New coating technology derived from soybean oil provides petroleum-free alternative to BPA for beverage
and food applications

The Ohio Soybean Council (OSC) and researchers at Battelle have developed a soy-based, BPA-free coating for use in the lining of metal food and beverage cans and other coating applications. This breakthrough will help food producers develop packaging solutions that meet increasing consumer health and safety demands while providing excellent performance and food safety.

The technology was recognized as one of the top 10 innovative coating technologies at the 2015 European Coatings Innovation event. Following its successful pilot scale demonstration, the new coating is now available for sampling and licensing through OSC and Redwood Innovations.

Dr. Bhima Vijayendran, a partner at Redwood Innovation Partners who collaborated on the development of the coating, sees great promise for applications in food and beverage packaging.

“By offering a soy-based, BPA-free alternative coating for cans, this technology offers a natural alternative to improve imperishable food distribution and eliminates consumer concern of harmful chemicals leaching into food and beverages.”

Since the 1960s, Bisphenol A (BPA), a petroleum-based chemical, has been used as a coating in many familiar products including plastic bottles and beer and beverage cans. Studies over the last decade have indicated a health risk associated with BPA. The food and beverage industry has been very active in developing safe alternatives in response to pressure from consumers.

OSC has filed a patent-pending reactive oligomer technology that meets the challenge of replacing BPA in beer and beverage can and other industrial coating applications. Early laboratory results indicate that the soy coating’s performance is comparable to current BPA based can coatings.

For more information about this technology and/or licensing, please contact Mr. Barry McGraw, Director, Ohio Soybean Council (bmcgraw@soyohio.org; 614-310-1804) or Dr. Bhima Vijayendran, Managing Partner, Redwood Innovation Partners (bhima@redwdinnov.com; 760-331-3274).