Capsule Shells from Seaweed

Seaweed or Gelatin?
Which Capsules To Choose?

Many people prefer to take their medications or supplements in the form of capsules. Not only do capsules have little to no taste, but they also dissolve quickly in the intestines and are most of the time are relatively easy to manufacture compared to tablets.

Gelatin capsules

Gelatin has been used as a medication for many years and is the most common material used in capsule production. Gelatin itself has known health benefits when digested – it is good for the digestive system, protects joints, and helps to reduce joint pain, it is believed to assist in improving sleep, and lifting moods and some studies suggest it improves cognitive functions. This is why most supplement manufacturers still use gelatin capsules as their main choice when developing new products.

Skin, bones, and connective animal tissues

Gelatin is a translucent, brittle solid substance that is colorless or slightly yellow, nearly tasteless and odorless. It is a mixture of peptides and proteins created by partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from the skin, bones, and connective tissues of animals.

Beef, chicken, and pork are commonly used. Blends of bone and pork skin gelatins are normally used to produce hard capsules. The bones produce a tough, hazy but brittle gelatin film, whereas skin produces a clearer material with greater plasticity.

Seaweed capsules

Explore the innovative seaweed capsule shells, designed for those seeking a plant-based option while maintaining the gelatin capsule benefits. These capsules dissolve efficiently and offer a natural alternative for health-conscious individuals, providing a safe and non-toxic choice for your dietary supplements. With the gelatin capsule benefits in mind, these seaweed shells are crafted to support your lifestyle without compromising on quality or performance. Choose seaweed capsules today and experience the difference!

Religious, Cultural and Personal Reasons

The consumption of gelatin from particular animals may be forbidden by religious or cultural customs.

Vegans and vegetarians choose not to eat foods containing gelatin made from animals, and an option for such people is to capsule shells made from seaweed.

This material is of natural plant origin and has no known potential health hazards, even when taken for long periods. It is non-toxic.

Compromising on health benefits?

Seaweed capsules are, now available commercially in a range of sizes and shapes, and should be considered when choosing for filling capsules. It must be remembered, however, that vegetarian substitutes for do not possess the medical benefits commonly attributed to animal gelatin, such as help with joint issues.

Summary

Before choosing which type of capsules to go with, you should understand the intended market as each capsule material has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Both gelatin and seaweed capsules are available in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors.

Seaweed capsule shells making process

Seaweed as raw material for capsule shells contains kappa-carrageenan compounds which can replace gelatin

To make capsule shells, seaweed must be extracted first. Then the extraction results are mixed with other ingredients, such as alginate or starch according to the desired capsule shell character. These materials are mixed with plasticizers to make them flexible and given additional substances.

Currently, there are three types of capsule shells. First, carral (carrageenan-alginate) which is a combination of red seaweed and brown seaweed extracts. The character of this capsule shell is that it will be released 12-14 minutes after consumption, longer than gelatin capsule shells which can be released in around 5 to 7 minutes.

The second capsule shell is carrpa (carrageenan-starch). This type of capsule shell is made from the same raw materials as carral, but mixed with starch. Carrpa was developed to answer the weakness of carral, namely expensive production costs because it is able to reduce production costs.

However, carrpa can only be released around 20-27 minutes after consumption or four times longer than gelatin capsule shells.

"The newest capsule shell, called car-x, has the property of releasing more quickly and can be controlled over the period of release.

The research team has a formula to regulate the capsule release period. This aims to maximize the function of the drug because there are several types of drugs that are more stable if they are released in certain organs such as the intestines, not just the stomach.