The Muscle Mag
The global soft gel market (empty capsules, B2B) is worth approximately €1 billion worldwide, according to Arnaud Verhaeghe, marketing director of pharma oral dosage at Roquette, as reported by NutraIngredients.
Ninety percent of this market is gelatin-based, making the production of these dosage forms challenging due to potential issues such as interactions with specific fill types, molecular crosslinking, and sensitivity to heat and moisture during storage that could affect the stability of gelatin-based capsules.
These challenges are further complicated when working with more advanced formulations, as manufacturers must carefully balance the ratio of gelatin to plasticizers like glycerol or sorbitol to ensure optimal shell elasticity without increasing the risk of capsule leakage or defects.
In addition, there is an environmental consideration, with 1 kg of meat producing 30 times more CO2 emissions than 1 kg of pea, according to Verhaeghe.
Currently, vegan alternatives make up only 10% of the market, but there is a growing demand for them, he added.
To address the market’s needs, Roquette introduced Lycagel Flex, which is based on the same hydroxypropyl pea starch and carrageenan foundation as the company’s original Lycagel VS 720 Premix. However, the new formula allows producers to select the perfect plasticizer or combination of plasticizers for unique softgel formulations.
Steve Amoussou-Guenou, global technical developer at Roquette, explained, “With the development of our Lycagel VS 720 Premix, the primary goal was to provide softgel producers with a high-quality ready-to-use alternative to gelatin. Now, as vegan capsules become more established, we recognize that our customers need greater control to customize their formulations. Lycagel Flex is the answer, offering the same stability and performance with the added flexibility to differentiate.”
Other benefits
Lycagel Flex offers softgel producers a plant-based solution that not only replaces gelatin but also provides significant process benefits. These include a reduced degassing time of just five minutes, compared to the minimum 60 required for gelatin formulations, and the potential for easy equipment cleaning with only hot water, according to Roquette.
The new premix delivers excellent performance and stability throughout a product’s shelf life, with tests showing that capsules produced using Lycagel Flex maintained a clear, shiny appearance and optimal hardness with no sticking or seal leakage after six months of storage at 40°C and 75% relative humidity (RH). Without a significant increase in disintegration time or water content after months in storage, the capsules demonstrated the ability to maintain the same mechanical strength and capsule integrity at day 180 as they had directly after the production process.
