Food and Beverage Innovation Centre (FBIC)

Niagara College, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
What the facility does

Food and beverage product/process development, laboratory analyses and regulatory assistance.

Areas of expertise

The Food and Beverage Innovation Centre (FBIC), formerly known as the Canadian Food and Wine Institute Innovation Centre, offers a full suite of services to support industry innovation and commercialization of new products and processes. From new recipe development to shelf-life testing and nutritional labelling, the FBIC pairs industry partners with faculty, recent graduates and students with the right expertise and equipment to meet client needs.

Research services

FOOD and BEVERAGE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

World-class culinary, beverage, cannabis edibles and food science expertise, facilities, and equipment to develop and improve Food & Beverage (F&B) products.

FOOD SAFETY and REGULATORY STANDARDS

Guidance on food safety and regulatory standards as part of the product development process, including preliminary food safety risk assessments; regulatory and Food Safety Gap Analysis.

BEVERAGE PROCESSING PILOT PLANT

  • Access small batch beverage processing supports for research & development (R&D) and innovation purposes to develop, reformulate, and scale-up new beverage products (alcoholic and non-alcoholic).
  • Services include beverage formulation, mixing, carbonation, bottling/canning, and pasteurization.
  • Canadian Food inspection Agency (CFIA)-approved for Inter-Provincial trade.
  • Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), Safe Foods for Canadians Act (SFCA), and Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) compliant.

BEVERAGE ANALYTICAL SERVICES

  • Anton Paar beer, distilled spirits, cider, mead, kombucha and wine analysis: alcohol by volume (ABV), colour, extracts, pH, etc.
  • Hops analysis: Total alpha and beta acids (%); moisture content (%); hop storage index (HSI).

SENSORY ANALYSIS and CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE 

  • Sensory evaluation and consumer acceptance studies.
  • Product evaluation through ‘Golden Palate’ tastings with our Chef Professors or Beverage Specialists.
  • Consumer testing to gauge market’s perception of product.
Sectors of application
  • Agriculture, animal science and food
  • Manufacturing and processing
  • Professional and technical services (including legal services, architecture, engineering)
  • Tourism and hospitality
Specialized labEquipmentFunction
Product Development (R&D) KitchenFully equipped industrial kitchen (mixers, blenders, food processors, utensils, etc.)For food and beverage research and product development.
Product Development (R&D) KitchenCombi ovens with hoodsMulti-function oven for product development.
Product Development (R&D) KitchenInduction cooktopsElectric cooktops for product development.
Beverage Processing Pilot PlantUHT/HTST pasteurizer (lab scale)Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) processing and High-Temperature, Short-Time (HTST) pasteurization. The UHT microthermics pasteurizer can bring products up to 138 °C. Connected to a homogenizer.
Beverage Processing Pilot PlantBatch pasteurizer (lab scale)Pasteurize finished packaged products.
Beverage Processing Pilot PlantCarbonation systemCarbonate beverages to a variety of levels of CO2.
Beverage Processing Pilot PlantBottle filling head and capperCounter pressure filler to fill a variety of bottle sizes.
Beverage Processing Pilot PlantCan filling and seaming machineCounter pressure filler able to fill a variety of can sizes.
Beverage Processing Pilot PlantGlycol Jacketed Holding TankStore or carbonate liquids at cold temperatures.
Beverage Processing Pilot PlantProcess Heat ExchangerCapable of quickly bringing liquids from a boil down to 1°C.
Beverage Processing Pilot PlantHeated mixing tanksCapable of processing batches from 30L - 250L.
Beverage Processing Pilot PlantRO water filtration system (beverage production)Reverse Osmosis (RO) water system for scientifically replicable water profiles.
Beverage Processing Pilot PlantWalk-in fridgeCooler for raw and finished products, maintaining temperatures below 3 °C.
Food and Cannabis Research LabsModified atmosphere packaging (MAP) equipmentCreate and test modified atmosphere packaging for shelf life testing.
Food and Cannabis Research LabsEnvironmental chambersControl temperature and humidity levels for shelf life testing.
Food and Cannabis Research LabsSupercritical CO2 extractorExtract cannabis compounds from plant matter for use in cannabis edibles research.
Food and Cannabis Research LabsElectrospray DryerProduces micro-nano cannabinoid particles to study dispersion and solubility in cannabis edibles research.
Food and Cannabis Research LabsCombi ovenMulti-function oven for cannabis edibles research.
Food and Cannabis Research LabsBulk Tray DryerLarge commercial dryer to dry cannabis plant matter and edibles.
Food and Cannabis Chemistry LabHigh Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC)Chemical analytical instrument to identify and quantify chemical components in cannabis edibles research.
Food and Cannabis Chemistry LabGas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) systemChemical analytical instrument to identify and quantify chemical components in cannabis edibles research.
Food and Cannabis Chemistry LabFlash ChromatographChemical analytical instrument to identify and quantify chemical components in cannabis edibles research.
Beverage Quality LabTexture AnalyzerTesting of food and beverage quality attributes for product development.
Beverage Quality LabColorimeterTesting of food and beverage quality attributes for product development.
Beverage Quality LabWater Activity MeterTesting of food and beverage quality attributes for product development.
Beverage Quality LabDensity MeterTesting of food and beverage quality attributes for product development.
Beverage Quality LabMoisture AnalyzerTesting of food and beverage quality attributes for product development.
Beverage Quality LabViscosity MeterTesting of food and beverage quality attributes for product development.
Beverage Quality LabRefractometerTesting of food and beverage quality attributes for product development.
Beverage Quality LabAnton Paar Beverage Analyzer (beer and cider)Test key parameters such as alcohol content, CO2, pH, colour, haze, and specific gravity.
Beverage Quality LabAnton Paar Beverage Analyzer (spirits and liqueurs)Test key parameters such as alcohol content, sugar content and colour.
Beverage Quality LabAnton Paar Beverage Analyzer (wine)Test key parameters such as alcohol content and specific gravity.
Beverage Quality LabAnton Paar CBoxQCAnalyzer to determine CO2 and O2 levels in beverages.
Beverage Quality LabRotary EvaporatorRotovap. Vacuum distillation equipment.
Beverage Chemistry LabUltraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometerChemical analytical instrument to identify and quantify chemical components in food and beverages.
Beverage Chemistry LabRaman SpectrometerWith Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Chemical analytical instrument to identify and quantify chemical components in food and beverages.
Beverage Chemistry LabHigh Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC)Chemical analytical instrument to identify and quantify chemical components in food and beverages.
Food Microbiology LabBiosafety CabinetMicrobiology cell counts and identification for shelf-life testing to validate food and beverage industry processes.
Food Microbiology LabCO2 IncubatorMicrobiology cell counts and identification for shelf-life testing to validate food and beverage industry processes.
Niagara College Culinary LabsFull-scale commercial kitchens and pastry labsFully equipped to develop culinary products.
Niagara College Teaching BrewerySmall-scale functional brewery and 3/4 acre research hops yardFully equipped to develop and trial beer and other beverage products.
Niagara College Teaching WinerySmall-scale functional winery and 40 Acre Production and Research VineyardFully equipped to develop and trial wine and other fermented products.
Niagara College Teaching DistillerySmall-scale functional distilleryFully equipped to develop distilled beverages.

 

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  • Brushfire Smoke BBQ
  • Can-AM Pepper
  • Chocolate FX
  • Detour Coffee Roasters
  • DistillX Beverages
  • Drink Miura Ltd.
  • FalseOx
  • Genuine Tea Co.
  • Iron Will Raw Pet Food
  • Kvas Fine Beverage Co.
  • Mariposa Dairy
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  • MLG Enterprises Ltd.
  • Neob Botanical Beverages
  • Niagara Food Specialties
  • Ontario Craft Brewers Association
  • Pilling Foods
  • Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery
  • Riverside Natural Foods Ltd.
  • Theo’s Eatery
  • Vailmont Vineyards
  • Valley Growers Inc.
  • VG Meats
  • Vij’s at Home
  • Vineland Research and Innovation Centre
  • Vines to Vintages