Webinar preview: How Balchem’s bioavailable minerals can support plant-rich diets

As consumers increasingly adopt plant-forward diets, Balchem highlights a hidden nutritional challenge associated with these lifestyle choices: anti-nutrients. These compounds reduce the absorption of essential minerals, increasing the risk of deficiencies. To address this issue, Balchem reveals how its chelated minerals, under the Albion brand, can optimize plant-rich diets by increasing mineral bioavailability.

Ahead of the company’s webinar next week, “Bioavailability Breakthrough: Smarter Supplementation for Plant-Rich Diets,” Nutrition Insight meets with one of Balchem’s expert speakers, Oliver Riemann, senior manager for Marketing and Business Development.

Follow this link to register for the free webinar, which will broadcast on Tuesday, November 18, at 16:00 CET.

“This webinar will shine a light on a nutritional blind spot that’s often overlooked in plant-rich diets: mineral bioavailability,” says Riemann. 

“Even well-balanced, colorful plates can fall short when it comes to essential minerals like iron, zinc, or magnesium — not only because some plant-based foods are just not a rich source of certain minerals, but also because the body can’t always absorb their nutrients efficiently. That is the case no matter if these compounds are coming directly from the food or certain supplements.” 

He explains that the webinar will explore how chelated minerals, like those in Balchem’s Albion brand, can bridge that gap safely, effectively, and with strong scientific backing. “It’s a topic that matters for health professionals and consumers who want to make smart, science-driven choices.”

“Plant-rich diets are here to stay — and that’s something to celebrate. But the conversation about optimal nutrition has to evolve with it,” stresses Riemann. “Chelated minerals are not a trend — they’re a scientific advancement that allows the body to access the full potential of a healthy diet.”

The role of anti-nutrients

Although plant-based eating is often associated with vitality and wellness, Riemann cautions that “nutritionally rich” doesn’t always mean “nutritionally available.” 

As plant-based foods are becoming more popular, Balchem warns that anti-nutrients in these can reduce the absorption of essential minerals.“Phytates and oxalates, naturally occurring compounds found in whole grains, legumes, nuts, and some vegetables, can bind to minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc, forming insoluble complexes that our bodies simply can’t absorb,” he details. 

“As an example, just 10 mg phytates coming from your food (that is not much and easily reached) decreases your iron uptake by 60% if supplementing with inorganic iron salts.”

Riemann clarifies that this means plant-rich diets need “mindful optimization,” not necessarily that they’re nutritionally inadequate. 

“Most consumers are just not aware of this,” he says. “They even get recommended, for example, to take iron supplements together with a meal, to make it more tolerable. Health practitioners still recommend that.” 

“At the same time, ferrous sulfate is the most sold form of iron supplementation. But having a phytate-rich diet and taking iron sulfate together is highly inefficient, and consumers often don’t know that. The risk increases in populations relying predominantly on plant sources for minerals, and chelated forms offer a smart way to help ensure the body actually receives what’s on the plate.”

He adds that Albion supports a research collaboration with the International Life Sciences Institute, which is assessing the precise impact of anti-nutrients on the mineral intake across different populations. 

“For example, the latest findings showed that the prevalence of calcium deficiency in the US is much higher than what we have known so far, if taking the impact of absorption inhibition through oxalates into account. That was just overlooked so far and proves the importance of bringing this topic to the center stage.”

The power of chelation

The webinar will explain how chelation chemistry can enhance the bioavailability and tolerability of minerals. Moreover, the speakers will share concepts of how Balchem’s Albion amino acid chelates can help brands differentiate toward people who prefer a plant-rich diet. 

Riemann explains the importance of chelated minerals: “Chelation is a bit like giving a mineral metal a shield which keeps it safe from the distractions on its way through the digestive system. In their standard inorganic forms — like oxides or sulfates — minerals can easily get ‘trapped’ by other dietary compounds.” 

Properly chelated minerals like magnesium can significantly improve bioavailability and tolerability compared to traditional forms, says Riemann.“In contrast, chelated minerals are bound to amino acids, forming a stable ring structure that protects the mineral from these interactions.”

He details that because the body recognizes this amino acid-mineral complex as food, it’s absorbed more efficiently through the intestinal wall. “Albion pioneered this science decades ago and remains the global leader in clinically validated chelate technology.”

Moreover, Riemann points to “encouraging” recent studies exploring mineral status in vegetarian and flexitarian populations.

“We’re seeing that properly chelated minerals — such as Albion’s magnesium bisglycinate and iron bisglycinate — can significantly improve bioavailability and tolerability compared to traditional forms. That’s a powerful combination for anyone seeking optimal nutrition from a predominantly plant-based diet.” 

Precision nutrition era

Riemann believes the future belongs to solutions that combine credible science with human insight. “We’re entering an era of ‘precision nutrition,’ where supplementation becomes more targeted, bioavailable, and personalized.” 

“For plant-based consumers, that means using forms of nutrients that the body can truly utilize — like clinically proven mineral chelates — and formulations that respect sustainability, purity, and efficacy.”

He underscores that consumers are becoming far more educated and selective — they want proof, transparency, clean labels, and science they can trust.

“This shift is pushing the supplement industry toward evidence-based innovation,” predicts Riemann. “Albion’s chelated minerals fit perfectly into this trend: they’re both scientifically validated, safe, and under the Albion brand, we are proud to say that we offer the most clinically researched chelated minerals on the market. It’s not about taking more supplements — it’s about taking smarter ones.”

He concludes: “Our goal with this webinar is to empower professionals with knowledge — so that better science leads to better health outcomes, for everyone.”