Jellies, soft gels, and ready-to-drink powders are some of the new ways to consume tocotrienol, a vitamin E compound that has cardiovascular benefits.
Currently, non-pill supplements in the market include Morimoto’s kale powder in sachet sticks, which can be dissolved in liquids.
Zemvelo’s oral dissolving films enable direct absorption through the oral mucosa, and Dr Best’s soft gels offer a more palatable way to ingest supplements.
All of the above contains 50g tocotrienol per dose.
These products are in response to the rising interest in non-pill food formats.
According to PhytoGaia’s vice president Bryan See, this trend is particularly obvious in Malaysia and other Asian regions.
“This reflects a wider market shift where consumers are increasingly seeking preventive solutions through convenient, non-pill food formats. For example, oat and wholegrain cereal foods fortified with micronutrients and phytonutrients are being developed to support cardiovascular health,” said See.
Major brands like Nestlé and Marigold have also capitalised on this trend by fortifying their milk products with plant sterols to aid in lowering cholesterol.
“These developments reflect a significant shift towards functional foods and beverages in the market. While exact proportions of client companies focusing on these formats versus traditional supplement formats can vary, it is evident that the interest in non-pill options is growing significantly across the industry,” said See.
He observed that traditional supplement formats still hold 70% of the market share, but the non-pill food segment is growing.
The company will be exhibiting at next week's Vitafoods Asia in Bangkok.
Drivers of the shift towards non-pill supplements
See attributes the shift to a few factors.
Evolving regulations play a part in supporting diverse supplement formats. In Malaysia, for instance, the government has approved two nutritional claims for foods and beverage products enriched with tocotrienols, which will drive new product development in this area.
Additionally, pill formats often require a longer approval process, with registration and approval for pill supplements taking between six months to a year in parts of Asia. In contrast, food formats can be launched in the market within a few months due to shorter regulatory processes.
Secondly, pills can be difficult for the elderly to swallow. This problem can be overcome with a format that is easier to ingest. For example, Happy Family’s konjac jelly packs tocotrienol, tocopherol, and other actives for skin and eye health in a 20g stick. This same amount of ingredients would not have fit into a pill.
Lastly, people are increasingly educated about health and wellness, prompting them to be selective about foods and supplements. This aligns with the holistic wellness approach, where taste and convenience are expected.
Well-informed consumers are also focusing more on efficacy, which is driving greater interest in tocotrienol over tocopherol.
Tocotrienol vs tocopherol
“Like Omega-3 DHA and EPA, which are superior to saturated fatty acids in promoting a healthy heart and mind, tocotrienols, the unsaturated form of Vitamin E is more potent and superior for cardiovascular and brain health, particularly the gamma-tocotrienol for heart health and alpha-tocotrienol for brain-protection. Additionally, the antioxidant activity of tocotrienol was reported to be 40 to 60 times more potent than the regular vitamin E tocopherol,” said Dr Ariati Aris, scientific affairs specialist at PhytoGaia.
This suggests that tocotrienol could play a pivotal role in managing and potentially reducing the global burden of cardiovascular disease.
Heart health is one of the main concerns in Asia due to the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in the region. In 2023, the World Health Organization reported that cardiovascular diseases account for 3.9 million deaths in the Southeast Asian region every year, and most of them were preventable.
“Although tocotrienols are naturally present in our diet, relying solely on food sources is often insufficient. A Japanese study found that daily intake of tocotrienols from food ranges from one to two milligrams a day, which is very low,” said Dr Aris.
According to Dr Aris, the recommended daily dosage of tocotrienol is 30 to 50g for a healthy individual and 50 to 100g for those with cardiovascular needs.
Upcoming launches will encompass a diverse range of formats to cater to the evolving preferences of consumers. These include traditional supplements formats such as capsules and tablets, as well as innovative non-pill food formats.
The firm has two proprietary ingredients that are suitable for a variety of delivery formats.
TocoGaiaTM is a full spectrum tocotrienols/tocopherol complex, consisting predominantly of d-alpha-tocotrienol, d-beta-tocotrienol, d gamma-tocotrienol, d-delta-tocotrienol and d-alpha-tocopherol.
STGaia™ is a unique synergistic palm phytonutrient extract predominantly consisting of plant squalene, as well as the full spectrum of tocotrienols/tocopherol complex.
Currently, the firm is conducting an in vitro study with researchers from a Malaysian university. This ongoing research assesses the efficacy of STGaia™, where researchers will evaluate the effect of tocotrienol and squalene on artherosclerosis.