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How are food supplement brands meeting plant-based demand?

Vegan and plant-based being the mega trend it has been for the last couple of years has certainly had an impact on food supplement brands' focus when it comes to research and development of new and innovative product concepts. 2019 has even been called the ‘year of the vegans’ and this preference of the consumers has been evident across all product categories. Domaco shares its recent innovation to meet demand.

Manuela Boldini, Marketing Services Manager

April 6, 2020

3 Min Read
19.09.30 Image Jellies Pruefen

Consumers and consequently also our business partners have enquired about adding this product label to their existing portfolio or even request vegan versions of their existing assortment. Many of Domaco’s existing products in the galenic forms of tablets, instants, lozenges and jellies have always been vegan or could easily be adapted to become entirely plant-based. However, looking at the galenic form of jellies, we did not have a sugar-free vegan option at the time. This strengthened our decision to focus on plant-based developments for sugar-free jellies. A new process of manufacturing vegan jellies that are also sugar-free was invented.

Plant-based alternatives

Domaco 19.09.17We attach great importance to developing plant-based product concepts that are as effective as animal-derived sources. Since the efficacy of a substance does not depend on its origin (vegetable, animal or mineral), we increasingly develop food supplements in vegan versions. In addition, we care for sustainability and it is in our responsibility to source and process ingredients that are cultivated through an environmentally-friendly approach. The utilisation of new ingredients such as DHA extracted from algae instead of using DHA processed from fish oil is one example of our efforts in finding plant-based and modern alternatives of active ingredients. DHA from algae, for example, can be grown under controlled conditions without the use of chemicals. Fewer resources are needed to produce DHA from algae and therefore the environment is protected. On the other hand, we face challenges such as the fact that not every compound or raw material we would like to use in our recipes is available as a vegan alternative. For example, the current available vegan vitamin D3 on the market is not stable enough over the required lifetime for our galenic form of jellies.

Concepts

Nevertheless and to mention only a few, Domaco has developed many new plant-based product concepts including sugar-free & vegan multivitamin jellies, with an additional omega-3 version, which offer vitamin E, C, B1, B2, niac19.09.17 Bilder Galeniken Jellies rotin, B6, folic acid, biotin, pantothenic acid, zinc and iodine.

The main reason why we have focused on the development of sugar-free plant-based jellies as galenic form is the fact that this is a new innovation in the market of jellies and they are very suitable for adding active ingredients. AI’s are absorbed faster through the mucous membrane which has a gentle effect on the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, soft pastilles and jellies are organoleptically stimulating and have also become a more and more popular galenic form in the pharmaceutical industry.

Additionally, within the cognitive health market is seeing demand for natural sleeping aids. Domaco has developed an innovative sleep formula containing a mix of natural herbs and plants as well as essential vitamins dedicated to relaxation and healthy sleep. The nutricosmetic market is greater uptake from consumers who understand that external beauty starts from nutrition within, especially the health of hair, nails and skin. Domaco's line of hair, skin and nail gummies include essential vitamins as well as biotin, coppoer, zinc, selenium, and folic acid. Finally, currently under develeopment in Domaco's labs is a vegan soft jelly containing CBD. 

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About the Author

Manuela Boldini

Marketing Services Manager, DOMACO Dr. med. Aufdermaur AG

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