Quatrefolic® has been accepted for use as an alternative to folic acid for dietary supplementation, according to the NDI (New Dietary Ingredient) notification submitted to FDA. The intended uses of Quatrefolic® and use levels will be same as that of folic acid, expressed on the basis of the « Recommended Dietary Allowances for Folate for Children and Adults ».
Reference: Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes: Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid, biotin, and choline. National Academy Press. Washington, DC, 1998. »
Formulating flexibility and maximum versatility for today’s best-finished products. The versatility of an active ingredient is a crucial aspect in the development of a finished nutraceutical product, capable of ensuring its market success.
Quatrefolic® gives consumer product developers and marketers the ability to expand their range of products by combining it with other nutritional ingredients, or on its own, adding it to traditional oral forms and beverages.
By merging three different pillars of ingredient versatility – easy handling, room stability and high water solubility – Quatrefolic® owns extended formulation flexibility and is suitable to satisfy the easy-to-use market demands of manufacturers and consumers, fulfilling their expectations.
Finished products with Quatrefolic® include conventional solid dosage forms such as tablets capsules, microencapsulated powders and granulates but also easy-to-go formulations in sachets or sticks to be used « as it is » or dissolved in instant drinks, according to the field of application and the target of consumers.
The human body is composed of more than 65% of water and any active ingredient, to be adsorbed, must be present in the form of solution at the site of absorption. High water solubility of Quatrefolic®, 100 times more than the calcium salt derivative, is extremely important because the product may be better absorbed by mucosal cells which may facilitate access to the blood and circulation with the potential for improved bioavailability.
The extremely higher water solubility of Quatrefolic® is derived from two specific characteristics of the ingredient:
the glucosamine salifying agent
and the amorphous chemical structure of the product.
Quatrefolic® is successfully used in conventional formulations such as tablets, capsules both hard and soft types. Tablets, the most popular and lowest-cost type of dosage, require time to be broken down but the high solubility of Quatrefolic® in water guarantees its right release and absorption even when added to tablets able to bypass the stomach, releasing it in the intestines where absorption also takes place.
Capsules with easy-to-swallow characteristics are widely used in supplements. People like capsules also because they can open them and use all or part of it.
Soft gels own broad flexibility to deliver compounds in solution while offering users the convenience of a solid dosage form. Quatrefolic®, even if it is a water-soluble ingredient, can also be added to oil formulations used in Softgels being available as fine powder that guarantees perfect dispensability.
Quatrefolic® is suitable for the preparation of instant drinks thanks to its stability in water. Dosages dissolve quickly without leaving any residue, even in cold water. Quatrefolic® supports rapid absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. Instant drinks are relatively new and very popular among the all age group. Their use is growing because instant drinks are an easy way to take vitamins and dietary supplements in many markets. Individual sachets contain a single dose of powder or granules that dissolves in water, making it easy to dose and to swallow.
Elderly, children and people with specific problems to swallow, may take advantage from a drink containing Quatrefolic® the real soluble folate with a surprisingly high solubility in water, compared with the slight solubility of folic acid and (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolate calcium salt.
Quatrefolic® has been approved as Food Additive by the Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China (MOH) and is officially listed in the regulation GB 2760-2011-NATIONAL STANDARD OF FOOD SECURITY: Usage Standard of Food Additives, in the category related to Instant Drinks preparation.
Given its exceptional properties Quatrefolic® is also suitable for non-conventional dosage formulations such as granular and powdered microencapsulated forms delivered in sachets and powder blends. It can be added to chewable tablets, with the great advantage of not requiring water, which means they can be taken at any time and in any place, for people on-the-go. Chewable tablets overcome swallowing difficulties and increase consumers’ compliance.
