Ashland Inc. Debuts Natural Colors for Nutraceutical Tablet Coating

Ashland Specialty Ingredients (Wilmington, DE), part of Ashland Inc., has introduced its Aquarius line of natural colors for coating nutraceutical tablets. Derived from vegetable, animal, and mineral sources, the organic and inorganic compounds will debut at the upcoming SupplySide West trade show.

“Efforts by others to deliver a natural product to coat nutritional supplements have not been consistent,” says Tom Durig, PhD, RPh, technical director for pharmaceutical and food ingredients, Ashland Specialty Ingredients. “Our scientists were able to eliminate natural colorants that are historically unstable and problematic, as well as minimize our offering containing aluminum-based lakes in anticipation of future restrictions.”

He adds, “There is little overlap between colorants permitted in the U.S. and those permitted in the EU. Our natural colors collection clearly designates solutions that comply with regulatory requirements for these regions of the world.”