With the aging of the Brazilian population, the search for methods and formulas capable of stopping the signs of aging has increased. Today, the country occupies second place in the ranking of aesthetic procedures, behind only the United States, according to data from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS). With an eye on these changes, BR Hyaluronic works with the use of edible flours as alternative sources for the microbial production of hyaluronic acid, an important ally of the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry.
BR Hyaluronic is a spin-off company from Unicamp, created by Rhelvis de Campos Oliveira, a former student who completed his doctorate at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering at Unicamp. Rhelvis developed, during his doctorate and under the guidance of professor Maria Helena Andrade Santana, a new process for producing hyaluronic acid from soy flour and through microbial fermentation.
The process was patented by the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) with the support of the Inova Unicamp Innovation Agency and licensed to the company. “The great difference of our technology is the use of soy. Our aim is to reduce the initial production cost by around 40 times, when compared to other raw materials such as soy peptone and yeast extract, which can cost more than US$200/kg,” says Rhelvis.
The entrepreneur explains that the degree of purity and molar mass are important parameters to define the added value and type of application of hyaluronic acid, which can be used from the formulation of creams, supplements and eye drops to facial fillers and repair surgeries. He recalls that, despite its importance, Brazil does not produce the substance on an industrial scale and needs to import the product from other countries. China is the main supplier. “What we have, for now, is a product with a price and production cost capable of competing with the Chinese market, taking into account all the taxes paid for imports. But we want to go further,” said Rhelvis.
Hyaluronic acid is produced naturally by humans and animals. Its function is to fill the spaces between cells. But, as we age, this production decreases, also reducing the skin's hydration and elasticity.
Read full article published on the website of the Inova Unicamp Innovation Agency.
