Vitafoods Europe 2025: Spotlight on new formats for efficacy, convenience, and consumer experience
At the recent global nutraceutical trade show, companies showcased new concepts and delivery format options to help supplement brands meet consumer demand for convenient, tasty, and high-performing solutions beyond capsules, tablets, and powders.
On the showroom floor, Nutrition Insight interviewed Sirio Pharma, Döhler, Balchem, and TopGum Industries about their latest innovations.
“Making a high-quality nutraceutical gummy is much harder than a capsule. We’re constantly pushing the boundaries of the format,” says Sara Lesina, the general manager of Sirio Pharma Europe and Americas.
At Vitafoods, Sirio Pharma presented softgel and gummy concepts and highlighted new dosage formats.
“We introduced two mini effervescent tablets in Europe and received great responses. These are easier to use than powders or tablets that can be added to water, as those often require a glass, liquid, bottle, and spoon or shaker to mix them. Ours are simple and convenient, especially for active consumers on-the-go.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Alexander Smerz, head of Business Unit Health at Döhler, highlights that health is no longer confined to the supplement aisle. “People are talking about the health effects of foods, rather than seeing healthy ingredients in supplements only. That’s a fundamental change, and it will become further pronounced.”
He welcomes this development: “Pressure on our healthcare systems means we need to shift from curing illness to preventing it, and food plays a central role.”
Fizzy tablets for hydration
Sirio Pharma’s sugar-free instant fizzy tablets are new to the market. They contain fast-dissolving formulas and can be used without water. FizzyBits Energy contains essential B vitamins and folic acid for active consumers. Lesina notes that the tablets are small and tasty, offering a once-a-day supplement to boost energy.
FizzyBits Recovery is an instant hydration fizzy tablet for fast, effective post-workout recovery. These tablets blend high-dose vitamin C, essential B vitamins, magnesium, and sodium to replenish electrolytes.
“Hydration is essential for physical and cognitive performance,” says Lesina. “Without enough hydration, your body and brain underperform — whether running a marathon or working all day. Active consumers not properly hydrated and replenished with electrolytes might have cramps and will not perform at their desired level.”
Sirio Pharma’s FizzyBits Energy contain essential B vitamins and folic acid for a daily energy boost.Lesina notes that including all these active ingredients in a compressed tablet was complex, but the response has been very positive.
“It’s not just the convenience — it’s also the sensory experience. Unlike typical orodispersible tablets that often crumble or feel chalky, these are smooth, effective, and enjoyable.”
She says Siro Pharma can customize the formulas based on customer and consumer needs. “These formats are well-suited for mass-market adoption.”
High-concentrate gummies
The company also featured its XtraGummies, which offer high actives in small doses and were launched in March.
“The concept came from our insights and a few innovation sessions with some of our European customers,” highlights Lesina. “Most gummies on the market combine many ingredients, such as multivitamins, but we did the opposite: one hero ingredient per gummy, in very high concentrations.”
She adds that the range features six concepts: biotin, magnesium, iron, selenium, creatine, and omega-3. “Formulating high-dosage gummies is hard because of stability and sensory challenges. Gummy production is a hot process, so you risk degrading the actives. But we’ve found ways to preserve efficacy and great taste.”
For example, magnesium is especially challenging in a gummy format, as high concentrations usually cause bitterness or a sandy texture. In addition, Lesina explains that creatine is a sensitive ingredient that can break down into creatinine, with suboptimal absorption levels, stability, and shelf life.
Choline for multivitamins
Dominik Mattern, VP of science, business development, and marketing at Balchem, says the supplement space has become more personalized, expanding beyond the one-size-fits-all multivitamins.
At Vitafoods Europe 2025, we discussed active nutrition trends with Dominik Mattern from Balchem.“Amid biohacking and precision medicine and nutrition, the supplement world has become more creative. Formats like capsules, tablets, and powders are still dominant, but gummies are growing rapidly, and on top of that, you see more exotic forms,” he continues.
“For example, I’ve seen topical magnesium patches for relaxation and sleep, supplement lollipops with spinach powder, minerals, or vitamins, and even vaping with a ‘scent of wellness’ or magnesium for sleep — the sky is the limit.”
Balchem recently launched VitaCholine Pro-Flo, a patented microencapsulated choline offering for seamless incorporation into multivitamins for cognitive health. Mattern says that around 90% of the US population is choline-deficient, and almost no multivitamins contain the nutrient.
He explains that this format has always posed a significant challenge for choline because it is hygroscopic. This means that it can attract moisture and, as a result, create reactions with other ingredients in multivitamins like vitamin C, resulting in brown spots.
“While it’s not a quality issue, it’s visually unappealing,” says Mattern. “VitaCholine Pro-Flo eliminates this issue. It allows manufacturers to include choline in multivitamins without degradation or spotting. This opens the door to providing the first complete multivitamin, as choline is an essential nutrient.”
Mattern says it is crucial to have a range of forms for ingredients and compounds tailored to each application. “Regarding bioavailability and stability, which is crucial in applying nutrients, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.”
For example, Balchem offers VitaCholine Pro-Flow for multivitamins, a liquid choline chloride for beverages and ready-to-drink formats, and choline bitartrate, a more stable form for powders and other hygroscopic applications.
Omega-3 and biotic gummy innovations
Gummy specialist TopGum Industries introduced two innovations prior to Vitafoods: OMG3!, a range of omega-3 gummies, and Gummiotics, “all-in-one” synbiotic functional gummies. Doron Delouya, the company’s CPO, explains that both innovations stem from market and consumer demand for omega-3s and probiotics in gummy form.
TopGum Industries displayed a range of gummy supplements at the trade show, including its latest probiotic and omega-3 offerings.“About two to three years ago, we started seeing demand from our customers for omega-3 gummies. But we realized there weren’t any truly good-tasting omega-3 gummies on the market,” he says.
“At TopGum, we believe that if a gummy doesn’t taste good, it doesn’t matter what’s inside. We committed to holding back any launch until we achieved great taste and high performance. It took us more than two years of development, using our proprietary TopCap microencapsulation technology, to reach that point.”
Delouya says the OMG3! collection combines great taste with a high dosage required for European regulatory claims, such as EFSA-approved health claims. “We felt this was the right moment to introduce it to the market.”
The new gummies leverage TopCap, the company’s proprietary technology that applies a form of microencapsulation specifically for liquids. It can support different applications and solve specific challenges related to gummies.
Delouya explains that the company developed the technology when it could not find microencapsulated ingredients tailored to gummy production. “Gummies are very different from tablets or capsules — their process involves higher temperatures, water, and a lower pH.”
“For omega-3, which is notoriously difficult to work with due to its fishy smell and taste, this technology allows us to mask the flavor and deliver a great-tasting gummy with a clinically relevant dose of omega-3,” he notes.
For TopGum’s Gummiotics innovation, the company leveraged a patent-pending technology — a Gummiceuticals prebiotic fiber-based matrix. These sugar-free gummies are infused with a 60% prebiotic content from the matrix.
“This matrix forms the ideal environment for probiotics,” says Delouya. “Using this as the base, we added high-quality branded probiotics and postbiotics to create a truly 3-in-1 synbiotic solution.”
Natural superheroes for food
Döhler’s Smerz says the company is rooted in natural products. At Vitafoods Europe, it showcased its Natural Superheroes concept, which was born from that foundation.
“These ingredients go beyond typical applications like juices or powders — they actively support physical and mental performance, which is why we call them ‘superheroes.’”
“Innovation comes from their versatility,” he adds. “We can integrate these ingredients into dry formats, liquids, and various applications. They act as a platform for exploring the next evolution of health-forward products.”
Döhler highlighted how its natural superhero ingredients can be used in different formats, like powders and freeze-dried nutritional drops.At the trade show, the company showcased its GLP-1 Boosting Powder Meal Drinks, which are formulated to support satiety and promote better weight management.
“GLP-1 is a hot topic, especially with the rise of weight-loss medications,” comments Smerz. “From a food industry perspective, we believe fostering or promoting the body’s GLP-1 production is more important than introducing external analogs.”
“Our food concept focuses on encouraging the natural generation of GLP-1 through functional ingredients backed by science. We identified those ingredients, combined them into a product that tastes great, and designed it for daily use — not as a one-time supplement, but something integrated into a routine.”
Nutritional drops
Smerz also highlights Döhler’s freeze-dried nutritional drops, a novel format aiming to inspire the nutraceutical industry. “We view this format as the next evolution beyond capsules, tablets, and gummies — a convenient, enjoyable way to consume functional ingredients anytime, anywhere.”
He explains that the low-calorie drops with healthy ingredients are easy to consume and melt on the tongue — no need for chewing, swallowing, or water. “They’re also plant-based, unlike many gummies, which can raise concerns around certain hydrocolloids.”
“With these drops, our focus isn’t necessarily on advanced controlled-release systems yet. Right now, we’re concentrating on consumer experience and functionality-to-calorie ratio,” he adds.
In addition, Döhler developed new powder mixes for holistic health, extending beyond green superfood mixes that are increasingly popular as consumers understand the effects of superfoods.
“We’ve expanded into Super Reds and Super Blues — combinations of nutrient-dense natural ingredients,” says Smerz. “These blends can be used in shakes and are designed for on-the-go formats, providing a quick health boost at any time of day with different functionalities.”
