Turn challenges into growth in the thriving functional gummies market with SiMoGel™

Functional gummies have emerged as a leading trend in dietary supplements globally, with rapid growth across Europe, North America and Asia. We spoke with Pierre Albert Thomas, Global Director Rousselot Functional Ingredients, about the history and popularity of functional gummies, conventional production challenges, and how, with gelatin solutions like SiMoGel™, Rousselot’s R&D is opening up exciting opportunities.

The market for functional gummies is booming – a surge preceded by a long history. The origins of gummies can be traced back to the 18th century, when apothecaries started prescribing sugared herbal remedies in the form of candies as a convenient format to treat disorders like digestion problems. In the mid-19th century, American pharmacist Oliver Chase invented the first machine to create medicated candy lozenges using gum Arabic, peppermint and brown sugar – and changing the industry forever. Functional gummies as we know them today were first commercialized in the United States in the 1990s, when advancements in food technology and formulation allowed brands to add nutrients to a wide range of food matrices. Initially, children were the main consumers of these mineral- and vitamin-enriched gummy bears, with other demographics joining since.

In traditional manufacturing settings, the journey from functional gummy concept to final product is no easy one. ‘Functional gummy manufacturing has typically been a sticky business with numerous risks and challenges,’ explains Pierre Albert. ‘These still exist, but formulation advances and the discovery of new technologies are changing the game.’ A major game changer in functional gummies is SiMoGel™. This is a patented technology developed by the teams of Rousselot’s Global Application Center, and enabling nutraceutical players to turn all the challenges listed below into opportunities.

• Improving production efficiency 
  The amount of time gelatin needs to set is another challenge – and a critical factor in ensuring nutraceutical production lines run as smoothly and cost-effectively as possible. In this area, SiMoGel™ has broken all the records, says Pierre Albert. ‘It has a ground-breaking gelation speed of 15 to 20 minutes setting time, as opposed to the 24 hours usually required.  As a gelatin-based solution, it significantly optimizes not only hygiene, but also efficiency and flexibility.’

• Using active ingredients more effectively and efficiently 
  The efficiency of gummy caps is truly groundbreaking, Pierre Albert continues. ‘The heat needed to create gelatin gummies has often put the stability of active ingredients at risk. To counter this, nutraceutical manufacturers in the past often used excessive amounts of vitamins or supplements, for example, when the API was added to hot syrup to offset heat degradation. With gummy caps, we carry the API in a liquid or gel. This maximizes the use of expensive ingredients: an 80mg Vitamin C gummy cap requires 30% less Vitamin C than a traditional functional gummy. The lower temperature requirements needed for gummy cap production help maintain API stability and prevent the degradation of nutrients. Gummy caps also offer freedom to use more types of nutraceutical and active ingredients, such as probiotics known for their sensitivity to heat. They also allow for a higher nutrient content compared to traditional nutraceutical gummies: a multi-vitamin gummy cap made with this technology meets the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of 10 vitamins in only one gummy: with regular nutraceutical gummies, you would need three to achieve the same nutrient content.’

Nutraceutical gummies will continue to be a crowd pleaser in 2024 and beyond, offering consumers of all ages and walks of life a versatile and enjoyable way to take supplements. So how does a manufacturer stand out in this exciting, but crowded market? Pierre Albert: ‘Gelatin remains the gold standard material for gummy innovation, but creating the perfect gelatin formulation can still be a challenge. In my view, brands need a reliable ingredients partner with extensive experience to help them overcome production obstacles, get their products to market faster and succeed in the growing gummy space. That’s why at Rousselot we not only invest heavily in R&D, but also in collaboration with, and technical support for, our customers. Even in this growing market, we see a lot of potential for further improvement of products and processes.’