The sweet choice for vitamin D supplements

Beneo’s sweet filler-binder, galenIQ is said to be an excipient of choice for producing vitamin D supplements in tablet form. Available locally from Savannah Fine Chemicals, it enhances the taste and formulation properties of vitamin D.

A few minutes of daily midday exposure to UVB rays is recommended by scientific experts to build up vitamin D in the human body. However, our vitamin D levels can be depleted for numerous reasons. A lack of direct sunlight during winter months when the sun is not at its peak is one; the ongoing lockdown as a result of the coronavirus pandemic is another. With lockdown, most people stay at home all day, work from home and don’t always manage to take a short break outdoors on a daily basis. As a result, consumer demand is increasing for dietary supplements that prevent vitamin D deficiencies.

Essential to health and wellness

Vitamin D plays an important role in the body, particularly in terms of helping to maintain normal muscle function, keeping our bones healthy and supporting the intestinal absorption of calcium to strengthen the immune system. Also known as the sunshine vitamin, it is able to activate the innate and inhibit the adaptive immune systems with antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects.

A deficiency in vitamin D has a negative impact on bone density, especially in children and the elderly, and may increase the risk or severity of viral infections. Decreased levels of the vitamin can also contribute to risks of heart disease, diabetes and depression.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has defined an adequate intake of 15µg of vitamin D per day for healthy individuals over the age of one. However, for many people, such as the elderly and those who follow a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, it can be difficult to achieve an adequate dietary intake. And, although vitamin D can be synthesised in the body through sun exposure, sufficient production is not always guaranteed, especially during the winter months.

In all of these cases, vitamin D supplements, often taken in combination with calcium compounds, can be helpful. Calcium is a mineral needed by the body to maintain bone health and to prevent osteoporosis. Vitamin D supports the uptake of calcium in the body. For this reason, there are a great number of nutritional supplements on the market containing both calcium and vitamin D. These supplements usually contain a high dose of calcium and a low dose of vitamin D.

Strong market potential

With consumers increasingly reflecting on their health and lifestyles, especially in recent times, the nutraceuticals industry has experienced a surge in demand for health supplements.

A survey by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) found that vitamins and minerals continue to be the most frequently mentioned supplement category, with nearly all supplement users reporting their usage in the past year (98%).

Owing to its sweet taste and excellent technical properties, galenIQ is an excipient of choice for manufacturers of vitamin D tablets and chewables, who are looking to make the most of this wellness trend.

GalenIQ is known for its outstanding taste properties that make medicine taste great. It is manufactured under cGMP conditions according to the IPEC-PQG requirements for pharmaceutical excipients and complies with the current Ph. Eur., BP, USP-NF and JP monographs for isomalt.

Technical functions and benefits

When developing direct compression vitamin D and calcium tablets, it is important that the bulk filler-binder excipient in the formulation fulfils certain functions, such as providing excellent flowability, low hygroscopicity, physical stability during mixing, chemical inertness and high content uniformity. GalenIQ 721 fulfils all of these requirements while being non-animal derived, sugar-free, tooth-friendly, suitable for diabetics.

In fact, the agglomerate morphology of galenIQ 721 ensures that both the high dosage calcium source and low dosage vitamin D are evenly distributed within the powder mixture. It also ensures that there is a high content of uniformity of both the calcium and vitamin D in the finished dosage form.

GalenIQ is the pharmaceutical excipient grade of isomalt, Beneo’s disaccharide alcohol derived from beet sugar. The galenIQ range is available in a wide array of particle size distributions, morphologies and levels of solubility. There are specific grades for direct compression, wet granulation, roller compaction, hot melt extrusion, syrups and pan-coating. This makes it a highly-versatile excipient for oral solid and liquid dosage forms. •

For more information on Beneo and its ingredients, visit: www.beneo.com and www.beneonews.com, or follow Beneo on Twitter: @_BENEO and LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/beneo.

Savannah Fine Chemicals – www.savannah.co.za

Beneo – www.galenIQ.com