Novel, proprietary products
Since 1980, we have provided R&D and early commercialization in areas including polymer chemistry, personal care, water treatment, agriculture, and oilfield and mining applications.
Beginning in 2016, we have also focused on human infant formulas, and related human health supplements. Several patents on the novel milks have been granted with others pending in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Great Britain, Australia, and Brazil. The patents include compositions, methods of synthesis, methods of commercial production, and uses.
We have been granted over 100 patents of these types and have entered licensing agreements with a variety of client companies, large and small.
Aquero Company, LLC
Our current projects focus on novel and useful compositions of 100% human milk. These compositions are made via our own novel and proprietary methods that are based on a specific combination of lyophilization and supercritical carbon dioxide treatments, as supplemented with other methodologies. These approaches both conserve the bioactive components of the milk and inactivate the microbial populations that would otherwise degrade the milk and make it undrinkable. In addition, the processing methods are far more efficient and cost-effective compared to conventional manufacturing processes of human milk products. The novel milk products are commercially sterile, shelf stable, and fully "competent" with regard to bioactive components like immunoglobulins and growth factors. The products are available in both in powdered and liquid forms.
Significantly, the products can be shipped and kept at room temperature without decomposition for extended periods of time measured in months and years rather than hours and days.
The emphasis to date has been on human milk, but the patent filings include all mammalian milk. We naturally are motivated by the prospect of providing improved nutrition for infants, in particular neonatal babies, as a first class project. However, we also see the prospects of providing the many health benefits of human milk to the general population as a core motivation. To this end, we have developed human milk supplements in capsule form (check out trulacta.com for capsules available from shopify and amazon). And there are powder packets of lyophilized human milk available for toddlers and others (see getmaiamilk.com for this product and others in development). These powders can be reconstituted in water or milk, for example, while some users just sprinkle the lyophilized milk on cereal and other foods for children and even adults. Our products are the first that are both fully competent regarding bioactive components and shelf-stable with no microbial spoilage. Such products did not exist before. Fresh human milk and other mammalian milks are wonderfully alive when freshly expressed. They are replete with many thousands of bioactive molecules like enzymes, immunoglobulins, and growth factors, plus robust populations of both mammalian and microbial cells. However, the milks are not stable. They have their own metabolism, as well as being subject to microbial degradation, right away upon being expressed by the mother. The best option is for the infant to be fed directly by the mother, both for optimal nutrition and for the maternal/child intimacy. If this is not feasible or even possible, the freshly expressed milks can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a longer period while still useful for feeding infants and toddlers.
The emphasis to date has been on human milk, but the patent filings include all mammalian milk. We naturally are motivated by the prospect of providing improved nutrition for infants, in particular neonatal babies, as a first class project. However, we also see the prospects of providing the many health benefits of human milk to the general population as a core motivation. To this end, we have developed human milk supplements in capsule form (check out trulacta.com for capsules available from shopify and amazon). And there are powder packets of lyophilized human milk available for toddlers and others (see getmaiamilk.com for this product and others in development). These powders can be reconstituted in water or milk, for example, while some users just sprinkle the lyophilized milk on cereal and other foods for children and even adults. Our products are the first that are both fully competent regarding bioactive components and shelf-stable with no microbial spoilage. Such products did not exist before. Fresh human milk and other mammalian milks are wonderfully alive when freshly expressed. They are replete with many thousands of bioactive molecules like enzymes, immunoglobulins, and growth factors, plus robust populations of both mammalian and microbial cells. However, the milks are not stable. They have their own metabolism, as well as being subject to microbial degradation, right away upon being expressed by the mother. The best option is for the infant to be fed directly by the mother, both for optimal nutrition and for the maternal/child intimacy. If this is not feasible or even possible, the freshly expressed milks can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a longer period while still useful for feeding infants and toddlers.
Bench top lyophilizer for preparation of freeze-dried samples at the kilogram level
Supercritical carbon dioxide system for R&D studies and pilot operations.
Human milk experiments: separating the fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.
Human milk experiments: further treatments yielding improved separations.
However, for commercial purposes, to allow time for processing, packaging, shipping, and shelving prior to sales, the milks are subjected to heat-based techniques that while partially or completely inactivating the microbes and other cells, thus stabilizing the milk. In the process, the bioactive components are also compromised. Depending on the more moderate heat levels of pasteurization at around 65 oC, or in the extreme of very high temperature "retort" at around 125 oC and higher, the milk is subjected to complete inactivation not only of the microbial and other cellular populations but also of useful biocomponents like immunoglobulins, growth factors, and many other health-promoting molecules.
The retort method is used to make the products shelf-stable, which is convenient and a good marketing strategy, but can result in a product that is compromised nutritionally and immunologically.
We provide samples of novel materials such as the human milks up to the kilogram level. We also offer technologies for license or sale. As mentioned above, we have worked with both large and small companies worldwide in a number industries and commercial sectors.
Aquero Company, LLC was incorporated in Eugene, OR, USA in 2002.
Aquero was founded by C. Steven Sikes (B.S, M.S., John Carroll University, 1971, 1973; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 1976) and is entirely owned by the Sikes family. After graduate school and before entering the private sector with his first start-up in 1999, Dr. Sikes spent 20 years in academia. There were appointments at Duke University and the University of the West Indies, before he took a professorial position at the University of South Alabama in 1981. At South Alabama, Dr. Sikes set up and directed laboratories devoted to peptide and polymer synthesis, protein sequencing, and various practical applications of surface-reactive chemical materials. The laboratories included up to 20 personnel at various times with participants including student assistants, post doctoral associates, assistant and associate professors, and also visiting professors and other scientists. Much of the work in those years resulted in over 100 papers in the traditional academic literature, including 3 books. After leaving the University, the work has been published almost exclusively in the international patent literature.
Aquero has worked as an independent contractor with numerous companies including Procter and Gamble, Monsanto, Rohm and Haas/Dow, Master Builders/BASF, Bayer AG, Stepan Chemical, Filterboxx Water and Environmental, Gibsons Energy, Ni-q/Moda Health, and a variety of start-ups and investors. The work has also been supported through 40+ grants and contracts with numerous federal and state agencies. Aquero has been represented in legal matters by prominent IP firms including Oblon, McClelland et al.; Millen, White et al.; Perkins Coie, King and Spalding, and currently MBM Intellectual Property Law of Canada.
Aquero was founded by C. Steven Sikes (B.S, M.S., John Carroll University, 1971, 1973; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 1976) and is entirely owned by the Sikes family. After graduate school and before entering the private sector with his first start-up in 1999, Dr. Sikes spent 20 years in academia. There were appointments at Duke University and the University of the West Indies, before he took a professorial position at the University of South Alabama in 1981. At South Alabama, Dr. Sikes set up and directed laboratories devoted to peptide and polymer synthesis, protein sequencing, and various practical applications of surface-reactive chemical materials. The laboratories included up to 20 personnel at various times with participants including student assistants, post doctoral associates, assistant and associate professors, and also visiting professors and other scientists. Much of the work in those years resulted in over 100 papers in the traditional academic literature, including 3 books. After leaving the University, the work has been published almost exclusively in the international patent literature.
Aquero has worked as an independent contractor with numerous companies including Procter and Gamble, Monsanto, Rohm and Haas/Dow, Master Builders/BASF, Bayer AG, Stepan Chemical, Filterboxx Water and Environmental, Gibsons Energy, Ni-q/Moda Health, and a variety of start-ups and investors. The work has also been supported through 40+ grants and contracts with numerous federal and state agencies. Aquero has been represented in legal matters by prominent IP firms including Oblon, McClelland et al.; Millen, White et al.; Perkins Coie, King and Spalding, and currently MBM Intellectual Property Law of Canada.
Some examples of prior projects
Fixed-site, process-water treatment system
This project originated at the lab bench with experimental assays to clarify oil-field process waters. Over time, it progressed through the various stages of development and capitalization to commercialization with an installed system in west-central Alberta.
Truck-mounted, process-water treatment system
In many applications, it is preferred to bring the water-treatment to the production site. To do this, we designed a mobile system using concepts from the fixed-site system. Both the fixed-site and mobile platforms are in use widely throughout the O&G industry world-wide.
Oily, produced water before treatment
The same water after treatment
Water treatment system installed at a disposal well site where a wide variety of process waters are brought for disposal.
Skid component of a water treatment system in which treated waters are "aged" to allow separation of solids and clarified fluids as they pass toward the separation tank.
Our work with Procter and Gamble, with support from partner companies and governmental grants, had components targeting their flagship products; detergents (Tide, Cheer), toothpaste (Crest) and diapers (Pampers). We made patented dispersants for detergents, patented tartar control agents for toothpaste, and patented superabsorbents for diapers. Each of these technologies were based on polymers using aspartic acid as feedstock. The aspartic acid polymers found widespread commercial applications, especially in environmentally friendly products like green detergents.
Our work in the agriculture sector was focused on biopolymers for soil stabilization, in particular for erosion control during irrigation farming. The idea was to keep the soil and the beneficial additives like fertilizers on the field rather than in the run-off. Some of these polymers also were adopted commercially. We patented an entire class of biopolymers and hybrid products that contained both biocomponents and conventional vinyl polymers. The feedstocks included aspartic acid, succinimide, lysine, acrylics and acrylamides, maleic anhydride, ammonia, and specialty starches.
Our work in the agriculture sector was focused on biopolymers for soil stabilization, in particular for erosion control during irrigation farming. The idea was to keep the soil and the beneficial additives like fertilizers on the field rather than in the run-off. Some of these polymers also were adopted commercially. We patented an entire class of biopolymers and hybrid products that contained both biocomponents and conventional vinyl polymers. The feedstocks included aspartic acid, succinimide, lysine, acrylics and acrylamides, maleic anhydride, ammonia, and specialty starches.
Aquero is located in a light industrial park, where it leases independent sections of 2 floors of a building within the properties of Gibson Steel Fabricators. The spaces have separate office and laboratory facilities. The labs are set up for work that includes lyophilization, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, infrared spectrometry for milk analysis, UV/VIS spectroscopy, ELIZA analytics, and centrifugation plus the variety of other standard lab equipment for studies of those types. For the milk project; supply chain, safety screening, and microbial assessments are provided by a partner company. Similarly, commercial operations are provided by a partner company and third party contractors.
