4 years ago

Roquette Develops 100% Vegan Gel Capsules

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Abigail is a animal and food lover who decided a long time ago not to... Read More

Roquette has developed an industry-changing soft gel capsule that could entirely replace the need for gelatin in pill making.

The plant-based soft gels are made from pea starch, carrageenan, sorbitol, and a gelling agent. They are 100% plant-based and comply with EU and US pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products requirements.

Roquette made it its mission to create a vegan-friendly soft gel alternative when it became more apparent that people were turning down certain medications. This is due to an estimated 70% of medications containing the animal ingredient, gelatine. Because gelatine is made from animal cartilage, bones, and other body parts, vegans try to avoid this ingredient – a task that can prove difficult when many medications come in a gelatin capsule.

These fully plant-based soft gels have all of the same qualities that gelatine capsules do, just without the animal product.

Paul Smaltz, Head of Roquette’s Global Pharmaceutical business unit, said, “The launch of LYCAGEL marks a new era for soft gel formulations and manufacturing. Manufacturers no longer need to compromise on performance when launching a vegetable soft gel solution. Designed to be easily adaptable to existing gelatin processes, LYCAGEL can Support businesses in bringing vegetarian alternatives to market quickly, without significant changes to existing operations.”

Though this may not be a new and exciting food product, this is an equally exciting addition to the vegan market. Hopefully, more companies will start to switch over to plant-based capsules instead of gelatine ones.