The firm revealed the Nespresso compatible coffee pod capsule dosage format, which launched earlier this year, will enter the European consumer market in 2020 thanks to an agreement with a pharmaceutical firm.
The new format allows consumers to use their coffee machine at home to take their supplements via a hot drink, making it easy to integrate into their daily routine, says Hermes Pharma.
The capsules are applicable to a huge range of products including: anti-ageing & beauty, digestive health, sports, energy & recovery, women’s health and many more, and have a shelf life of two to three years, depending on the active ingredients.
"I would say this is the most innovative of the format we’ve produced so far.“ Dr. Detlev Haack, head of innovation at Hermes Pharma, tells NutraIngredients.
With nearly 17 million capsule compatible coffee machines sold in Europe between 2014 and 2018, and the number of sales rising every year, this market is ripe.
And Hermes has aimed to create a product with as wide a range of applications as possible.
"There are almost no limitations in terms of flavours," adds Dr Detlev, "Hermes already produces a huge range of instant drink powder and granules for dissolving into water and these can all be transformed into the capsule format.
"However there are rare cases where the flavour of the active ingredient could effect the flavour of the drink. For example, omega-3 is a challenge as it tastes a little bit like fish. But nearly all the other active ingredients can be mixed with any flavour.
"Some of the flavours we’ve tried have been lemon, orange, elderberry, strawberry. Blackcurrant is a popular flavour in the UK and coca cola is popular in the US but when we’ve sampled the capsules at trade shows we’ve found that mango has been the most popular flavour.
"We also do honey which has proven a popular choice for those in cough and cold solutions.“
Dr Haack adds that the capsules fit well with the personalised nutrition trend as they can be created with any nutrient combination in any dosage, up to a total of six grams.
"I think it fits well into the personalised nutrition trend, not because of the format itself but because there are almost no limitations for combinations. It could be like MyMuesli, the personalised muesli company, which has countless combinations on offer."