The fortified gummy market is booming, driven by a growing consumer demand for convenient and delicious ways to consume vitamins, minerals, and other health-promoting ingredients. However, this rapid growth has exposed significant challenges in the traditional production methods. Manufacturers have often had to compromise on efficiency, taste, or safety.

GELITA's new product, CONFIXX^®, is putting an end to these compromises, revolutionizing the industry by offering an innovative solution to longstanding challenges.

At the heart of every company lies the determination to innovate, evolve and better serve its customers. Sometimes this means changing product names to better reflect their positioning and market potential. That’s why we have decided to rebrand our controlled release portfolio. This change highlights our ongoing commitment to improvement and allows us to more clearly communicate the unique properties of each product.

Why are we rebranding?

Picture each of our products as a unique character in a play, with their own strengths and traits. Our rebranding is designed to give each of these characters their moment in the spotlight. By revealing what makes each product special, we can better address your individual needs and specific challenges, and lay the foundation for our exciting innovations still to come. So be sure to stay tuned! We are thrilled to introduce you to our newly revamped portfolio, where each product has been thoughtfully crafted to meet specific needs and excel in its field.

Imagine a place where leading experts for pharma and life science applications, product formulation, marketing and regulatory affairs could come together to brainstorm exciting new ideas and solutions. We had that vision, too, which is why we created GELITA Pharma Institute (GPI) to allow our passion to meet your potential. Let us take you on a journey through what makes GPI a unique and invaluable partner in the pharmaceutical industry, and how we can help your business thrive.

Vaccinations are among the most successful tools at the medical profession’s disposal, helping to prevent numerous infectious diseases such as measles, hepatitis and, more recently, Covid-19. The effectiveness of vaccinations relies heavily on their stability. Depending on the type of vaccine, the inclusion of stabilizing agents can be crucial for the protection of the active pharmaceutical ingredient. Many stabilizers in live, attenuated vaccines are enriched with protein excipients such as gelatin and human albumin. Gelatin is classified as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) and is generally known to have an extremely rare incidence of anaphylaxis (one per 2 million cases) and is therefore considered to be a safe stabilizer [1]. As a key component for the lyophilization process, it helps safeguard vaccines from temperature-related effects. That’s why we at GELITA have developed a unique solution: VACCIPRO^®, a gelatin hydrolysate that is used by our customers to protect and thus enhance the stability of vaccines.

Omega-3 fatty acids are highly susceptible to oxidation, making the use of gelatin in softgel capsules crucial for protecting the precious oils from external factors. However, this protection does not make them resistant to the acidic environment of the stomach during digestion, where oxidation is also a problem. Therefore, to ensure that this active ingredient reaches the intestine intact, enteric capsules are needed. Our tailored gelatin product GELITA^® EC for enteric release not only protects the fatty acids but also ensures a more efficient production process.

With consumers increasingly focusing on a healthy lifestyle, the popularity of health-promoting supplements is on the rise. Among these, omega-3 products, known to support heart health and brain function [1], are one of the most popular choices. Market data shows that omega-3 oils derived from sources such as krill or fish are becoming increasingly valued ingredients within the nutraceutical industry. With an expected average annual growth rate of 13.8 per cent until 2029, rising demand for omega-3 in dietary supplements shows no sign of abating [2]. Moreover, omega-3 is increasingly used in pharmaceuticals and infant formula, with forecasts suggesting that its usage in both sectors will more than double between 2023 and 2029 [3].

Capsule leaks may be tiny, but they can cause major problems in softgel manufacturing. Keen to learn more about how the occurrence of leakers affects the production process, we interviewed 20 softgel manufacturers. Most of the interviewees worked in R&D, operations and quality in both health & nutrition and pharmaceutical companies. Here are the key findings:

Age-old problem

100 per cent of respondents said they had experienced leaking softgels at some point during the process (drying, production, storage, stability testing, transport and packaging). However, most leakers are detected during or after drying process, in rotating tumblers but also on trays. Furthermore, 85 per cent of softgel manufacturers had noticed a link between leaking softgels and their fill. According to the interviewees the occurrence of leakers is highly depending on the fill system. Lecithin, pastes and (herbal) powders are the most challenging fills. Interestingly, most softgel manufacturers accept leakers within certain parameters, imposing limits of between one and five per cent. This may demonstrate that a certain tolerance for leaker occurrence is necessary, as there has been no reliable solution to fully avoid leaking softgels.