Innovation and R&D hub to help start-ups and small and medium sized enterprises develop, scale-up and commercialize their ideas, products, and processes for high-quality and consistent products.
The Centre for Natural Products (CNP) specializes in working with start-ups and SMEs to develop, scale-up and commercialize their ideas, products, and processes for high-quality and consistent products.
Working with us provides access to expertise and state-of-the-art instrumentation like a quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) Mass Spectrometer, all while 100% of the intellectual property remains with the industry client.
The CNP is well-known for its cannabis expertise. Loyalist was the first college in Canada to have a laboratory licensed by Health Canada to conduct cannabis research and analytical testing, and the first college to have a research license renewed for five years and analytical testing license renewed for three years. In addition to the cannabis sector, the CNP also works with clients in personal care and cosmetics, food and beverage and natural health product sectors.
The CNP also supports employers in building skilled workforces. Loyalist students gain experiential learning opportunities through their work on real-world projects with both academic and industry, resulting in a base of ready-to-recruit talent.
Loyalist College has been nationally ranked in the top 50 research colleges in Canada for the last three years, with a #2 ranking for industry-funded research as a percentage of total research.
- Experiment design
- Method validation and optimization
- Formulation
- Product development and stability testing
- Green extraction
- Advanced instrumentation
- Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction
- Advanced analytical technologies
- Proof of concept
- Quality attributes testing and labelling
- Micropropagation, tissue culture and fermentation
- Beverage testing
CNP was founded on our unique expertise in green extraction which we use to explore and isolate different active compounds from medicinal plants or herbs. We have advanced analytical instrumentation to conduct specialized chemical and biological analyses.
We provide unique expertise in formulating a wide range of natural products, from cosmetics to food items as well as various cannabis-infused products.
CNP is equipped to perform various types of sample preparations used in assessing and comparing manufactured products to ensure consumer safety, test ingredients and monitor potential contaminants. Sample preparation, when done correctly, allows researchers to unlock faster and more accurate results to advance product and process development.
The tissue culture lab within the CNP offers specialized equipment to conduct biological research, including the growth of plant cells from existing tissue under controlled environmental conditions.
- Agriculture, animal science and food
- Chemical industries
- Consumer non-durables
- Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
- Tourism and hospitality
Specialized labs and equipment
| Equipment | Function |
|---|---|
| Dryers and ovens, freeze dryer and ultra-low temperature freezer | Sample preparation. |
| Rotary evaporators | Sample preparation. |
| Variable speed rotor mill | Sample preparation. |
| Systems for Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) (3) | Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) using carbon dioxide (CO2). 1-L pilot system with fractionation capabilities, 100 mL system, and multi-vessel (10) system for method optimization. |
| Accelerated Solvent Extractor (ASE) | |
| Ultrasound-Assisted Extractor (UAE) | |
| Ultra-performance liquid and gas chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (UPHUP LC/GC-QTOF-MS) | |
| Supercritical Fluid Chromatograph (SFC) | |
| High-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet spectrometry (HPLC-UV) system | |
| Gas chromatograph - mass spectrometer (GC-MS) | |
| Packaged Beverage Analyzer (PBA) | |
| Microfluidizer | |
| Particle size analyzer | |
| Viscometer | |
| Stability and photostability chambers | |
| Research-scale controlled environmental chambers | Micropropagation, tissue culture and fermentation. |
| Biosafety cabinet | Micropropagation, tissue culture and fermentation. |
Private and public sector research partners
- Cheekbone Beauty
- MediPharm Labs
- Black & Blue Foods
- Cold Plasma Group
- Canna Stream Solutions
- Afiya Beauty
- ADOREYES
- bathintentions
- G-Pharma
- Apollo Green
- TerraPlant
- Élan Healthcare
- FireRein
- Biomimetics
- Persall Fine Foods
- Frontline Supplements
- KAT (Kingston Aluminum Technology)
- Signal Brewery
- BYs Apitherapy Wellness Center
- Protonify Corporation
- MycoDynamix Company Ltd.