Nutrition Insight meets with Agata M\u00f6llerhenn, strategic marketing product manager at Jungbunzlauer, to discuss the opportunities of chelated organic minerals and the formulation challenges these ingredients help to overcome.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She says that chelated organic minerals are increasingly valued because they\u2019re highly bioavailable and compatible with many supplement formats.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn general, the effectiveness of nutritional supplements doesn\u2019t only depend on the dosage,\u00a0it also depends on how well the nutrients are absorbed by your body and how well our bodies tolerate the mineral salts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n She underscores that poorly absorbed minerals can limit an ingredient\u2019s benefit for consumers. \u201cIf you don\u2019t see any benefits, you won\u2019t take it any longer. As humans, if we do something, we want to get a benefit out of it. If we don\u2019t see it, we won\u2019t stay with the product.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Moreover, she highlights the importance of providing ingredients with \u201cpredictable absorption\u201d and consistent taste in an end product.\u00a0<\/p>\n In response to the growing demand for bioavailable magnesium formats, Jungbunzlauer recently launched<\/a> a fully reacted magnesium bisglycinate, which it engineered to deliver optimal absorption and superior tolerability. This ingredient is produced by a complete conversion of glycine with a magnesium source, using citric acid for stabilization and subsequent crystallization.\u00a0<\/p>\n Beyond pills and capsules\u00a0<\/p>\n Jungbunzlauer observes a growing pill fatigue on the market. M\u00f6llerhenn notes that consumers want to \u201cadd sensation\u201d to their supplements, going beyond capsules and tablets.\u00a0<\/p>\n New formats, such as gummies or wellness shots, combine health benefits with an experience, she highlights. \u201cIt\u2019s not that you\u2019re ill and you need to take a pill or capsule \u2014 it\u2019s that you want to treat yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n For example, at this year\u2019s Vitafoods Europe trade show,\u00a0<\/a>Jungbunzlauer presented its magnesium bisglycinate in a liquid format, providing 100% of the recommended daily intake of magnesium in a 25 mL shot.\u00a0<\/p>\n M\u00f6llerhenn explains that the company combined the mineral with citric acid to counteract its bitter and fishy aftertaste.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a nice concept to showcase what sets us apart. We\u2019re not only delivering the magnesium bisglycinate to our customers \u2014 we\u2019re helping with reformulation if customers have an issue with the flavor.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Gummy formulations\u00a0<\/p>\n M\u00f6llerhenn says Jungbunzlauer has done various trials with its minerals to determine how they function in chewables and gummies, which are increasingly popular supplement formats.\u00a0<\/p>\n Because Jungbunzlauer conducts trials with different gelling agents, she says the company can recommend the right pectin or gelatin to its customers.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf you use them wrong, they don\u2019t set \u2014 they\u2019ll interact with the ions, and then you won\u2019t get a gummy; you\u2019ll get a mess, or a gummy that\u2019s hard as rock.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Moreover, M\u00f6llerhenn says that gummies need to integrate large amounts of mineral powder into a small gummy to deliver a meaningful amount for a health benefit so that brands can make a claim on a product. Additionally, she underscores that ingredients need to be evenly distributed throughout the gummy and disperse easily.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to choose the right particle size to avoid interaction with the gelling agent \u2014 if you choose the wrong one, you\u2019ll get a very sandy mouthfeel,\u201d she details. \u201cTherefore, you need to choose a micronized version,\u00a0<\/a>a small particle.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe use our citrate range for magnesium, calcium, and zinc, because we\u2019ve seen that their interaction with the gelling agents is almost nil. They\u2019re very good and work well with gummy bases. The citrates are well known as organic, so the bioavailability is very high. If you consume only two of our gummies, you\u2019ll already have a significant amount of your daily needs, and it can be absorbed by the body.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n M\u00f6llerhenn adds that the taste of Jungbunzlauer\u2019s citrate minerals is \u201calmost non-existent,\u201d meaning that brands can use a high dose without affecting a gummy\u2019s taste.\u00a0<\/p>\n GLP-1 support\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"arrow\"](\"https:\/\/resource.innovamarketinsights360.com\/fif\/banners\/8117466f-c464-4c1d-8210-3226d01065bb.webp\" "\\"arrow\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nJungbunzlauer offers its mineral citrates for gummies, as these have almost no interaction with gelling agents and high bioavailability but don\u2019t affect a product\u2019s taste.\u201cThey want to align their stacking habit with their supplement habit and combine them. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve seen that new formats and new concepts are needed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
M\u00f6llerhenn says supplement effectiveness depends on an ingredient\u2019s dosage, absorption, and tolerability.\u201cThe problem with supplements in\u00a0gummy form\u00a0<\/a>is that they need to be tasty, because otherwise, nobody will take them. You can have the nicest-looking gummy, but if it\u2019s not tasty, consumers will not take it on a regular basis. Then you come back to pills and tablets.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n