Strategizing Dietary Supplement Manufacturing

Delivery systems play a huge role in optimizing the performance and function of dietary supplements.

Consumers prioritize regaining their autonomy and achieving their health goals. The number of people taking proactive steps to address their needs and manage their wellness is increasing.

The key to creating outstanding solutions is prioritizing ingredient efficacy and functionality in a rapidly diversifying and densely populated market. Optimizing supplement ingredient performance and functionality is highly dependent on the delivery system. Consumers prefer capsules because they provide a convenient, safe, and effective delivery system without compromising efficacy.

Delivery: Nutraceuticals are available in various proprietary delivery formats and dosage forms, including gummies, chewable, and effervescent tablets. Capsules offer a highly versatile way for brands to meet consumer trends and their non-negotiables.

There have been many decades of research and development behind capsules, which has fueled this dosage form's rapid and ongoing evolution. Supplements are now designed, functional, and performance-driven, so capsules are high-tech but accessible.

A good example of such a solution is capsule-in-capsule technology, which offers next-level customization and endless innovation possibilities. In a liquid-filled outer capsule, brands can combine liquids or powders with liquids, creating unique combinations of ingredients with customizable release profiles. Designed-release capsules can protect probiotics and other sensitive ingredients with acid-protection properties as they pass through the digestive system. New capsule-sealing technology allows some ingredients to be administered in their most bioavailable liquid form for optimal product efficacy while minimizing leakage risks, helping brands further boost consumer satisfaction.

It is possible to overcome potential roadblocks during formulation by using key plant-based capsule materials that are high-performance and versatile, such as pullulan and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). A high oxygen barrier makes these capsules ideal for light-sensitive ingredients, as they can prevent degradation. Plant-based supplement formulations with unpleasant sensory properties can also benefit from their taste- and odor-masking capabilities. An HPMC capsule, in contrast, prevents UV light from penetrating moisture-sensitive and light-sensitive ingredients.

Capsules can also be beneficial with advanced ingredient technologies such as beadlets and proprietary lipid multiparticulate (LMP) technology. Brands can elevate the efficacy and functionality of their ingredients using LMP technology, balancing an appetite for innovation with ingredient stability and consumer appeal, ultimately creating an efficacious, standout product by overcoming common formulation and delivery challenges.

Next-generation supplement design: Consumers are more likely to comply and keep purchasing when they have an enjoyable sensory experience alongside efficacy and functionality. It is easy to add color to a supplement product to make it more visually appealing. Thirty percent of consumers who are likely to purchase supplements with coloring prefer white-colored supplements.

With next-generation capsule customization, supplement producers can further elevate their products. Adding natural colors such as purple carrot and blue spirulina to plant-based capsules can enhance their performance and visual appeal. Using essential oils derived from nature, producers can create flavor and aroma coatings for these colorful capsules. Flavor and aroma coatings stimulate the senses and enable brands to rely on color associations to support sleep and stress management, such as lavender coatings on purple-colored capsules.