New Delivery Systems

Using different mineral forms are one way to get more bang for the buck from a particular source. Another way companies are looking to boost supplement bioavailability is by developing novel delivery systems.

One Italian company, with U.S. offices in Novato, Calif., has developed a system under the belief that supplements in liquid form are more bioavailable than powder or pill forms because liquids coat the digestive tract to a greater degree than a pill or powder. Their dual-phase technology stores the powder in a vacuum-sealed reservoir in the cap of the one-time-use bottle containing the fluid, which maintains stability. The user presses a plunger cap, which releases the powder into the liquid.

A German company, with U.S. offices, in Champagne, Ill., makes a can with a separate compartment for bioactive ingredients, such as creatine, phosphatidylserine, and probiotics, that lose stability in water. When the can is opened, the bioactive ingredient is released into the beverage.

Capitalizing on the "liquid is better" theory, a U.S. capsule manufacturer based in Greenwood, S.C. produces a two-piece gelatin capsule that delivers supplements in a liquid form.

It remains to be seen whether these novel developments are perceived as expensive gimmicks or versatile ways to deliver fewer nutrients to the body with greater physiological effect.

—Todd Runestad