Unlike a doctor’s prescription, consumers typically choose to add certain dietary supplements to their medicine cabinets. When selecting a supplement, they often look for ones that give a pleasant sensory experience. They want vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts or probiotics that taste great and provide excellent texture, chewability and swallowability – and if a supplement doesn’t meet their expectations, they may forgo it altogether. For example, consumers have become familiar with the taste and texture qualities of gelatin since it’s present in many common foods such as gummy bears, marshmallows and candy. If plant-based alternatives like pectin or seaweed extract are used as gelatin replacements, consumers are likely to notice the difference in their gummy supplements unless formulated properly.

Beyond providing superior taste and texture qualities, consumers are demanding smaller, more efficient supplements that are easier to swallow. This means supplement manufacturers must fit multiple nutritional ingredients into a smaller pill. And for ingredients with naturally bitter or displeasing tastes and smells, such as fish oil and garlic, those tablets and capsules need added taste masking to ensure consumers don’t experience a bad aftertaste or an unpleasant “fish oil burp.”

We can help manufacturers create efficient, easy-to-swallow supplements by utilizing our tailored, functional ingredients and removing unnecessary fillers, while masking unpleasant tastes and improving textures. Our team of experts around the globe understands that these sensory preferences differ by region, and we are here to help you navigate these nuances to create a positive consumer experience. Whether you’re struggling to mask the taste of herbal ingredients or create a vegan gummy that won’t stick to teeth, we are here to help.