Acatris launches directly compressible SoyLife

Health ingredients firm Acatris has developed a directly compressible version of its SoyLife brand soy isoflavone ingredient, designed to remove some of the hurdles for companies looking to offer isoflavone capsules or tablets.

SoyLife is the Dutch firm's core product range, currently benefiting from the growth in products targeting menopause symptoms and related health risks.

However the company is now hoping to attract greater numbers of supplement makers with an isoflavone extract specially created for direct compression.

"In the US the market for soy isoflavones is more or less saturated but we feel there is still lots to do in Europe," Petra de Wit, marketing communication manager at Acatris told NutraIngredients.com.

Called SoyLife DC, the new product variant is granulated, the preferred format for tabletting over powder, as it is easier to handle.

The ingredient is also less dusty than powdered extracts and has a higher bulk density, according to Acatris.

It is currently available in 10 per cent and 40 per cent isoflavone concentrations, and like all SoyLife products, it is guaranteed non-GMO.

"It can be difficult to create a granulated version but here we managed to do so without any processing aids,"added Marian Verburggen, R&D manager at Acatris. "Often maltodextrin or lactose are used as a carrier for granulating but we have developed a soy-only ingredient."

Soy isoflavones are one of the most widely studied of natural products targeting menopausal women. Isoflavones are thought to have some effect on menopausal symptoms but have also been researched for their potential to protect against the increased risk of heart disease and osteoporosis that occurs among women after the menopause.