LYCAGEL Flex represents the ultimate solution for manufacturers seeking a quality, plant-based alternative to gelatin
Roquette, a global leader in plant-based ingredients and a leading provider of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical excipients announced the launch of its new LYCAGEL Flex hydroxypropyl pea starch premix for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical softgel capsules. Built on Roquette’s market-first LYCAGEL pea starch technology, the new plasticizer-free excipient gives manufacturers freedom to select the optimal plasticiser combination and customise formulations for a range of production and end-user needs, while setting new standards in quality, stability and performance for plant-based softgels.
Gelatin-based softgel capsules are a long-standing staple across the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries thanks to their widespread patient acceptance, safety profile and mechanical stability. Despite their popularity, however, these dosage forms can be challenging to manufacture successfully. Interactions with specific fill types, molecular crosslinking and sensitivity to heat and moisture during storage may compromise the stability of gelatin-based capsules, leaving patients with sticky, deformed, or ineffective medicines and supplements. These issues are compounded when working with more advanced formulations. Here, manufacturers must precisely balance the ratio of gelatin to plasticisers, such as glycerol or sorbitol, to ensure optimal shell elasticity without increasing the risk of capsule leakage or other defects. What’s more, as a growing number of consumers pursue vegetarian, vegan or flexitarian diets, animal-derived ingredients, like gelatin, are becoming less of a universally accepted standard.
LYCAGEL Flex represents the ultimate solution for manufacturers seeking a quality, plant-based alternative to gelatin, with the added flexibility to handle a wide range of – often complex – soft capsule formulations. The new premix features the same hydroxypropyl pea starch and carrageenan foundation as the original LYCAGEL VS 720 Premix, with a new formula that allows producers to select the perfect plasticizer or combination of plasticizers for truly unique soft gel formulations. Versatile and easy to use, LYCAGEL Flex offers countless opportunities to work with specialised capsule fills and process parameters to meet the demands of the evolving pharmaceutical and nutraceutical markets.
