The manufacturing of softgels
In 1833, pharmacy student François MOTHES and pharmacist Joseph DUBLANC filed a patent for a new pharmaceutical form, which he named gelatinous capsule.
These consist of a gelatin-based envelope containing a medicinal liquid which allows unpleasant-tasting substances to be absorbed.
Softgels are highly appreciated in dietary supplements for their ease of ingestion. Their envelope is made of a single part, thicker but more elastic than that of capsules.
Liquid content (solution, suspension or emulsion). Contents are oil-based, with the option of incorporating vitamins, minerals and dried plant extracts.
Primary packaging is mainly in blister packs or pill boxes.
Softgels protect their contents from the effects of the external environment, such as temperature, light and humidity.
We offer our experience in the development and white-label manufacture of your softgels to design the nutraceuticals of tomorrow.
Located in SAUMUR, our R&D laboratory, our regulatory team, our production site and our Quality department guarantee the traceability of raw materials from receipt to finished product.
Our quality approach includes compliance with the ISO 22000 standard.
Steps in the manufacture of softgels
Preparation of the soft capsule shell
The capsule shells containing our ingredients are either of plant origin (pullulan or hypromellose for ORGANIC), marine origin (marine gelatin) or animal origin (animal gelatin).
Depending on the nature of the envelope chosen, we'll add a plasticizer (sorbitol or glycerine) as well as water to achieve sufficient texture and viscosity.
Depending on the active ingredients chosen and their sensitivity to various external agents (temperature, light, humidity), we will add colorants, opacifying agents (to prevent photo-deterioration of the active ingredients) or other ingredients to guarantee product stability.
Next, all the components are heated to melt all the ingredients together in a vacuum vessel, commonly known as a reactor, fitted with thermal sheaths to minimize energy loss.
Depending on the choice of softgel envelope, different parameters are taken into account (temperature, mixing paddle and speed, etc.) to evaporate the water and obtain a homogeneous liquid melt with all the components.
The molten mass, cooled and drained from the tank, then spreads out on a rotating cooling drum to form a solid ribbon of gel.
Preparation of softgel contents
The contents of the softgel capsule are either in liquid, semi-solid, suspension or paste form.
This content is pre-mixed in a blender with qualified and calibrated parameters (temperature, blender paddle and speed...) to obtain a homogeneous solution to guarantee the exact composition of the softgel.
Encapsulation of soft capsule contents in the envelope
During the encapsulation phase, the active ingredients and the gelatin envelope unite to form the soft capsules.
The gelatin ribbons fed into the matrix roller system, which determines both the shape and size of the capsules, arrive from left to right in molds of sizes corresponding to the softgel capsule, as shown in the diagram below.
The tank containing the contents of the softgel capsule injects the liquid between the two gelatin ribbons using a pump.
These processes take place simultaneously, so that the machine feeds the gelatin ribbon as the injectors deliver the softgel contents.
At the same time, the die system cuts and hermetically seals the two halves of the gelatin ribbons.
Drying of softgels
The softgels, placed on drying tables, are then dried in dryers or tunnels with controlled temperature, humidity and circulating air to remove all residual moisture.