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As soon as a product is labeled as "vegetarian" or "vegan," consumers immediately get the impression that there’s something inherently good or natural about it, or that it’s somehow better for their health. However, the recent discussions about vegetarian meat substitutes have shown that this is not necessarily true. Such is the case for HPMC hard capsules. They’re vegan, made from cellulose fiber and therefore regarded as natural. The use of HPMC hard capsules is not just a bonus for vegetarians and vegans, it's also great news for the many consumers who avoid animal products — as long as there’s no perceived disadvantages compared with the animal-based original.

Food companies strive to produce high-quality and safe foods. These are laudable aspirations and the cornerstones of business success. Yet, there’s another element of quality in the food industry that’s becoming increasingly important to consumers: responsibility and a commitment to ethical values.

Everyone knows the situation: just before an important meeting or presentation, you’re floored by summer flu. As a consumer, you want rapid results and immediate relief. That means that, as well as a fast-acting active, it’s important that the ingredient can be released as quickly as possible to reach its site of action at full speed. Even the fastest active ingredient is only as quick as its release profile.

If you work with soft capsules in the pharmaceutical industry, then you’ll know that cross-linking can occur in certain temperature and humidity conditions, especially with reactive and aggressive fillings. The gelatin can unintentionally form a rigid barrier that prevents the active ingredient within the capsule from reaching its destination at the right time (or at all). If this happens soft capsules become increasingly less soluble over time, resulting in overly long dissolution times in the GI tract and slow release properties.

The Phrase "from nose to tail" is on everyone's lips. And to answer the question about which parts of an animal are edible - it's absolutely everything! From the tip of the nose to the end of the tail, nothing goes waste. By-products of the meat industry play a major role in food today. It is also a rich source of nutrients and, more importantly, it contributes to sustainable food production.

Whether it’s marshmallows, mousses or cream cheese preparations: perfect texture is king! Because for the consumer, alongside taste, buying criterion number one is and always has been the right bite and the most pleasant mouthfeel. And this is exactly what gelatin brings to the table. But what gives this clean label ingredient its unique ability to create creaminess, fluffiness and texture light as air?