Technology platform
Functional pellets are small multiparticulate ingredient units whose core and coating are engineered for a defined release or protection profile. This is the most differentiated platform NexaGens operates, and the reason is architectural rather than chemical.
Most sustained-release ingredients are supplied as a finished profile. You take the curve the manufacturer chose. If your product needs 40% immediate and 60% over eight hours rather than the ratio on offer, you cannot get there.
NexaGens supplies release profiles as independent modules. You choose the ratio. That only works if the populations are physically matched — which is why every pellet intended for blending is specified to a 500–850 µm size range with matched bulk density and shape.
Populations that differ in size, shape or density segregate during blending, transfer and capsule filling. The dose per capsule then drifts and the dissolution result stops matching the blend you designed. Physical matching is not a detail; it is the whole mechanism.
| Type | What the coating does | Release profile |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate release (IR) | Minimal coating; rapid disintegration | NLT 80% at 30 min |
| Sustained release SR-4 | Diffusion-controlling membrane | 15–30% at 1 h; 40–65% at 2 h; NLT 85% at 4 h |
| Sustained release SR-8 | Lower-permeability membrane | 10–20% at 1 h; 20–40% at 2 h; 45–65% at 4 h; NLT 85% at 8 h |
| Taste- and odour-masked IR | Saliva-resistant, gastric-soluble sensory barrier | NMT 10% in simulated saliva at 2 min; NLT 80% gastric at 60 min |
| Enteric | pH-responsive outer layer | NMT 10% after 2 h gastric; NLT 80% within 60 min intestinal |
| Stability-protected IR | Opaque or antioxidant barrier, no intentional delay | Protection profile stated per product |
Dissolution is by Ph. Eur. 2.9.3. Release and dissolution data is included in the product documentation where applicable.
| Parameter | Why it is specified |
|---|---|
| Active assay | Label claim; also falls as coating weight rises, which is why SR-8 loads lower than IR |
| Particle size distribution | Decides whether a blend survives handling. D10/D50/D90 by sieve or laser diffraction |
| Bulk and tapped density | Segregation behaviour and capsule-fill weight |
| Coating weight gain | The primary process variable controlling the release rate |
| Dissolution profile | Multiple time points, with batch-to-batch variability at each |
| Dissolution after processing | Capsule filling and tableting can damage a membrane. Pre-process data alone is not enough |
| Friability | Mechanical robustness through downstream handling |
| Moisture | Affects both coating performance and core stability |
All twelve products are at Qualified status: manufactured, released against a confirmed specification and held in stock. Each production batch is supplied with a batch-specific Certificate of Analysis. Documentation available per ingredient includes the TDS, product specification, COA, SDS, allergen, GMO, irradiation and BSE-TSE statements, stability documentation, composition, storage and handling, the microbiological specification, and release / dissolution data where applicable. Six further pellets — sodium butyrate, Lactobacillus acidophilus, protease, lipase, amylase and stability-protected algal DHA — are in development and not currently supplied. That means the enzyme and probiotic proposition, where activity-unit rather than weight-based specification is essential, is not yet available. We would rather state that than imply a broader range.
See the twelve products · Modified release · Enteric and intestinal delivery
Ingredient portfolio
Compare available ingredients, then review the formulation objective and controlled documentation relevant to your intended application.
Product code NG-PEL-001
Format: Enteric Functional Pellet Release: Enteric / intestinal
Single-active enteric functional pellet designed for oxygen and moisture sensitivity and gastric exposure. ...
Product code NG-PEL-002
Format: Stability-Protected IR Pellet Release: Protected immediate release; no intentional delay
Single-active stability-protected ir pellet designed for light, oxygen and heat sensitivity without intenti...
Product code NG-PEL-003
Format: Stability-Protected IR Pellet Release: Protected immediate release; no intentional delay
Single-active stability-protected ir pellet designed for oxidation, light and heat sensitivity with rapid p...
Product code NG-PEL-004
Format: Enteric Oil Pellet Release: Enteric / intestinal
Single-active enteric oil pellet designed for volatility, odour, oil leakage and gastric-stage release. NLT...
Product code NG-PEL-005
Format: Taste- and Odour-Masked IR Pellet Release: Taste-masked immediate release
Single-active taste- and odour-masked ir pellet designed for strong sulphur taste and odour while retaining...
Product code NG-PEL-006
Format: Taste- and Odour-Masked IR Pellet Release: Taste-masked immediate release
Single-active taste- and odour-masked ir pellet designed for strong taste, fishy odour, hygroscopicity and ...
Problem pathway
Knowledge