Jungbunzlauer webinar preview: Why full chelation matters for magnesium bisglycinate

Consumer interest in magnesium is expanding into everyday wellness, from sleep and stress to muscle function, recovery, and hydration. As the mineral moves into an increasingly diverse range of supplement formats, Jungbunzlauer says brands need to look beyond how much magnesium a product contains and consider its chemical form, ingredient quality, and formulation performance.

The company’s upcoming webinar, “Magnesium bisglycinate in focus: why full chelation matters,” will examine growing interest in fully chelated magnesium bisglycinate and explore how ingredient chemistry can influence product development across active lifestyle, recovery, hydration, and everyday wellness applications.

Ahead of the session, Nutrition Insight sits down with the webinar’s expert speakers, Martin Klamroth, market development manager of Food EU/APAC, and Dr. Kaavya Rathnakumar, market development manager of Mineral Nutrition Americas.

They discuss what full chelation means in practice, how manufacturers can assess differences between magnesium bisglycinate ingredients, and the opportunities emerging in next-generation delivery formats.

The free 45-minute webinar will take place on November 11, 2026, at 16:00 CET. You can register here.

Magnesium moves beyond mineral content

Klamroth and Rathnakumar say rising attention to magnesium is coinciding with a broader shift in how the nutrition industry evaluates mineral ingredients.

“Magnesium continues to gain attention as consumers increasingly prioritize sleep quality, stress management, muscle function, recovery, and everyday wellness. At the same time, the nutrition industry is moving beyond simply delivering a mineral toward understanding how its chemical form, ingredient quality, and formulation characteristics influence the finished product.”

Magnesium bisglycinate combines magnesium with glycine through a chelation process. According to the company, its growing relevance reflects consumer interest in differentiated mineral sources and manufacturers’ demand for ingredients suited to new and convenient supplement formats.

“This makes full chelation a timely topic. As more magnesium bisglycinate products enter the market, understanding ingredient identity, consistency, and quality becomes increasingly important for meaningful product differentiation.”

The shift puts greater emphasis on understanding what sits behind an ingredient name and how variations in composition or manufacturing may ultimately affect the finished supplement.
Jungbunzlauer says full chelation can influence magnesium bisglycinate quality, consistency, and formulation performance.

What does “fully chelated” mean?

The experts explain that full chelation is not simply a marketing descriptor but should be evidence-backed to demonstrate the intended interaction between magnesium and glycine.

“In practical terms, fully chelated magnesium bisglycinate refers to magnesium coordinated with glycine ligands. Ideally, the material is characterized by the intended magnesium-to-glycine stoichiometry and analytical evidence supporting the formation of the magnesium-glycine coordination structure.”

However, she cautions that ingredients marketed under the same magnesium bisglycinate name are not necessarily identical.

“Differences in manufacturing processes, reaction completeness, residual unreacted components, elemental magnesium content, and physical properties can influence ingredient quality, consistency, and formulation performance.”

For manufacturers, Jungbunzlauer advises looking at several complementary measures when evaluating an ingredient. These include chemical characterization through analytical techniques, such as thermogravimetric analysis, carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction.

Jungbunzlauer says it has also conducted an in vitro bioavailability study to evaluate the biological performance of its magnesium bisglycinate, complementing the chemical and structural characterization.

Elemental magnesium content should also be verified against the proposed ingredient composition and theoretical stoichiometry, while physical characteristics, such as particle size, density, flowability, dispersibility, compressibility, and sensory properties, can provide further insights into application suitability.

Formulation testing then becomes critical, the experts note, particularly when magnesium bisglycinate is incorporated into more complex formats involving acids, flavors, sweeteners, other minerals, or liquid delivery systems.

“Ultimately, the key message is that full chelation should be supported by robust analytical characterization and demonstrated formulation performance, not simply a claim on a specification sheet.”

Recovery, hydration and daily wellness

The diversification of magnesium formats is also creating opportunities beyond conventional tablets and capsules.

Jungbunzlauer sees potential at the intersection of active nutrition and recovery, functional hydration, and everyday wellness, with magnesium increasingly appearing in beverages, stick packs, gummies, shots, and functional powders.

“We see strong opportunities for magnesium bisglycinate at the intersection of active nutrition and recovery, functional hydration, and everyday wellness, as consumers increasingly seek convenient products that support multiple health goals throughout the day.”A concentrated magnesium bisglycinate shot highlights opportunities in everyday wellness, according to Jungbunzlauer.

In active nutrition, the experts highlight magnesium’s role in normal muscle and nervous system function. Hydration formulations can pair it with electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, while daily wellness products can position magnesium around consumer interest in sleep, relaxation, recovery, and overall well-being.

One format that will take center stage during the webinar is a concentrated magnesium bisglycinate shot, designed to deliver meaningful levels of magnesium in a small, convenient serving.

The concept will demonstrate some of the practical challenges that arise as brands move magnesium bisglycinate into liquid formats, including taste optimization, pH management, acid selection, stability, and delivering high elemental magnesium levels within a small dose.

“The webinar will highlight how citric-acid-based systems can enable stable, consumer-friendly magnesium bisglycinate shots with strong sensory performance,” Klamroth and Rathnakumar add.

Looking beyond the ingredient name

According to the experts, one of the central misconceptions the webinar aims to address is the assumption that all magnesium bisglycinate products are equivalent because they carry the same ingredient name.

Some products use buffered systems or combine magnesium bisglycinate with additional magnesium sources to increase elemental magnesium levels. Jungbunzlauer argues that differences in chelation, manufacturing, and ingredient characteristics can subsequently influence formulation behavior and the consumer experience.

The challenge becomes particularly pronounced when formulators move into consumer-friendly powders, beverages, and liquid products.

“From a formulation perspective, one of the most common challenges is successfully incorporating magnesium bisglycinate into consumer-friendly formats while managing its characteristic bitter or fishy off-notes, maintaining stability, and achieving meaningful magnesium levels,” the experts explain.

She says manufacturers therefore need to assess factors, such as analytical characterization, bioavailability, solubility, sensory performance, and suitability for the intended application, rather than focusing solely on declared elemental magnesium.

“Ultimately, attendees will leave with practical guidance on how to evaluate magnesium ingredients, ask the right technical questions, and select the most appropriate magnesium source for their application. They will gain a better understanding of how ingredient chemistry, formulation design, and consumer experience work together to create successful products across tablets, capsules, powders, beverages, and shots.”