physical examinations
    • Metabolic cart for oxygen consumption analysis and energy expenditure measurements
    • Dual X-ray for bone density and body composition analysis
    • Advanced Metabolic kitchen and dining facilities

Analytical testing

RCFTR partners with on-campus laboratories offering a variety of analytical testing services for food ingredients and products:

Food functionality

  • Protein extraction and quantification
  • Membrane ultrafiltration separation of peptides
  • Molecular weight distribution SDS-PAGE
  • Enzymatic protein digestion/production of enzymatic protein hydrolysates
  • Amylase, glucosidase, pancreatic lipase inhibition assays
  • Trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibition assays
  • Renin inhibition assay
  • Degree of hydrolysis

Protein quality

  • Amino acid content of samples
  • Protein efficiency ratio
  • Protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score
  • In vitro protein digestibility score
  • Dynamic human stomach model
  • Oilseed extraction
  • Defatting of canola seeds, meals and press cakes
  • Extract testing for phenolic content

Antioxidants and polyphenols

  • Identification and quantitation of phenolics, flavonoids, carotenoids
  • Total anthocyanin content
  • Total tannin content
  • Oxygen radical absorbance capacity procedure
  • ABTS radical scavenging activity
  • DPPH radical scavenging activity

Extrusion cooking and extrudate functionality testing

  • Laboratory scale co-rotating twin-screw extruder for lab scale production of directly expanded snacks, breakfast cereals, meat analogues and texturized protein
  • Texture (hardness, gumminess, springiness, cohesiveness, and tensile strength in different direction of cutting)
  • Minolta Color
  • Density, water binding capacity and water solubility

Metal and mineral testing

The Manitoba Analytical Solutions (MASS) Laboratory

The Manitoba Analytical Solutions (MASS) Laboratory is located at the RCFTR and is equipped with the latest analytical instruments, including the following:

  • LC-MS/MS Agilent 1260 Infinity II Pump with 6470 Triple Quadrupole
  • GC-MS/MS Agilent 7000 EI/CI Ionization Source with 8890 Triple Quadrupole
  • GC-MSD Agilent 5977 Turbo EI Source MSD with Intuvo 9000 Single Quadrupole and 8697 Headspace Analyzer
  • FT-NIR- Bruker Multi-Purpose Analyzer II with Liquid and Solids Interface

All mass spectrometry units have very low detection and quantification limits (femtogram to microgram), wide dynamic working ranges, excellent selectivity, specificity, accuracy, and precision. For more information visit https://www.masslaboratories.com

Other testing

  • Mastersizer particle size distribution testing in powders, flours and emulsions
  • Ro-Tap sieve shaker
  • Differential scanning calorimetry
  • Gas chromatography analysis of fatty acid methyl esters
  • Circular dichroism

Tableting and capsule filling

RCFTR provides pilot scale tableting, capsuling, and packaging services. Dry ingredients or a pre mixed formulation can be processed into different size tablets or capsules. Following processing, tablets and capsules are packaged in bulk or into labelled plastic bottles with caps using an automated packaging line.

Tablet pressing

  • Manesty Xpress 300 Tablet Press
  • Capacity: >16,000 tablets per hour
  • Dry and wet granulation options available
  • 30 stations with maximum tablet diameter 16 mm+

Capsule processing

  • Capsugel Cap 8 Capsule Filling Machine
  • Capacity to fill ‘0’ and ‘00’ size capsules
  • Capacity to fill >5,000 capsules per hour
  • Vegetarian and gelatin capsules available

Tablet and capsule automated packaging

  • Swift Pack Automation TB4 packaging system

Oil extraction

RCFTR has capacity to extract bioactive molecules from plant materials. The Centre is equipped with a lab scale Supercritical Fluid Extraction apparatus which is an innovative and environmentally friendly extraction procedure that uses supercritical carbon dioxide as solvent. Additional Centre capacity includes a pilot-scale screw press with steam mixer and a lab-scale Heated Jacket Oil Expeller that produces an oil fraction and a press cake from plant materials.

Pilot screw press with steam mixer

  • French L-250 heavy duty laboratory screw press
  • Feed rate up to 60 kg/h
  • Equipped with steam mixer for rapid pre-heating and cooling
  • Operating temperature between 50°C and 90°C using steam mixer

Heated jacket lab scale oil expeller

  • Komet CA59G Single Screw Oil Expeller 
  • Continuous feed with a capacity of 6 kg/h depending on the product
  • Press Cake Nozzle sizes of 4 mm, 6 mm, 8 mm, and 10 mm available
     

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE)

  • SFE 2000, Thar Technologies apparatus with 1 L and 5 L extraction vessels available
  • Carbon dioxide as solvent used for the extraction of oil from food ingredients
  • Parameters such as pressure, temperature and co-solvents can be investigated 

Food product development

  • RCFTR is equipped with a provincially regulated commercial kitchen. The facility is designed to provide space and processing equipment for various food product development and commercial food production activities under provincial food safety guidelines.  The facility is also equipped to prepare fixed diets for nutritional trials.

    • Commercial bake oven and stove top
    • Blenders and dough mixers
    • Bread slicers
    • Commercial deep fryers
    • Piston filler
    • Frozen drink machine
    • Utensils
    • Commercial dishwasher
    • Stand alone and walk-in fridges and freezers
  • A commercial kitchen space with stove, ovens and countertops.

Dairy pilot plant

  • The Dairy Pilot Plant is a CFIA-licensed 4,900-ft2 facility with capacity to manufacture fresh, frozen, fermented dairy and plant-based products with a daily manufacturing capacity of 500L per day. Capacities include high-temperature short-time pasteurization, packaging, holding tanks, cheese making equipment, ice cream machines, and refrigerated storage. In-house expertise includes dairy food and plant-based product development, laboratory and sensory testing.

  • Exterior of Dairy Pilot Plant Building