Food manufacturing supplier, Lehmann Ingredients has become the first distributor partner to offer materials company Xampla’s nutrient microencapsulation technology.
The n ew partnership will enable FMCG brands and supply partners across the UK to deliver encapsulated nutrients for enteric release within food and drink products.
Lehmann Ingredients and Xampla have said the collaboration will offer superior fortification of vitamin D in food and beverages by encapsulating it within a microscopic, digestible capsule engineered from plant proteins.
Xampla’s technology works with a wide range of fat soluble and fat suspendable active ingredients, providing enteric release once in the digestive system.
First brought to life in collaboration with global soft drinks manufacturer, Britvic, Xampla microencapsulation capsules improve the stability of nutrients in liquid, protecting them from degradation caused by UV light, pH imbalance and pasteurisation.
Lehmann’s customers will now be able to offer fortified products without costly ‘overage’ of added vitamins, safe in the knowledge that Xampla’s microencapsulation is making their active ingredients more stable and available than ever before.
Founded in 1988, Lehmann Ingredients is an established supplier to the industrial manufacturing industry, working with multinational drinks and food manufacturers, including leading producers of soft drinks and plant milks, and the first distributor to partner with Xampla using this technology.
Alexandra French, CEO at Xampla, said: “Lehmann’s is rightly a highly trusted ingredient supplier, so we are really delighted to be working with them. This partnership is a ringing endorsement of our technology, and a huge stride in making it available at scale.
“It’s a huge opportunity for brands who work with Lehmann’s to offer fortified vitamins, delivering the nutrients people need within the products they already love.”
Charlie Lehmann, director at Lehmann Ingredients’ added: “Thanks to our supply partnerships, we are able to offer an extensive range of ingredients to meet manufacturer’s formulation objectives. Xampla’s innovative encapsulation solution makes for a very exciting addition to our portfolio.
“We believe consumers will be really pleased with the results of Xampla’s technology which enables ‘enteric’, that is delayed release within the digestive system after consumption.”
Products that support a healthy lifestyle are a significant trend in the industry, with over half of consumers (57%) preferring to get their vitamins from food and drink rather than tablets, according to consumer research.
Beyond food and drink fortification, Xampla offers a portfolio of product applications including natural plant polymer alternatives to the world’s most polluting plastics.
The launch follows the recent supply deal announcement by food packaging specialist Huhtamaki and manufacturer 2M Group of Companies to deploy Xampla’s plastic-free Morro Coating on takeaway boxes, in place of traditional plastic coatings.
Source: foodanddrinktechnology.com