Projects & Services

Encapsulation

Encapsulation of products in natural materials for the Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical markets is of high interest. A typical encapsulation is based on alginate, but this results in soft beads that must be stored covered with water. Kessels SA has been able to dry the final product eliminating the necessity of preservatives and/or cold storage.

The final product is a 2 mm bead with a shell and core structure. A high content of 85% product is obtained. Typically, water insoluble products are encapsulated, like for example fish oil, ibuprofen, activated carbon, etc.

The benefits of this type of encapsulation are:

  • taste masking
  • sustained release
  • personalized dose
  • easy to swallow
  • enteric

This dosage form is easy to swallow, due to the small size of the beads, being very convenient for the peadiatric and geriatric sectors. Users with dysphagia, who are unable to swallow bigger tablets or capsules, will also benefit from this kind of dosage form. Finally, it opens the possibility to personalised dosing in the treatment of chronic diseases.

The nature of the shell material makes the bead insoluble in the stomach, starting to dissolve in the intestine. This is a very interesting feature in products like fish oil, where reflux is a problematic side effect. On the other hand, the dissolution of the bead in the intestine is slow, so that sustained release of the product is achieved. As an example, this is the dissolution profile of encapsulated ibuprofen. Note that the release time can be adjusted.

Another type of product that can be encapsulated is enzymes. With our technology, the enzyme is not chemically bonded and the bead does not contain synthetic polymers. This makes it possible to have a 100% natural immobilized enzyme.

For more information, contact us.