The technology is used in the chewable tablet supplement, known as Meneki Support (Immunity Support), Toshihiro Tomita from the public relations department, FANCL told NutraIngredients-Asia.
The technology, which the company spent about a year developing, can be applied to delivering a wide range of nutrients in the chewable tablet form, Tomita said.
“Chewable tablets which disintegrate as soon as they are put in the mouth and can be eaten without water, are used in sweets and supplements as a formulation that can be easily ingested not only by adults but also by children.
"Chewable supplements are convenient preparations that are delicious and easy to take even for those who have difficulty swallowing and can be taken anywhere," the company said, on the appeal of chewable tablets.
To make the tablets, sodium bicarbonate – the element that generates carbon dioxide and foam when a tablet comes in contact with moisture – is coated with water repelling oil, fats, and polymers.
The coating prevents sodium bicarbonate from reacting with trace amounts of moisture in the air during production and storage.
During consumption, the tablet will fizz and foam when it comes into contact with saliva, Tomita explained.
This technology was developed in response to stability challenges, where a tablet starts to fizz and foam when the citric acid and sodium hydrogen carbonate content of the tablet comes into contact with moisture.
As a result, the product packaging or container will start to swell due to the carbon dioxide gas released when the tablet fizz and foam.
“This technology is used for foaming chewable tablets that generate carbon dioxide when chewed. It is not intended for use in other than foamed chewable tablets,” Tomita said.
He added that a patent on the technology has been applied.
“Although we have not verified the efficacy of the product in clinical trials, we have confirmed that the product disintegrates and elutes its ingredients,” he said, when asked the clinical evidence behind the technology.
Since the technology causes the tablets to release bioactives in the oral cavity and throat, the firm said it could be used in products containing ingredients that function in the oral cavity and throat.
More on Meneki Support
Meneki Support Lactococcus lactics strain Plasma – a proprietary material of Kirin Holdings – as the main ingredient.
It also contains vitamin C, D, and green tea extract.
The Lactococcus lactics strain Plasma has been reported to work on plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and help maintain immune function in healthy individuals.
It is sold mainly through FANCL’s online and catalogue sales, as well as drugstores and other wholesales channels, said Tomita.
From January 2021, it will be sold via cross-border e-commerce into China.