Blending a Better Probiotic Supplement
A formulator contacted Maxx needing help with a powder consisting of minerals, B vitamins, amino acids, and botanicals like green tea extract and probiotics that could be reconstituted with water, mixed and consumed. She indicated that the product was launched some time ago, but received consumer pushback due to unpleasant taste. Additionally, two contract labs found that the probiotic level was less than what was declared.
As we dug deeper, the formulator revealed that her company had contracted with a flavor company to provide the profile for the blend. As it turned out, some of the minerals and B vitamins were interacting with and killing off the probiotics. This left us with two options: remove the causative agents of the interaction, or separate the probiotics and then microencapsulate the remaining blend of minerals, B-vitamins, amino acids and green tea extract.
In the end, we microencapsulated the blend into a single combination and sent it back to the formulator; the probiotics were un-coated. Her immediate report back to us was that the taste of the blend was much improved, the texture was appealing and that she was pleased with the high activity.
The result? Her product was successfully relaunched. Using Maxx microencapsulation to mask the taste of her blend, she’s able to save her company in excess of $11.85/Kg in flavor cost. And that doesn’t even account for the true cost savings that come from delivering a finished product with stable probiotics.