Vitaquest International acquires powder processing facility from Ashland

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Vitaquest International (West Caldwell, NJ) has announced the acquisition of the Paterson, NJ-based powder processing facility from Pharmachem Laboratories which is a division of Ashland, Inc. According to Vitaquest’s press release the facility has been recognized as an industry-leading developer and manufacturer of specialty granulated bulk ingredients since 1978. With the acquisition, says Vitaquest, the company will now be able to provide application specific product development, as well as pilot and commercial manufacturing solutions using fluid bed technology for granulation, agglomeration, microencapsulation, drying & blending of liquid and powder ingredients. This new capability will be branded as VQ Technologies.

Granulation within the fluid bed process, explains Vitaquest in a press release, creates denser, more uniform particles from lighter, less uniform powders, resulting in less dust and caking, thus improving flow, compaction, and compression properties for tablets and capsule manufacturing. Agglomeration creates larger, porous powders from loose particulars to improve flow, performance and appearance in food, beverage, and dietary supplement powders, while microencapsulation creates a barrier coating on particles to offer modified characteristics for specific challenges such as sensory or stability.

“Powder and particle engineering are important parts of creating the highest quality, most effective products and have long been a part of our manufacturing mix. Most companies in our industry outsource this highly specialized capability,” said Patrick Brueggman, president and CEO of Vitaquest, in a press release. “Bringing this capability in-house, builds on our TotalQ commitment to quality, gives us the ability to broaden our product offerings, and helps our customers get to market faster. This is an important step for us, and we feel like it sets us apart from other companies in our industry.”