Using Technology to Improve Supplement Delivery

Adding a new delivery technology to a supplement brand’s portfolio can catch consumer interest, but cost, safety and effectiveness needs to be considered up front.

Sandy Almendarez, VP of Content

June 26, 2015

2 Min Read
Using Technology to Improve Supplement Delivery

Up to 22 percent of consumers suffer from dysphagia—difficulty swallowing (J Am Board Fam Med. 2007 Mar-Apr;20(2):144-50)—which can lead them to avoid traditional tablets and capsules that deliver dietary ingredients. But let’s face it, most consumers that want high-tech, innovative and interesting delivery of their supplements are just getting bored with the same old pills.

While eye-catching “cool factor" delivery forms can grab attention, supplement brands that offer the latest trends in delivery can do more than sell novelty to consumers. In addition to grabbing consumer attention, delivery innovations can help improve the administration of ingredients, leading to increased efficacy or smaller dosage sizes, both of which increase ROI (return on investment) for brands and consumers.

But before a brand decides to replace all its powders with beadlets and straws, it needs to outline a launch agenda, with a defined need (solution to a consumer problem), and a plan for research and development (R&D), marketing and sales. Brands need to consider effectiveness, stability, convenience, safety and cost.

Innovation is built on its forefathers, and some supplements are best when they are adapted from traditional forms, such as tablets. For instance, a bilayer tablet allows for a familiar consumer experience, but with more capabilities. Using a layered approach, these tablets allow non-compatible ingredients to be combined into one dose.

Oral dispersible tablets (ODT) are similar in shape to traditional tablets, but they dissolve in the mouth without the need for water, so consumers can use the products on the go.

Capsules are the other “traditional" form of dietary supplement,but these, too, have been updated for improved bioavailability and consumer compliance. Growing demand from plant-based dieters has prompted the rise of vegetarian capsules, which have come a long way since the starched-based softgels that were known to leak.

Traditional capsules can help with ingredients that work best when delivered in the intestines with delayed opening delivery, allowing them to release ingredients after passing through the harsh stomach environment. Dual-compartmented capsules also allow for combination treatment, but the approach here is to improve the bioavailability of an ingredient by pairing it with an oil for solubility in the same matrix.

Breakthrough deliveries go beyond modifications to tablets and capsules and include hot products such as strips, straws, pouch fills and products with edible packaging.

Then there are some technologies that are so innovative that some question if they are really dietary supplements. Air-based delivery systems and skin patches fit in this category.

Learn more about impressive supplement delivery systems in the article “Using Technology to Improve Ingredient Delivery" in INSIDER’s Supplement Delivery Tech Digital Issue.

About the Author

Sandy Almendarez

VP of Content, Informa

Summary

• Well-known subject matter expert within the health & nutrition industry with more than 15 years’ experience reporting on natural products.

• She cares a lot about how healthy products are made, where their ingredients are sourced and how they affect human health.

• She knows that it’s the people behind the businesses — their motivations, feelings and emotions — drive industry growth, so that’s where she looks for content opportunities.

Sandy Almendarez is VP of Content for SupplySide and an award-winning journalist. She oversees the editorial and content marketing teams for the B2B media brands SupplySide Supplement Journal and SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal, the education programming for the health and nutrition trade shows SupplySide Connect New Jersey and SupplySide West, the education program SupplySide Fresh for industry newcomers and community engagement across the SupplySide portfolio. She is a seasoned content strategist with a passion for health, good nutrition, sustainability and inclusion. With over 15 years of experience in the health and nutrition industry, Sandy brings a wealth of knowledge to her role as a content-focused business leader. With specialization in topics ranging from product development to content engagement, creative marketing and c-suite decision making, her work is known for its engaging style and its relevance for business leaders in the health and nutrition industry.

In her free time, Sandy loves running, drinking hot tea and watching her two kids grow up. She brews her own “Sandbucha” homemade kombucha; she’s happy to share if you’re ever in Phoenix!

Awards:

Speaker credentials

Resides in

  • Phoenix, AZ

Education

  • Arizona State University

Contact:

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