A eastern Quebec company with a patent-pending plant-based product in hand to extend fresh fruits’ shelf life has picked up a federal loan for the equipment to apply it.
FruitSymbiose Inc., based at Levis, will get $120,000 in repayable funding from Canada Economic Development’s (CED) Business and Regional Growth program, for “specialized equipment” needed for the “large-scale” manufacture of foods using its edible coating, Purbloom.
The company started operating in February last year through the Ag-Bio Centre, a business incubator operation at Levis focused on the agri-food and nutrition sectors.
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In August this year, FruitSymbiose launched its first fruit-based product line, Fruitti+Confetti, using its Purbloom product, the government said in a release Friday.
Purbloom, according to FruitSymbiose’s website for Fruitti+Confetti, is a clear and flavourless coating made from algae extracts and calcium ascorbate (used as a delivery system for dietary calcium and vitamin C).
The coating is billed as preserving fruits’ freshness and crispness with no allergens, artificial preservatives or added sugar.
The Fruitti+Confetti product line includes pre-packaged individual portions of apple slices, blueberries, grapes and pineapple slices, each including a scattering of dried-fruit “confetti” made from strawberries, raspberries and apples.
At the company’s current production scale, its products are available only at four Jardin Mobile stores in the Quebec City area and six Montreal-area IGA supermarkets.
CED, the federal economic development agency for Quebec, “felt it important to support this FruitSymbiose project, particularly in that this investment is being made in the agri-food sector, a priority area for the Chaudiere-Appalaches economy,” local MP Steven Blaney said in the federal release.
