Vegetarian Capsules Receive Vegan Certification
Capsugel has been awarded Vegan certification for four capsules in its portfolio of vegetarian capsules. The capsules are Vcaps, Vcaps Plus, DRcaps and Plantcaps.
The term ‘vegan’ is defined as containing no animal ingredients or animal by-products (to include honey and sugar refined with bone char), using no animal ingredient or by-product in the manufacturing process and not being tested on animals by any company or independent contractor.
“The Vegan certification is enthusiastically welcomed for our plant-based dosage forms. It is an expansion of the appeal of our plant-based capsules into a very targeted niche in the booming lifestyle driven market with its wide variety of health, dietary and cultural requirements,” said Pete Zambetti, Global Director of Business Development for Health and Nutrition at Capsugel.
The plant-based capsules are already free of additives, preservatives, allergens, starch and gluten as well as being non-GMO and Kosher and Halal certified and approved by the Vegetarian Society. “The demand for Vegan certification is growing. This is a group of customers for whom core values drive purchase decisions,” added Zambetti.
“In addition, by having our empty vegetarian capsules certified Vegan, we also can help our supplement manufacturing customers expedite their process of applying for Vegan certification for their finished products. This can help them enhance the attractiveness of their products in this ever-growing market as well.”
In the US, 35% of supplement users say that a vegetarian or non-animal source is important when choosing a supplement, up from 26% in 2006; this market segment is among the most frequent users of supplements1. In a recent study of supplement users in Europe, more than 45% said they would be more likely to purchase a supplement if they knew it was in a vegetarian, plant-based capsule2. Of the 70 million shoppers currently seeking vegetarian products — a market growing at a rate of 9% annually — 69% agree that regular supplement intake offers benefits3.
“They prefer supplements from non-animal sources and delivering them in a vegetarian capsule boosts the intrinsic merit of the entire package,” Zambetti elaborated.
Made of pullulan, Plantcaps capsules are derived from tapioca and are a water-soluble polysaccharide produced through a natural fermentation process. These capsules reportedly offer the best oxygen barrier of all plant-based products, masking pungent odors and protecting sensitive ingredients. Organic supplement manufacturers in the US using Plantcaps benefit from ‘Made with Organic Ingredients’ labelling when delivering organic ingredients.
The low-moisture Vcaps capsule, claimed to be the world’s best-selling HPMC capsule, is great for moisture-sensitive ingredients like hygroscopic fills and dry herbal products. The Vcaps Plus capsule provides the same benefit with enhancements like a high-gloss appearance, colour choices and quick dissolution — 100% in 30 minutes or less.
The slow-dissolving DRcaps capsule protects ingredients for at least 30 minutes in the stomach’s pH of 1.2, fully opening at an intestinal pH of 6.8, without costly enteric coatings — ideal for probiotics and enzymes.
With this certification, a company profile of Capsugel has been added to Vegan Action’s website directory at http://vegan.org/certify/companies-and-websites/.
1/ Natural Marketing Institute Supplements/OTC/Rx Database 2011, 2/ Capsugel Global Research January 2012, 3/ Natural Marketing Institute, 2007.
Capsugel EMEA, +33 3 89 20 57 25, marketing.emea@capsugel.com, www.capsugel.com.