The nutritional ingredients business unit of Dutch ingredients company DSM has recently launched what it describes as the world's first non-gelatine, vegetarian-approved beta-carotene beadlets.
The CaroPure tablet-grade beadlets are sourced naturally from non-animal excipients, and contain 7.5 per cent natural beta-carotene.
According to the company, the beadlets match the processing profile and performance of their gelatine-based counterparts with good flow properties for easy handling, good particle size distribution and high strength during tabletting - with resistance to pressures up to 10 tonnes/cm2. This should minimise tablet damage and beta-carotene leakage.
Designed for use in the production of single beta-carotene, multi-vitamin, antioxidant and (mixed) carotenoid tablets or two piece hard shell capsules, CaroPure 7.5 per cent vegetarian beadlets can also be labelled non-GM, kosher and preservative-free.
DSM's CaroPure range - derived from the naturally occurring micro-organism Blakeslea trispora - is cultivated in large-scale fermentors using raw materials of vegetable origin. Beta-carotene is valued for its antioxidant properties, colour and pro-vitamin A activity in the dairy, bakery, confectionery and beverage sectors.