Micro-encapsulation Services Offered by Blue California

24/09/07 Blue California, a GMP-registered ingredient manufacturer in Southern California, announced that it is now offering complete microencapsulation services to the food, beverage, nutraceutical and cosmetic industries.

Blue California offers full capacity micro-encapsulation services, from pilots, 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 one micron) are coated with a protective layer to create small capsules with controlled properties. 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. Some of the benefits this unique technology offers are:

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 states, “Our microencapsulation technology offers a practical way to enrich foods, improve taste, color, texture and shelf life” McCollum added that micro-encapsulated ingredients, already in the market, are used to produce better-tasting chewable tablets and liquid formulations as 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.

• VitaDHA, a nano-encapsulated, deodorized and water-soluble DHA derived from fish in powder and liquid form, 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, a Microencapsulated 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 10% and 40% differs significantly from other water-soluble forms of coenzyme Q10 in the marketplace due its unique micro-encapsulation process that allows this ingredient 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.)