Food, Agriculture and Bioindustrial Products

Overview

Alberta has a rich natural resource base and a long history in plant and animal agriculture.  Alberta’s traditional agricultural strengths include Canada’s largest cattle industry as well as grain and oilseed production.  Recently, new emphasis has been placed on developing additional value-added products from crops and livestock, such as nutraceuticals, organic cosmetics, and fibre. Alberta is also making substantial investments in bioindustrial products from renewable sources, converting non-crop plants, agricultural and forestry waste, into biofuels, biolubricants, and biochemcials. Activities in research and product development are revitalizing the agriculture industry, as well as building a new bioindustrial sector in the province.

Prominent Agricultural and Bioindustrial Research Facilities in Alberta

Agri-Food Discovery Place
Agri-Food Discovery Place is a $24 million, pilot-scale research facility of over 5,000 square metres, located at the University of Alberta South Campus. This facility is Canada’s only pre-pilot plant with level II biocontainment and solvent processing capabilities. It is home to the Crop Utilization & Enhanced Materials, and Meat Safety and Processing Research Centres (MSPRC).

• Meat Safety and Processing Research Centre (MSPRC)
  MSPRC is designed for processing of meat products with foodborne pathogens and provides researchers and industry partners with state of the art facilities for food safety research.
• Crop Utilization & Enhanced Materials (CUEMRC)
  CUEMRC will allow pre-pilot scale processing of agri-food and agri-industrial products and development of novel technologies. Utilization of crop components will be maximized through separation and conversion processes as well as applications development targeting functional foods and industrial bioproducts.

Alberta Prion Research Institute (APRI)
The Alberta Prion Research Institute is a $35 million initiative, announced by the Alberta government in February 2005, to support top researchers working on solutions to the serious scientific and socioeconomic challenges associated with prions, the proteins thought to cause diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

Alberta Biomaterials Development Centre
The Alberta Biomaterials Development Centre is located at the Alberta Research Council’s Vegreville facility and the University of Alberta’s Agriculture Discovery Place in Edmonton.  The Alberta Biomaterials Development Centre links research, technology and business to bring new products derived from agriculture and forestry-based fibres to the market faster. It offers access to expertise, test facilities, scale-up equipment, validation prototyping, and customer-demonstration support. 

Food Processing Development Centre
The Food Processing Development Centre is a modern, fully equipped pilot plant and product development laboratory facility that is staffed with experienced food scientists, engineers and technologists. The Centre is designed to strengthen and expand the capability of Alberta's food processors through application of new technology and the development of new or improved products and processes.

Poultry Research Centre
The Poultry Research Centre is a parternship between the poultry industry, the Alberta Government, the University of Alberta, and other funding agencies. The centre is committed to develop value-added poultry products, technologies, and sustainable production practices.