If you want to have better, healthier skin, chances are in future you’ll be buying a product derived from the main ingredient for your porridge (oats), or an ancient grain-cum-purple weed called amaranth.

Scientists at AgResearch, working through The Biopolymer Network Ltd (BPN) owned by AgResearch, Plant & Food Research and Scion, have been working with great success on these two natural ingredients.

AgResearch’s Becky Macdonald, who leads the BPN’s Biopolymer Products research programme, says the moisturising and antioxidant properties of both, if properly processed, show they will make excellent skin and hair products. “We’re pretty excited about the properties of both amaranth and oats. With the right funding and partners, both should be on the shelves in the future alongside synthetic chemical products.”

“We’re aware that the search for bio-based materials for personal care applications is becoming more important due to a global move away from using non-renewable resources and environmentally damaging, chemical-based production methods,” said Becky Macdonald.

Becky and her team focus on extracting biopolymers from natural materials using eco-friendly methods as an alternative to synthetically derived molecules, with funding by The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology through the BPN.

Biopolymer Network Limited CEO Sarah Heine says BPN brings together biomaterials scientific excellence for commercially-driven, sustainable results. “With strong industry relationships and the unique ability to access more than 1500 researchers within AgResearch, Plant & Food Research and Scion, BPN provides a strong scientific base to create innovative products in the areas of bio-based polymers and bio-composites.”

Sarah Heine says BPN has already patented a water-based extraction technology and further research is focused on modifying resultant molecules to make them suitable for use in beauty products. “This is just one of many BPN projects currently underway, working towards building New Zealand a strong bio-based materials industry,” said Sarah Heine.

For further information:

Becky Macdonald
03 321 8787

Sam Fisher
AgResearch Media Liaison
021 714209

Information for editors: The Biopolymer Network

The Biopolymer Network Limited (BPN) is a New Zealand-owned company with a vision to commercialise or manufacture new biological based products. The BPN is a scientific collaboration between three of New Zealand’s leading research organizations AgResearch, Scion and Plant & Food Research, who have come together with a shared vision for a biobased economy. BPN aims to create biobased technologies that will transfer the output of world class primary production systems into a wide range of high performance biobased products. The mission of the BPN is to create a focus of scientific and technological excellence in the conversion of sustainable natural resources to biopolymer products and biocomposites.

BPN has two major research themes; creating new bio-composite structures and creating new biopolymer products (which is relevant to this proposal). The biopolymer products research program consists of three objectives aimed at; 1) manufacture/extraction of biopolymers, 2) derivatisation/modification of biopolymers, and 3) formulation and efficacy evaluation.

For more information on BPN contact
Chief Executive Sarah Heine
64 7 343 5573
64 27 2919803
www.biopolymernetwork.com