Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/922724
32B January 2018 Tablets & Capsules I N D U S T R Y a p p l i c a t i o n With the old formula, the 16-station tablet press had to be shut down after 30 minutes for cleaning. The addition of Nu-Mag enabled it to produce the lutein tablets for a week straight. Rice-based excipient solves PureNSM's sticky situation P u r e N S M ( a l s o k n o w n a s Nutritional Supplement Manuf- acturers), Chula Vista, CA, is a contract manufacturer of nutritional supplements. It produces more than 900 million capsules per year, usually without using traditional excipients. "Since 1993, our clients have asked us to manufacture clean-label products, and I believe it's a trend that's here to stay," said Oskar T h o r v a l d s s o n , t h e c o m p a n y ' s founder and chief executive officer. "We can manufacture products using magnesium stearate if desired, but that's the exception not the rule. In general, our clients don't want c h e m i c a l s t h a t t h e c o m m o n consumer won't recognize." The higher cost of making clean- label products isn't usually an issue, said Tino Moreno, PureNSM's sales manager. "Even though we can quote lower prices if we use magnesium stearate, most of our customers are willing to pay more for clean-label products." By using a clean-label excipient, the production efficiency gained typically more than offsets any additional ingredient costs. The company relies on auger- driven capsule fillers, which handle sticky nootropics and other difficult- to-process formulas better than dosator-style machines by forcing the fill into the capsule. In addition, occurring silica in the hulls to do the job of traditional additives. "Nu-Flow is great for encapsulating non-free- flowing powders," Moreno said, a l t h o u g h s o m e t i n k e r i n g w a s required at first. "Getting the right o p e r a t o r s h a v e d e v i s e d s o m e techniques over the years to make t h e f o r m u l a t i o n s e a s i e r t o encapsulate, including using air conditioners and dehumidifiers. "We' re co n tin u o u sly learn in g," Thorvaldsson said. "Even now we're making modifications to our capsule f i l l i n g m a c h i n e . T w o o f o u r engineers are adding a function to the capsule filler's lower segments to increase our productivity." Perhaps the biggest improvement, however, stems from using natural excipients supplied by Ribus, a St. Louis, MO, manufacturer of rice- based ingredients. PureNSM began using the ingredients 4 years ago. "Now, about 80 percent of our products are made with a Ribus excipient," Thorvaldsson said. It began with Nu-Flow, a natural and certified organic excipient that acts as a flow aid and anti-caking agent. It's made from sterilized rice hulls that are ground to a fine powder, enabling the naturally Nu-Mag, a natural rice-extract blend, contains no gluten or preservatives. It's also certified organic and kosher.