Introduction
Nowadays dietary supplements are occasionally labelled gastro-resistant. Often the question arises what does gastro-resistant mean and what is it good for? This blog will give more insight into gastro-resistant supplements and their technical characteristics.
Gastro-resistance
Gastro-resistance
When a dietary supplement is labelled as gastro-resistant, the supplement is resistant to being broken down by the gastric acids in the gastric system. Gastro-resistant tablets are made to prevent the absorption of the nutrients in the stomach. By preventing breakdown in the stomach, gastro-resistance allows nutrients to pass through to the intestines, where the enteric coating dissolves due to the higher pH environment.
Other functions of enteric coatings include masking of the taste and smell. In addition, enteric coatings can help to make products more stable by preventing chemical reactions of active ingredients that are sensitive to light, oxygen, or humidity.
Enteric coatings
Enteric coating
To make dietary supplements gastro-resistant, enteric coatings are added. These enteric coatings prevent breakdown by gastric acids. Enteric coatings resist the acidic environment of the stomach and are broken down in the higher pH environment of the intestinal fluid. The enteric coatings mostly consist of surface material that is stable at very acidic pH values found in the stomach but are broken down at higher, alkaline pH values found in the small intestine.
An enteric coating normally consists of materials such as fatty acids, waxes, plastics, shellac, and plant fibers.
Gastro-resistant supplements
Gastro-resistant dietary supplements
Regarding the application of enteric coatings in dietary supplements, they are mainly applied to probiotics. This prevents the probiotics from being broken down by gastric acids, allowing them to reach the intestines intact.
Gastro-resistant coatings are also applied to fish oil supplements. In this case the coatings are used to reduce the typical fishy taste/smell that is associated with fish oil tablets.
Enteric coatings are sometimes applied to fat-soluble vitamins, as these vitamins are typically absorbed in the intestinal tract rather than the stomach. Fat-soluble vitamins include vitamin A, D, E, and K.
We Advise on Gastro-resistant supplements
Gastro-resistance prevents nutrients to be broken down by gastric acids. A supplement is made gastro-resistant by applying an enteric coating. Enteric coatings are commonly applied to probiotics, fish oils, and fat-soluble vitamins.
References
References
GmbH, G. P. (2022, 26 juli). Coating – knowledge food supplements. Goerlich Pharma. https://www.goerlich-pharma.com/en/refinement-technology-dietary-supplements/
Patel, H., & Solanki, N. (2012). Gastro resistant drug delivery system: A review. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289466207_Gastro_resistant_drug_delivery_system_A_review
Terracina, F., Caruana, R., Bonomo, F. P., Montalbano, F., & Licciardi, M. (2022). Gastro-Resistant Microparticles Produced by Spray-Drying as Controlled Release Systems for Liposoluble Vitamins. Pharmaceutics, 14(7), 1480. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14071480
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