Nutritional Gummies

Nutritional Gummies - Minerals for a Nutritious Snack Market Trends Each year, more and more people are taking dietary supplements. A recent consumer survey found that 75% of adults take dietary supplements daily. 1 Vitamin and mineral supplements continue to be the most popular category among supplement users. As most adults seek easy and convenient ways to meet their nutritional needs, alternatives to tablet-form supplements have emerged in the marketplace, and gummy supplements have become increasingly popular. These products are innovative and appealing because they provide nutritional supplementation while also delivering enjoyment. Due to consumer demand, gummies have expanded their presence across various segments: • Prenatal, • Weight management, • Sports nutrition, • Heart health, • Mental health, • Inner beauty, • Vision, • Immunity. The COVID-19 pandemic encouraged more consumers to adopt healthier lifestyles and diets. This interest in nutritional supplements also applies to nutritional gummies, with 23% of consumers indicating they are willing to pay more for products with additional health benefits.2 The global nutritional gummy market is expected to grow further with a steady CAGR of 5.2% from 2017 to 2025, meaning the market valued at USD 2.68 billion in 2016 is projected to reach USD 4.17 billion in 2025.3

Vegan Options

Furthermore, for many consumers, a vegan lifestyle also entails healthy eating. Consequently, demand for vegan products with zero animal content is increasing in the food and dietary supplement market.4 However, maintaining a vegan or plant-based diet can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Vegan gummy supplements enriched with vital nutrients support a healthy and vegan lifestyle while compensating for deficiencies in individual nutrients such as iron, zinc, selenium, or calcium.

Gummy Supplements - Fun and Function

When it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, saying is easier than doing. That is why the industry is seeking new delivery formats to motivate consumers to take their nutrients. Especially for those who do not consume certain foods, have difficulty digesting certain nutrients, or have higher nutrient requirements. This includes vegans, elderly individuals, and pregnant women. People in these groups often suffer from deficiency symptoms such as magnesium, calcium, zinc, or iron deficiency. Different deficiencies lead to different symptoms. In individuals with magnesium and calcium deficiency, cramps occur, while symptoms of zinc deficiency include hair loss and increased susceptibility to infection. Iron deficiency also leads to fatigue and anemia. Minerals are key components of nutritional gummies because they play an important role in maintaining health. They are becoming increasingly popular and are a great way to help consumers meet their daily mineral requirements. Because gummy supplements, which are trending, are both fun and functional. The unique delivery system offers an appealing taste, is easy to chew, and enables the intake of beneficial nutrients in a single dose. People who have difficulty swallowing see this food-like dosage form as an excellent alternative compared to difficult-to-swallow tablets or capsules.

Innovation in Formulation - Minerals in Nutritional Gummies

While consuming gummy supplements is easy, producing them is not. To effectively serve taste and nutrition, food technology experts must overcome certain considerations and challenges. Compared to the amount of active nutrient components in a tablet and/or capsule, the amount of active nutrient components that can be added to a gummy structure is limited. In particular, the addition of minerals to gummy supplements presents various sensory and technological challenges. To prevent interaction of ingredients, the composition of the base gum, the minerals used in the formulation, and other ingredients including colors and flavors must be well-defined. Minerals, depending on whether they are organic or inorganic, can exhibit different reactions in the food matrix. Organic salts such as citrates or gluconates, which are mostly soluble, generally provide an intense taste (bitter, salty, astringent, or sour) and can react with other components (protein precipitation, color change). While differing in terms of low metal content, inorganic salts such as carbonates or oxides mostly have high mineral content, are poorly soluble, and generally show a neutral but sandy taste profile. Magnesium citrate malate stands out in the nutritional supplements market as an absolute innovation due to its exceptional high solubility. High-concentration solutions provide a significant organic magnesium NRV and versatile taste profile, making this magnesium salt an excellent choice in new developments in the gummy sector. To overcome flavor challenges in gummy supplements, micronization to reduce particle size and correct mineral salt selection are essential. An advanced micronization process producing extremely fine particles from insoluble salts could be one approach that can be developed to overcome rough textures. These mineral salts can be suspended within the base to provide a smooth texture in the final product. Ultrafine Ferric Pyrophosphate in extremely fine form (d50 approximately 3 μm) provides a higher surface area, which facilitates its incorporation into the gummy matrix without a sandy feel or grittiness in the mouth. This innovative product does not affect the taste profile like soluble iron salts, while it may even provide better intestinal absorption compared to other insoluble iron salts.5 Zinc L-Ascorbate is a completely reactive mineral and is also a good source of zinc and vitamin C. It can be added to dietary gummies without compromising taste. It is one of the latest innovative products developed by Dr. Paul Lohmann® and is designed for high-performance applications such as nutritional gummies. Mineral salts such as calcium malate or magnesium malate, produced by Dr. Paul Lohmann® in Germany, are excellent for fortification. They have a rich fruity and sour taste profile and improve the taste profile of nutritional gummies while their texture is similar to sugar gummies. In addition to fortification, sodium hydrogen malate can be used as an acidulant to support a fresh sour taste. Most minerals have simple structures and are stable. Nutritional gummies do not require overdosing of minerals, and their formulations are economical and make shelf life predictable. Mineral-containing gummy supplements may present some challenges, but for brands that can offer their consumers a more delicious and more convenient way to take their minerals, it is certainly a valuable option. Dr. Paul Lohmann® values quality and product design and dedicates itself to developing new solutions for unmet important needs of its customers. Over the years, the pursuit of improvements in producing and developing mineral salts has resulted in a steady flow of pioneering mineral products. Dr. Paul Lohmann® is the world's leading producer and supplier of high-value mineral salts for the food, dietary supplement, and pharmaceutical industries. Since 1886, Dr. Paul Lohmann® has responded to changing needs with a high degree of flexibility and an innovative spirit. Customers benefit from the broadest high-value mineral portfolio available, with more than 400 products in various grades designed to provide optimal performance across a wide range of applications. Mineral salts are produced in GMP and FSSC 22000/ISO 22000 certified facilities at quality levels prescribed by pharmacopeias and regulatory food guidelines or according to customer specifications. Dr. Paul Lohmann® also conducts product and application development work in close collaboration with customers. This includes adaptation of chemical and physical parameters such as bulk density, wettability, particle size, purity, or pH value.

References

1 https://www.crnusa.org/CRNConsumerSurvey 2 Mintel Report "A year of innovation in Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements 2021" 3 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/gummy-vitamins-market.html 4 Mintel "Holistic Health 2020" 5 Wegmüller, R. Zimmermann, M.B., Moretti, D., Arnold, M., Langhans, W., Hurrel, R. (2004): Particle Size Reduction and Encapsulation Affect the Bioavailability of Ferric Pyrophosphate in Rats. J. Nutr. 134: 3301-3304 Author Aileen Jager Sales Manager Dr. Paul Lohmann GmbH & Co. KGaA Translator Emel Babacan Gürbıyık ATS Advanced Technology Supplies A.Ş.