Happy Ending to a Hygroscopic Nightmare
A CEO at a California-based company tells the story of working with Maxx on a moisture pickup problem – and encapsulates the value we bring to every manufacturing challenge.
“We invested considerable resources in developing a patent-pending supplement formula. Unfortunately, the key ingredient turned out to be a hygroscopic production nightmare. During encapsulation (the production of gelatin capsules), the blend turned into sludge and the machines had to be shut down and cleaned over and over again.
Our contract manufacturer tried different excipient blends and encapsulation speeds, and pre-baked some ingredients to remove moisture before blending, but all to no avail. At one point, we even considered encapsulating the problematic ingredient separately from the others, but that created packaging and usage complications that we simply could not accept. Finally, the manufacturer informed us that they would not run the product again in the future.
Other providers were consulted, but again, none were able to offer a resolution other than to pay a premium for the trouble and accept a very high loss ratio.
Although I had no previous experience with microencapsulation and only a basic familiarity with its time-release benefits, it crossed my mind that this might be a way to contain the hygroscopic effects of our problematic ingredient. I had seen the Maxx website and decided to contact the company to explore possible solutions.
Within five minutes of speaking with Winston, I felt confident that he would be able to solve the problem. He understood exactly what I was talking about and asked me how fast I could get him a sample of the material for testing. Days after he received our ingredient, I received a prototype back; the former hygroscopic flour-like powder had been transformed into a granular, almost sugar-like material coated with a lipid base. And, not only was it ready to blend with the other ingredients, but there was also scientific data supporting higher bioavailabiliy.
Sure enough, the ensuing encapsulation ran smoothly. Now I can take my formula to any contract manufacturer in the world without hesitation.
Maxx Performance continues to microencapsulate this ingredient for my company and we look forward to working with Winston and his team on other creative solutions in the future.”