Encapsulation and tableting methods are a critical part of supplement manufacturing. From a consumer’s perspective, the expectations include a high-quality supplement that’s easy to consume. At the same time, it shouldn’t cost a fortune.
Manufacturers must consider the best price-quality ratio while ensuring they can achieve efficient and sustainable production. Modern innovations like advanced coating technologies and novel materials have taken the encapsulation and tableting process to a new level. In this article, you can see an overview of the latest advancements in the industry!
Traditional Methods vs. Modern Innovations
The encapsulation process includes putting together active supplement ingredients in a single shell. That shell maintains its integrity and helps administer the contents of the product. Two usual options regarding encapsulation include the following:
- Hard-shell capsules. Manufacturers usually include corn starches that have already been gelatinized, along with powders that self-disintegrate.
- Softgels. These include a mixture of water and gelatin with additional materials like sorbitol, glycerin, and other plasticizers and opacifiers.
You begin encapsulation by preparing the ingredients, followed by filling and sealing them. Regular control checks are necessary for optimal quality assurance.
Tableting Basics
The compression technology largely affects the tableting process. Depending on the machine, it could be a single-punch tablet press, rotary tablet press, double-rotary tablet press, and so on. The direct powder compression method is convenient because it doesn’t require any additional processing. Wet and dry granulation is used to improve compressibility and powder flow before forming the tablets. Tableting begins by blending the ingredients, followed by granulation and compression.
As for the types of tablets, here are the main categories:
- Conventional. The active ingredient is throughout the capsule. After ingestion, the tablet dissolves, allowing absorption.
- Chewable. If users have difficulty swallowing tablets, this could be a great alternative. The method also ensures faster mouth absorption.
- Effervescent. Users can dissolve this in water and drink the solution. It’s a smart choice for any ingredients that have better absorption through liquid.
- Coated. The coating serves to keep the active ingredient from external factors. It often masks the compound’s bad odor or taste.
Modern technology enables shifting from traditional to next-gen techniques in encapsulation and tableting. Thanks to modern equipment, the manufacturing process is more consistent, scalable, and customizable. Advanced technology ensures minimal variability during production, ensuring maximum consistency. Improved machines also lead to more achievable mass production goals, along with customization benefits that include different dosage forms and tailored release profiles.
Emerging Technologies & Techniques
Coating innovations are interesting to assess because of the improvements they deliver. The main coating types include:
- Enteric. The idea is to keep the active compounds from stomach acid. The ingredients are released in the intestines ideally with this coating.
- Sustained release. These coatings ensure gradual release, which improves bioavailability and compound efficiency.
- Moisture-resistant. The resistance to moisture increases stability and boosts the supplement’s shelf life.
Microencapsulation is also an approach manufacturers use to improve compound stability and controlled release. The idea is to utilize microscopic protective layers to preserve active compounds.
Material Innovations
Clean-label solutions have become a major consideration for the entire supplement manufacturing industry. Both consumers and regulatory bodies expect the use of as few ingredients as possible when making capsules and tablets. That inspired the search for novel plant-based capsule materials. Manufacturers have resorted to vegetarian capsules from pullulan, HPMC, and other polymers derived from plants. Adding biodegradable films decreased carbon footprint, leading to the product being more eco-friendly.
Noticeable changes are also present in binder and filler advances. Excipients are more allergen-free than ever, which enhances consumer accessibility. Manufacturers aim to obtain them from natural and sustainable sources instead of using synthetic additives. All this doesn’t affect the quality of the product since the alternatives tend to have better dissolution rates. That counts for better absorption, so the consumer benefits from this, too.
Material innovations put great focus on improved shelf life and stability. Many manufacturers resort to moisture-resistant formulations, antioxidant integration, and even nanoencapsulation. These technologies protect product integrity without compromising its efficacy.
Quality Control & Compliance
Good Manufacturing Practices present a combination of standards that have the goal of achieving optimal quality and consistency during production. Regulatory bodies impose stringent regulations that become more demanding over time. Among others, manufacturers apply testing protocols that check the stability, disintegration, and dissolution of the supplement.
Automated logging is an innovation that can help with real-time monitoring of the batch performance. If any variation exists, the machine may detect it early, which minimizes defects.
Robust record-keeping is important because it nurtures trust and efficiency. It ensures the companies are ready for audits at any time and is a testament to transparency. Using decentralized solutions to store data can also minimize fraud.
Sustainability in Encapsulation & Tableting
Sustainability has become a major concern for supplement manufacturers. They can prove corporate responsibility and minimize their carbon footprint by maintaining an eco-friendly manufacturing process. That includes minimizing waste and using recyclable materials, but that’s only the beginning.
Investing in modern machines can help decrease energy consumption by implementing smart power management. Modern equipment tends to be energy-efficient, and manufacturers shouldn’t neglect green packaging solutions. These include reducing reliance on plastic for blister packs and sticking to sustainable bottling materials.
Conclusion
Implementing innovations throughout the manufacturing process has become a necessity for any supplement company that wants to keep up with the latest trends. Innovations in encapsulation and tableting start by switching to more natural materials. Using advanced technologies and equipment ensures better energy efficiency and quality consistency.
The integration of AI may become a more present element in supplement manufacturing at some point, along with using customizable products that maintain maximum consistency and scalability. The innovations have already made supplement manufacturing more sustainable, and that’s something that will keep improving in the future.
Manufacture Your Supplements With SMP Nutra
Manufacturing tablets, capsules, and other supplement products has never been easier. With SMP Nutra as your supplement manufacturing partner, you will easily be able to bring more products to your brand.
You can browse the current private label stock formulas that we offer here. If you have a custom formula you are looking to get created, you can tell us more about that by filling out the request a quote form.