Microencapsulation is used to mask taste, improve preservation, lengthen shelf life and provide nutritional value in a variety of products. Scratch-and-sniff perfume ads in magazines are an example of microencapsulation. SwRI has more than 50 years of experience of product microencapsulation for the pharmaceutical, agricultural, industrial, consumer goods and food industries.

"This new facility enables us to expand our existing capabilities and offer improved service and capabilities to our clients," Dr. Michael MacNaughton, vice president of SwRI's chemistry and chemical engineering division, said.

SwRI is an independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization dedicated to technology development and transfer. It was founded by Thomas Slick, a Texas oilman, rancher and philanthropist, founded the institute in 1947. The campus has more than two million sf of labs, workshops, test facilities and offices for its more than 2,700 scientists, engineers and support staff.