Blue California expands to micro-encapsulation
packing more nutritional value into a smaller space with a more
stable shelf life.
Based in Southern California, the firm specializes in healthy ingredients and is now expanding its services to include micro-encapsulation for the food, beverage and cosmetic industries. Changing consumer trends and tastes are primarily responsible for driving innovation in the micro-encapsulation market, according to market analyst Frost & Sullivan. Food ingredients companies thereby promote the need for novel micro-encapsulation technologies to meet these ever-changing demands. Micro-encapsulation is the technology whereby tiny particles, ranging from a few nanometers to one micron in size, are coated with a protective layer to create small capsules with controlled properties. "Our micro-encapsulation technology offers a practical way to enrich foods, improve taste, color, texture and shelf life," said Blue California executive vice president, Cecilia McCollum. The company manufactures purified botanical extracts and specialty ingredients. It is certified as meeting NSF International's Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) requirements. Blue California says it has made use of micro-encapsulation to devise water-soluble ingredients, including its branded VitaDHA, VitaSterols, BioQ10WS. The company's omega-3 ingredient - VitaDHA - is a nano-encapsulated, deodorized and water-soluble DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) derived from fish in powder or liquid form. It is suited for use in beverages, dietary supplements and functional foods. Blue California's VitaSterols are micro-encapsulated 40 percent phytosterols, which come in powder form for water-soluble applications. It has used for beverages, functional foods, dietary supplements, liquid formulas, capsules and tablets, soft gels, effervescent and chewable tablets. The manufacturer says its BioQ10WS 10 and 40 percent ingredient are set apart from other water-soluble forms of coenzyme Q10 on the market, because its micro-encapsulation process allows the CoQ10 to stay in a solution without creating cloudiness. CoQ10 has applications for dietary supplements and cosmetics. Microcapsules are increasingly being used in food ingredient preparation and it has been said that the fear of commodification is goading food manufacturers to turn to this technology so as to enhance product value.
