Crafting Gummy Supplements

When Mary Poppins said a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, she was predicting the popularity of gummies. The sweet, chewy bites are fast becoming a popular alternative to traditional delivery forms, and for good reason. With bright colors, fun flavors and a vehicle that’s easy to swallow, the supplements are growing in popularity with consumers both young and old.  

However, manufacturing gummies isn’t all sweetness, but has several challenges. The sugar-gelatin matrix means that most gummies only have room for about 5-percent active ingredients. Some ingredients, like certain B vitamins, proteins and enzymes, don’t hold up well during gummies’ high-temperature processing. And since the supplements are chewed before being swallowed, active ingredients with strong flavors need to be masked. What’s more, high moisture content and heat sensitivity means that gummies tend to have a shorter shelf life than capsules.

Still, manufacturers have found success overcoming these issues and developing gummies that are potent as well as appealing. By becoming familiar with the unique properties of various active ingredients, it’s possible to make gummies that taste great and manage to deliver the amount of nutrient listed on product labels.

For more information, read the full article “Manufacturing Gummies: A Sweet Art" in INSIDER’s Formulation Content Library.