Supplementation tech: Spotlight on innovative delivery formats at Vitafoods 2024

17 May 2024 --- At this week’s global nutraceutical trade event, Vitafoods Europe 2024, companies showcased their solutions and technologies in supplement innovations to offer manufacturers more options to stand out on the market and meet consumer demands for natural, effective supplements that combine science with senses.

On the show floor, Nutrition Insight speaks with key players Lonza Capsules and Health Ingredients, Sirio Pharma and Lubrizol Life Science about their latest innovations for supplement manufacturers. 

Lonza Capsules and Health Ingredients launched AromatiQ technology at the show. This new aroma capsule coating is designed to help brands captivate consumers’ senses and enhance their well-being experience. The new technology harnesses natural essential oils for scents and flavor coatings.

Giuseppe Pacileo, VP regional business unit head of EMEA, says the new launch is all about emotion. “This enables brands to craft premium, multi-sensorial capsules that captivate consumers’ senses, leading to positive product associations and enhanced wellness experiences.” 

“Lonza’s proprietary market research shows that 70% of consumers are willing to pay a premium when they can associate emotion with supplement intake. This technology is answering this market trend without compromising on efficacy, capsule delivery or performance, meeting the increasing consumer demand for a more experiential approach to supplements.” 

Multi-sensorial capsules 
Pacileo adds that the new technology can also be combined with Lonza Capsules and Health Ingredients’ plant-based Capsugel Vcaps Plus HPMC immediate-release vegetarian capsules. 

“They harness the power of natural essential oils such as peppermint, lemon, orange, lavender and eucalyptus, and some flavor coatings like apricot, menthol-lemon and strawberry. 

Giuseppe Pacileo, VP regional business unit head of EMEA, at Lonza Capsules & Health Ingredients.The technology allows supplement manufacturers to connect a specific coating and scent from essential oils to the intended health benefit of a supplement. For example, citrus oils can match mood health supplements; invigorating peppermint is associated with focus and vitality, while lavender is associated with sleep. 

In addition, AromatiQ technology can help mask strong-smelling ingredients, such as ashwagandha or valerian root. 

Organic gummy options 
Also at the show, nutraceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Sirio Pharma unveiled a new range of organic formulations tailored to European consumers. The PureOrganix concepts meet the stringent EU organic certification criteria, including two ready-to-market gummies and one softgel. 

Sara Lesina, general manager of Sirio Europe and Americas, highlights the ongoing organic trend in Europe, where people are increasingly looking for sustainable and natural products. 

“We have not seen a lot of organic gummies,” she underscores. “Our plant in Germany for soft gels is certified organic, and we have been making organic soft gels for several years for our customers.”

With the substantial availability of gummy supplements in the market, Lesina explains that companies need something to stand out when selling their products to consumers who focus on organic and sustainability. 

“We’ve launched a range of organic products — two gummies and one soft gel. We’ve launched them in these reusable metallic tins, which are also more sustainable. There’s less plastic, and it’s reusable.” 

Traceable ingredients 
As the gummies and their ingredients are organic, “there are no headaches when it comes to traceability of the ingredients,” Lesina explains. 

“We decided to do this because we want to give our customers the best way to go to market fast in a way that consumers will trust the end product,” she continues. We can also do it because not only do we have the technical know-how, but we also have confidence across our supply chain in the traceability of the ingredients. We can process them in facilities that can process organic products, and that’s also important.” 

Sirio Pharma unveiled its PureOrganix gummies and a softgel that meet EU organic certification criteria.“We have launched this as a platform. It’s only three products for now, but we will continue to expand it because we want to give more options to our customers. As a CDMO, our customers come to us and tell us what they’re looking for. But we want to give them the knowledge that these are possibilities already now.” 

The range includes an evening primrose oil (EPO) gummy, targeting PMS and menopause symptoms. The pectin-based product delivers 250 mg of the oil with a mixed berry flavor. The PureOrganix softgel includes 500 mg EPO, with an extra 45 mg of gamma linoleic acid. 

In addition, Sirio showcased a ready-to-market organic gummy with 500 mg of apple cider vinegar, an ingredient that is well-known for its metabolic health benefits and weight loss support. 

Increasing iron absorption 
Meanwhile, Lubrizol Life Science showcased its Lipofer microcapsules at Vitafoods, featuring multiple technologies to deliver iron with optimum performance. Lipofer microcapsules offer a water-dispersible micronized source of iron that has been microencapsulated to enhance iron absorption with low gastric irritation. 

Moreover, they overcome issues associated with iron supplements, such as off-taste, reactivity, interaction with other ingredients and color change. 

“We have invested in research and understand that consumers want science and sensory in the same product,” says Isabel Gómez, the company’s global marketing manager for nutraceuticals. 

“This year, we’re exploring the science of Lipofer and showcasing how this technology enables novel formats, such as iron-fortified gummies or iron sticks, marrying science with sensory in the same product.” 

Lubrizol Life Science showcased several applications for its Lipofer microcapsules to improve iron absorption.In an analysis, the company aimed to understand the market needs regarding iron supplements. Gómez highlights the importance of ensuring the product’s absorption and having scientific support for its efficacy.  

“We also realized that consumers struggle with side effects, especially pregnant women. For example, they don’t appreciate the metallic taste, the organoleptic changes to the formula, the smell or the texture. They also don’t like the side effects associated with the supplements, such as an upset stomach or nausea.” 

Convenient formats 
Lipofer’s technology enables stable formulations, allowing manufacturers to use them in convenient formats such as gummies. Once inside the body, a protective layer around the iron compounds reduces issues in the gastric tract. 

“We try to understand what consumers want,” explains Gómez. “For example, we have excipients that enable smaller tablets. We realize that consumers sometimes complain about taking large doses of magnesium and want to take smaller tablets. We also have highly concentrated magnesium; instead of four tablets, they now take two.” 

She underscores: “It’s all about enabling convenience and effortless intake of supplements.”  

Other supplement innovations on display at Vitafoods Europe include Roquette’s Lycagel Flex hydroxypropyl premix based on pea starch, which provides producers with an effective alternative to gelatin-based softgels. 

Meanwhile, dsm-firmenich launched a “biotic” vitamin at the event, Humiome B2, which ensures a targeted vitamin B2 delivery in the lower intestine and colon to deliver prebiotic-like benefits to support gut health, immunity, mental well-being and metabolic health. 

By Jolanda van Hal, live at Vitafoods Europe 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland