Tongkat ali ingredient now encapsulated for food, debuting at SupplySide West

Photo © Shutterstock.com/Andrey Burmakin

HP Ingredients (Bradenton, FL) is introducing a new microencapsulated version of its LJ100 tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia) ingredient at next month’s SupplySide West trade show in Las Vegas. According to the company, this new encapsulated format facilitates the ingredient’s inclusion in foods and beverages. LJ100 is aimed at the men’s health and sports nutrition categories.

This new ingredient lets the company take tongkat ali to products in which it was challenging to include in the past. “With the new microencapsulated LJ100, we can now help our brand marketer partners enter into the functional food and drink category that was previously not possible because of the extreme bitterness of LJ100,” said Annie Eng, the company’s CEO, in a press release. Formulators no longer need to use expensive flavor compounds or other masking agents when trying to work with the ingredient, she said.

Eng said that microencapsulated LJ100 now allows formulators to include the ingredient in everything from preworkout powder drinks and nutrition and energy bars to RTD energy drinks, weight-loss drinks, chocolate, candies, and more. “There are now endless possibilities to provide men with an ingredient that promotes sexual health and stamina, and for women who want to also gain more out of their workouts,” Eng added.

In addition, the new microencapsulated feature helps protect the active ingredient and promotes slow release of the active compounds. It protects the ingredients from moisture, heat, and oxygen, while improving stability, bioavailability, and shelf life. “Using a highly modified, proprietary fluid-bed arrangement, LJ100 is coated with a protective food-grade shell the size of a human hair made of vegetable oil,” the company explains. “This creates a barrier to help mask the bitterness of LJ100 and to preserve the active.”

Visit the company at SupplySide West Booth #3728.