Through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership between Cig Calon Cymru and Swansea University, researchers are working to develop sustainable alternatives to existing laboratory materials while optimising industrial processes. By repurposing waste products from meat processing, this initiative addresses ethical concerns and enhances financial sustainability for the industry.
The partnership emerged from an earlier small-scale project initiated by Professor Zhidao Xia of Swansea University. With additional support from Innovate UK, this collaboration aims to integrate academic research and development techniques into industry operations to refine existing processes, explore alternative applications, and pioneer new products. This initiative fosters financial growth for the business while providing career development opportunities for researchers.
The project’s primary objective is to collaborate with Cig Calon Cymru in developing financially viable pharmaceutical products. One such product is a Bovine Calf Serum (BCS) enriched with platelet-rich plasma, designed for use as a cell culture medium in research laboratories. Currently, Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) is the industry standard, but ethical concerns regarding its production have driven the search for alternatives. By utilising waste blood from animal processing, the project seeks to create a more ethical and sustainable product while addressing industry needs.
Cig Calon Cymru was selected as the industry partner due to its operational abattoir in Cross Hands. At present, the blood extracted during meat processing is discarded at significant cost. The project explores the feasibility of collecting and processing this blood to produce BCS, with platelet-rich plasma being separately extracted from a small portion. However, stringent animal welfare regulations surrounding exsanguination have posed challenges, keeping this aspect of the project in the research and development phase.
A secondary product under development is a bilirubin powder extracted from whole bile, another byproduct of meat processing. Bilirubin is commonly used in medical diagnostic kits and has applications in traditional Chinese medicine as a supplement for stroke prevention, though it has not been widely adopted in Western medicine. Since bile collection faces fewer regulatory hurdles than blood collection, this process has seen more rapid progress, and test samples have already been produced for quality assessment.
Looking ahead, the future appears promising for R3 Processing, a newly established company dedicated to advancing these developments. With the continued support of Innovate UK, there is significant potential for rapid expansion and the introduction of innovative, ethical bioproducts to the market.