Micro-Encapsulation Services Offered by Blue California
25 September 2007
Blue California, a GMP-registered ingredient manufacturer in Southern California, has announced that it is now offering complete micro-encapsulation services to the food, beverage, nutraceutical and cosmetic industries. Blue California offers full capacity micro-encapsulation services, from pilots and scale-up work to large-capacity production.
The R&D services offered include formulation development, feasibility studies and proof-of concept for new ideas and scale-up work to ensure a smooth and successful transition from research to full-scale production. Micro-encapsulation is a process by which tiny particles or droplets (ranging in size from a few nanometers to 1µm) are coated with a protective layer to create small capsules with controlled properties.
MICRO-ENCAPSULATION BENEFITS
This process can provide many benefits, such as protecting vitamins from oxygen's deteriorating effects and probiotics from gastric acid, masking taste or odor, and controlling the rate at which the particles leave the microcapsule. Access to this process offers ease of formulation and more flexibility with ingredients with unique characteristics, such as strong odor, taste or stability problems that have been a challenge to formulators.
Benefits of this unique technology include:
- Masking or protection of flavors and odors
- Time release of active ingredients
- Water solubility
- Flexibility with formulation and improved processing
- Liquid ingredients to powder form
- Better control of flavor, texture and color
- Improved shelf life
- Improved stability and bioavailability
- Protection from heat, oxidation and ingredient interaction
Cecilia McCollum, Blue California's executive vice-president, stated: "Our microencapsulation technology offers a practical way to enrich foods, improve taste, color, texture and shelf life." McCollum added that micro-encapsulated ingredients, which are already on the market, are used to produce better-tasting chewable tablets and liquid formulations as dietary supplements.
WATER-SOLUBLE INGREDIENTS FOR FOODS, BEVERAGES AND DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS
Blue California has successfully used this innovative technology to develop and produce water-soluble ingredients, such as VitaDHA, a deodorized form of DHA, and other ingredients that are ideal for functional foods, beverages and dietary supplements. These are listed below.
VITADHA™
A nano-encapsulated, deodorized and water-soluble DHA derived from fish in powder and liquid form, VitaDHA is ideal for food, beverage and nutritional supplements use. (DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, is an essential nutrient and structural component of brain cells.)
VITASTEROLS™
VitaSterols, micro-encapsulated phytosterols 40% in powder form, can be used for water-soluble applications. (Phytosterols are plant sterols structurally similar to cholesterol that act in the intestine to lower cholesterol absorption.)
BioQ10WS™
BioQ10WS can be of 10% or 40%, and differs significantly from other water-soluble forms of coenzyme Q10 in the marketplace due its unique micro-encapsulation process, which allows it to stay in solution without agglomeration or cloudiness, as you expect with emulsified ingredients. (CoQ10 plays a crucial role in producing energy in cells. It acts as a powerful antioxidant that helps neutralize cell-damaging molecules called free radicals.)
