The WCNL Nano Process
Pre-Processing
We use a multi‑step method that lets us handle many different types of input materials by first turning them into a liquid with GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) carrier solutions. When working with lipids or other oil‑based materials, we may need an extra step to turn them into an O/W (oil‑in‑water) or W/O (water‑in‑oil) emulsion before we can continue. For W/W (water‑in‑water) systems, or for materials that already dissolve easily in water, we can usually move straight into processing without any additional preparation.
#1
High Shear Mixing
The first step in breaking the input material down into nanoparticles is ultra‑high shear mixing. Unlike standard mixers that mainly stir at high speeds, ultra‑high shear mixers pull material toward the blades and move it through multiple flow angles to maximize cellular disruption. In some cases (especially with ingredients that are already water‑soluble, like caffeine) ultra‑high shear mixing on its own can convert the material into nanoparticles, typically at the larger end of the nanoparticle size range.
#2
Ultrasonic Homogenization
After the input has been treated with ultra‑high shear mixers, it goes through ultrasonic homogenization, which uses high‑powered sound waves to break the particles down and spread them evenly throughout the carrier solution. These sound waves, operating at extremely high frequencies and intensities, rapidly shake the cell walls and break the weaker bonds that hold larger clusters together. The result is an emulsified solution in which all particles of the input material are consistently sized and evenly distributed.
#3
Ultra High Pressure Homogenization
The final stage of liquid processing involves compression and disruption of the particles using multiple passes of Ultra High Pressure Homogenization (UHPH), which itself is a multi-step process involving microfluidization, high pressure cavitation, shear blending and high impact cellular disruption. UHPH forces the carrier liquid containing the input material through a series of specially designed valves, at pressures up to 45,000 PSI. For comparison, the bottom of the deepest part of the ocean would generate just over 15,000 PSI of force. This amount of pressure, and the unique multi-step process allows us to break the cellular structure of the input material down into extremely small submicroscopic nano particles ranging from 10-50 nm in size, which allows for exceptional bioavailability and rate of absorption compared to unprocessed input materials. i.e. faster uptake, more pronounced effects, and less waste.
#4
Post-Processing
If you need your processed material in a dry‑powder form (and if it can be dried without affecting the final outcome) we can apply our proprietary drying techniques. These methods preserve the structure and dispersion of the nanoparticles without damaging their nano‑scale features. As a result, we can provide dry, purified nanoparticle powders containing your input material in a format suitable for use across a wide range of products.
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