Dr. Paul Lohmann leverages mineral salts for women’s health and prioritizes organic minerals

27 Mar 2024 --- Distinguishing the well-being properties of one mineral salt from another to ascertain how to combine two or more in a formulation is a daunting task for manufacturers. German-based Dr. Paul Lohmann offers valuable insights from its extensive mineral portfolio, leveraging analytics to create customized formulations. The company will showcase the diversity of magnesium citrates and present its best-in-class salts for women’s health products at Vitafoods Europe 2024 in Switzerland (May 14–16).

“With more than 400 outstanding mineral salts, we have a broad range of organic magnesium, iron, calcium and zinc salts. Importantly, the anion is crucial for the desired functionality and application,” Dr. Joswin Kattoor, head of business development and marketing at Dr. Paul Lohmann, tells Nutrition Insight.

“Historically, we are strong in magnesium carbonate, for instance, for stomach protection. But this is an established one. The recent market demand calls for newer organic minerals such as magnesium taurate, magnesium bisglycinate and magnesium citrates.”

The importance of anions
Magnesium is involved in more than 300 enzymatic reactions and is used for sleep and cognition formulations. Here, Dr. Paul Lohmann offers magnesium bisglycinate for sleep and muscle relaxation.

“Magnesium can be used for different indications. The anion enables the health benefits. For instance, magnesium citrate is used for kidney stone prevention, whereas magnesium malate is the right choice to claim energy restoration. The anion is becoming more important and customers are getting more aware of it because with the anion you increase the value proposition of the product,” Kattoor explains.

A desired application begins by selecting the proper mineral. For example, there are different forms of magnesium citrate, but depending on the chemical structure (e.g. hydration) and morphology (e.g. micronized or granulated forms), very different applications will arise.

“Iron, in the standard form of iron sulfate or iron fumarate, are quite reactive and this will result in gastrointestinal side effects,” he says. “If you take a chelate — real chelate — like our ferrous bisglycinate there are far less side effects. At the same time, it is very bioavailable because you are coupling a glycine molecule, which is an amino acid that our body recognizes. It is the simplest and smallest amino acid and after a full chemical reaction, you have a very bioavailable and tolerable form of iron.”

Customers realize the importance of fully reacted minerals and avoid simple blends of the metal and glycine. Sophisticated analytics can uncover fraud or fully reacted chelates.

Minerals for women’s health
Dr. Paul Lohmann observes a growing market for women’s health products. Minerals are essential micronutrients that are necessary for the body’s optimal functioning. Untreated mineral deficiencies, especially for women, can cause serious health problems, such as hormone imbalances, irritated skin, osteoporosis and anemia.Mineral blends or premixes are gaining popularity in the market.

By focusing on preventative health and women’s changing nutritional needs through each life stage, brands can seize a greater potential to offer innovative food products, functional beverages and nutritional supplements specifically designed to meet women’s dietary needs and promote their well-being.

The company will launch its women’s health product offerings for every stage of life, including maternal health, menopause and beauty-from-within, at Vitafoods. This includes multi-mineral concepts for health, wellness and beauty, including trace elements like copper, selenium and zinc. Dr. Paul Lohmann’s new science-backed calcium citrate malate combats osteoporosis during menopause. 

The bioaccessibility of calcium citrate malate appears to be less influenced by pH compared to other calcium salts, like calcium carbonate. This characteristic can benefit the elderly female population, particularly those with decreased gastric acid secretion.

Value behind the product
The first step in the selection of premium mineral salts is understanding the morphology — the form, shape or structure — of the ingredient. “There are products which are chemically the same, but the value for the customer is more than the product itself,” says Kattoor.

“We look at the characteristics of our products with a huge arsenal of analytical methods. This is the reason why a product acts in a specific way. Importantly, as a step further we are even capable of modifying the product in order to meet the needs of our customer. This is also one key element of our added value strategy.”

Dr. Paul Lohmann scientists analyze the physical components in order to manufacture a micronized version, a granulated form or a powder and to adjust the bulk density. They can modify the particle size distribution to fit a specific application or adjust chemical parameters such as pH, purity and color.

“The value is how we develop the products and the type of service we offer the customer. It is about product innovation and our R&D competence to really understand the mineral and the final application itself.” Based on the know-how, they can advise customers on mineral compositions that best suit their applications.

“All this leads to the value of streamlined, efficient development processes and cost savings for our customers. We don’t have a one-fits-all approach, and this is also one of the attributes that distinguishes us from many others,” says Kattoor.

By Inga de Jong