Food supplement producer Gelpell is exhibiting its titanium dioxide-free soft capsules as well as vegan soft capsules. NutritionInsight speaks with Kristina Edvinsson, owner of Gelpell, from the show floor at Vitafoods Europe 2022, explaining how vegan capsules are produced and their potential in industry.

“We are launching a vegan soft capsule made out of pea starch because we see vegan trends happening much more. In addition, we’re launching titanium dioxide-free soft capsules because there’s a huge demand for that on the market as well,” Edvinsson explains.

In addressing the challenges of creating vegan capsules from pea starch, she comments: “The starch has a completely different consistency, so it is a different temperature that you need to run on the machine. It works very differently on the machine and is much more complicated to produce.”

“Also, it is somewhat more expensive, however, we see a strong interest in this formulation.”

Gelpell previously showcased its proprietary beads produced from gelatin and raw ingredients at Vitafoods Europe 2021. The company has emphasized that traditional delivery methods like capsules will continue to have a role in the nutraceutical market as their simplicity typically allows for clean label positioning.

Regulatory demands
Titanium dioxide was commonly used as a color in the nutrition and food industry, including as an opacifier in capsules. NutritionInsight previously reported the European Food Safety Authority’s ban on titanium dioxide as it is no longer considered a safe food additive.

According to Gelita, market demand for vegan products and titanium dioxide-free soft capsules prompted the launch of the vegan soft capsule.Edvinsson explains that “there have been regulations that have forbidden titanium dioxide in capsules and it is necessary to make an opaque capsule. We saw that this was a big demand from clients for health and to give color options.”

To develop these titanium-free soft capsules, Gelpell used “a different alternative of color which we developed with a partner company [unnamed],” Edvinsson says.

Looking ahead at how the product will impact industry, Edvinsson adds that: “Vegan is here to stay and vegan capsules will stay. We are facing more and more regulations in the markets and I think it will become more essential to stick to these regulations. We do want nice colors and want to protect the product inside of the capsule.”

Titanium dioxide-free offerings in the spotlight
The move for titanium-free colors by Gelita follows global manufacturers phasing out titanium dioxide from formulations. In the F&B space, ADM previously introduced a titanium dioxide alternative for intense white coloring that improves texture and stability.

Other key players who unveiled titanium dioxide-free colorants include Blue California and Norevo with its Norevo Quick White which works by physically changing the crystal structure of its ingredient to reflect light distinctively, creating the white color effect.

Meanwhile, Lonza released its Vcaps Plus White Opal, its first commercially-available titanium dioxide-free semi-opaque capsule for food supplements.