01.01.04
Degussa Food Ingredients has launched Leci-PS® 20V phosphatidylserine (PS), a patent-pending formulation that provides enhanced stability for soft gel encapsulation. According to the company, the new product resolves two issues, which typically lead to the degradation of PS (phosphatidylserine) in soft gels, resulting in a loss of stability. Researchers have revealed that in typical soft gel encapsulation, even the highest quality PS is subject to an increase in moisture content due to moisture migration from the wet capsule shell into its fill. This activity adversely affects PS stability, since PS is prone to hydrolysis (a degradation reaction) caused by moisture inherent in the soft gel manufacturing process. The new Leci-PS 20V from Degussa, a pasty semi-solid product that melts at just above room temperature, was formulated to overcome this issue. In further laboratory investigations, the R&D team detected the presence of phosphatidylglycerol (PG) in some commercially available PS soft gelatin capsules, which is formed by a reaction of PS with glycerol, the plasticizing agent in gelatin used for the soft gel robe. The Degussa team also showed that in PG positive samples, PS losses were caused by residual amounts of the enzyme phospholipase D (PLD), which is used during PS manufacture. As an interfacial enzyme, PLD is activated along the soft gel robe/fill interface, where PLD converts PS into PG, thereby compromising the ability to keep PS stable in the soft gel product.