Formulating the ingredient in food and drinks has been severely limited by the product's stability, which significantly declines under key processing conditions like heat and powder blending, its low solubility, strong aggressive taste and, if not stored properly, a distinct smell.
INFA-Labochim's team up with Eurand to using the company's proprietary Diffucaps technology to produce the NutraLip pellets is said to overcome these restricting properties.
Sonia Morettin, INFA S.p.A., told NutraIngredients.com: "The 'aggressive attitude' of alpha-lipoic acid towards the other actives excluded the possibility to formulate combo products based on ALA.
"NutraLip Pellets is a real door opener for new combination products, which the nutraceutical market has been dreaming of, but they could not be designed for technological problems.
The stability of our pellets, thanks to the sophisticated several layers of coatings, could offer combinations which are impossible so far, like other antioxidants in liquid form or even fish oil."
Morettin added that it is a "pre-formulate" suitable for capsule filling or tabletting.
ALA plays an important role in the body in maintaining healthy antioxidant levels.
It is said to offer advantages over other antioxidants as it increases the level of glutathione, an antioxidant produced by the body, and can also regenerate other antioxidants such as vitamin C and
E. Recently researchers have investigated its benefits on blood sugar control, a growing topic with the rise of diabetes.
Labochim, primarily manufacturers of active ingredients for the pharmaceutical industry, see the pellets as an avenue to expand their product line and strengthen its position in the ALA market.
"The successful initiation of our ALA drug delivery system is an important milestone in INFA - Labochim's evolution into proprietary novel formulations and value-added generics," said Daniele Cardoso, INFA-Labochim's president and CEO.
"We believe NutraLips pellets could fill a critical gap in the success of alpha lipoic acid and represents a new interesting opportunity for our company."
Eurand's Diffucaps technology involves preparing a core containing the active ingredient that is then coated with one or more layers of polymer.
The resulting beads, which are spherical, multi-layered particles, can then be filled into capsules.
NutraLip pellets will be available on a worldwide basis for the nutraceutical market.