CoreFX showcases optimized nutrient delivery platform at SupplySide West 2024

Photo © iStockphoto.com/Tina_Rencelj

CoreFX Ingredients LLC has recently announced the launch of CoreNhanced, a technical optimization platform for “deliver nutrients in their most bioavailable and stable forms.” This new platform comes out of the company’s recent acquisition of Connoils which gave them access to new spray drying technology that opened the doors to using omega-based powders in alternative dosage formats. More specifically, the acquisition gave the company access to an electrostatic drying system.

Ben Yeap, director of innovation and science at CoreFX explains that unlike conventional spray drying, which uses high temperatures up 350 degrees Celcius, electrostatic spray drying allows CoreFX to use a much lower temperature (60 degrees C) on sensitive ingredients like omega-3. Electrostatic spray drying is able to accomplish this by applying an electrostatic charge to a solution.

Spray drying more broadly is used to microencapsulate actives. According to an article in Pharmaceutical Processing World, conventional spray drying utilizes a slurry that contains a solvent, a carrier, and an active ingredient.1 The aim is for the carrier to surround the active ingredient and protect it from environmental factors such as oxygen. In conventional spray drying, high heat is used to dry off the solvent. The article explains further that electrostatic drying uses an atomizing nozzle with that applies an electrostatic charge as it is being sprayed. This causes the solvent to become more polarized, picking up more electrons from the applied charge, while the carrier picks up fewer than the solvent and the active picks up the least electrons. The polarization of the solvent causes its molecules to repel each other. As a result of this, the solvent and carrier to move to the outer sphere of a droplet while the active remains in the center, and the aggressive movement of the solvent on the surface creates the ideal drying conditions.

The potential applications for CoreFX’s new electrostatic spray drying capabilities go beyond omega-3 oils, says Denis Neville, the company’s founder, owner, and CEO. “It gives us a huge new innovative platform to preserve and deliver nutrients that are sensitive in many ways, whether it's sensitive just to heat or other environmental conditions,” he explains. “The electrostatic drying process also is in a nitrogen environment, so that has other benefits, not just for sensitive oils, but other nutrients as well. This is part of our vision more broadly for CoreNhanced…As we evolve, that platform is going to be a delivery for many nutrients, not just oils and fats.”

In addition to the improved microencapsulation technology, Neville has informed Nutritional Outlook that the company has also developed a powdered liposomal technology that enhances the bioavailability of challenging nutrients. Yeap explains that the potential applications of powdered liposomes are “endless.”

“One of the reasons why we believe powdered liposomes are the way to go is the versatility of the application,” says Yeap. “You can put it in a capsule, combining it with other actives to deliver a holistic functional supplement, or you can put it in a stick pack as well to offer very similar enjoyment like we would with the omega [ingredients]. I know there are a lot of liquid liposomal products out there, but we believe that powdered liposomes offer a different dimension to different applications.”

Powdered liposomes are a developing technology, and many liposome manufactures will say that manufacturers should be suspect of companies claiming to make powdered liposomes. Neville acknowledges this and insists that the company has “cracked the code” with the help of Yeap. Of course, CoreFX understands that substantiation is key, and intends to do research and provide evidence of its ingredients’ effectiveness.

Reference

1. Szcza, J.P. The Future Is Now: Cooling the Spray Dry & Microencapsulation Process. Pharmaceutical Processing World. May 12, 2017. https://www.pharmaceuticalprocessingworld.com/the-future-is-now-cooling-the-spray-dry-microencapsulation-process/ (accessed 2024-11-13).