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At SupplySide West, delivery systems providers talked about how they are taking capsules and softgels to the next level, presenting stiff competition to the ever-popular gummy.

Gummies may be the trendiest delivery vehicle in nutraceuticals at the moment. But one should not underestimate the advancements that capsule and softgel producers are making. These advancements are enabling these delivery forms to meet consumer demands for high performance and ingredient efficacy thanks to their protective and custom-release benefits—and, due to the industry’s ongoing innovation, they are now providing an even more pleasing consumer experience.

Proving It Works

The most important benefit softgels and capsules offer is good protection for ingredients in transit and during ingestion, ultimately rendering products more stable, bioavailable, and thus more effective. Consumers are guaranteed to get the health benefits they are paying for because these delivery systems, well, deliver. Softgels and capsules can also handle a high load of active ingredients—often higher than gummies can—while also masking any unpleasant ingredient flavors by nature of their encapsulation.

These benefits have long been touted by softgel and capsule providers, who also point out that their technologies can offer some advanced benefits like extended-release or custom-release profiles that enable product makers to dictate just how and when ingredients are absorbed in the user’s gastrointestinal tract, protecting the ingredients within until they reach the location where they should be released—for instance, remaining intact in the capsule until it reaches the large intestine.

Now, one company is offering additional data proving what makes its capsule designs so effective. At the SupplySide West trade show in Las Vegas in November, Nutritional Outlook interviewed representatives from capsules specialist Lonza Capsules & Health Ingredients (Greenwood, SC), who said the company recently completed a study providing more data on how its innovative branded capsule designs perform. These include Lonza's DRcaps (delayed-release HPMC capsules that protect ingredients from stomach acidity and only dissolve at an alkaline pH level), Vcaps (vegetarian HPMC capsules), and Vcaps Plus (immediate-release HPMC capsules without any gelling agents).

At the show, Zain Saiyed, PhD, FACN, head of global product development and innovation, explained why Lonza wanted to invest in the recent study. “We have different capsule polymers like DRcaps, Vcaps, and Vcaps Plus, and we wanted to understand, based on the capsule polymer type, where in the gut it delivers, and we especially wanted to focus on an ingredient like probiotics.” As an ingredient, probiotics require a delivery system that will protect against challenges like moisture.

Saiyed listed some of the results Lonza’s study unveiled revealing the superiority of its capsule forms. “When we tested different sets of polymers, we found that our DRcaps”—specifically, one that features a smaller capsule housed in a larger capsule, with the inner capsule providing delayed release and additional ingredient protection—“was able to deliver 46-times-higher viable probiotic compared to a standard, single-capsule delayed-release capsule,” he reported. (The probiotic strain tested was IFF Health’s Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-14 strain.)

The reasons for these better results, he said, is because the DRcaps capsule-in-a-capsule design “stabilizes” the probiotic ingredient within. Not only that, but it can also reduce costs for manufacturers by lessening the amount of ingredient overage that they previously needed to include to overcompensate for any loss in ingredient viability in a standard delivery vehicle. “For our customers, it helps because it’s increasing the stability and the viability, and they can reduce the overage," he said. "Probiotic overages may run anywhere from 300%-600%. So by delivering it in our delivery system, you can reduce the overage. So there is a cost-saving component as well.”

In addition to the DRcaps, Lonza also offers its DuoCap capsule-in-a-capsule technology, which likewise protects probiotics from moisture, with the hydroscopic glycerin capsule material further absorbing residual moisture, preventing it from penetrating the inner capsule.

Lonza offers many different capsule-release choices, giving manufacturers many ways to maximize the efficacy of their product. The choice depends on the target, said Amy Sunderman, director, R&D Ingredients, at SupplySide West. “It depends on what you’re trying to achieve,” she said. "That’s what Lonza is focused on. We have a lot of different solutions.”

For instance, she said, “Some people want something that releases right away; they don’t want it to be delayed. They want something that provides an immediate benefit, and we have a capsule that can do that” and release ingredients into the upper GI tract. Or, by contrast, companies seeking delayed release can choose an option like the DRcaps capsule-in-a-capsule which lets ingredients “get all the way to the ileum,” she said.

“So it depends on what the customer is looking for, really,” she added. “It’s not about which one is the best. One will be the best for this solution; one will be best for another solution.”

Competing with Gummies

Softgel and tablet manufacturers interviewed at the show said they aren’t concerned about losing permanent market share to gummies simply because their delivery technologies can do more and provide a more sophisticated, effective product to consumers, especially seasoned users who might be looking beyond the “fad” of a gummy and to a delivery system that maximizes product efficacy, they said.

These delivery systems also offer some benefits that many gummies don’t. For instance, gummies can be high in sugar, whereas capsules and softgels don’t require consumers to consume extra sugar, something that Soft Gel Technologies’ (Commerce, CA) President and CEO Steve Holtby pointed out at the show.

Kapish Karan, MS, global OSD leader at Ashland (Wilmington, DE), agreed. “Gummies are high in sugar. Some people offer reduced-sugar gummies, but you’re still consuming sugar.” To avoid this, more companies and consumers may turn to other alternative delivery vehicles that aren’t gummies but that still aren’t tablets or capsules, such as the organic chewable tablets and effervescent options Ashland is offering. For instance, said Karan, “With our organic chewable base, it’s clean-label, and we have a sugar-free option. So even if consumers are taking it, they’re getting a good mouthfeel but also not consuming a lot of sugar.”

Adding Pizazz to Pills

Ashland's Karan said that many consumers will still continue seeking out non-pill delivery formats. “I think a lot of people like that mouthfeel, the organoleptics, which you don’t get from your standard tablets and capsules," he said.

To this end, Lonza has also begun offering a new option that will satisfy consumers who still want a pill option but who also want an enhanced organoleptic experience. The company recently began adding flavor coatings to its capsules.

“One of the things that people look to gummies for is a pleasant experience,” said Saiyed. Lonza’s capsule flavor coatings can provide that “pleasant flavor experience” that consumers desire. And flavors can be paired to match the marketing of a product. For instance, Lonza offers food-based natural colors for its capsules. If you combine a lavender-flavored coating and a purple-colored capsule (a color which consumers tend to associate with sleep, he said), it can enhance the product’s marketing and consumer experience. And a pleasant experience can increase compliance, getting consumers to take their supplements regularly because they like the process of consuming them, he said.

Longevity for Capsules and Softgels

As a final thought, Lonza’s Sunderman noted that while a lot of first-time dietary supplement users, which the industry especially attracted during the COVID-19 pandemic as nutraceuticals usage skyrocketed, might find a gummy format more familiar and friendlier to start with compared to standard pills, once these consumers use supplements for longer and educate themselves on what works best, they may instead seek out other types of delivery systems.

“As people become more sophisticated supplement users, they’re looking for dosages, they’re looking for clinically backed ingredients,” Sunderman said. “So I think as consumers become more sophisticated and are looking for more specific benefits, they’ll come back to that delivery form and to some of these new designed-release options that are more scientific and more specific to the benefit they’re trying to achieve.”

Jimmie Allen will be down home tonight.

While the "In Our Blood" singer was scheduled to perform at the 56th annual Country Music Association Awards on Nov. 9, he announced that he had to drop out of the event at the last moment due to illness.

"I was looking forward to performing with my friends @zacbrownband and @realmarcusking at the @CountryMusicAwards," he said in a Nov. 9 tweet. "Unfortunately, I'm under the weather and won't be able to. I look forward to watching them and the other performers tonight."

The 2020 and 2021 Best New Artist nominee was scheduled to perform alongside Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan, Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert and more at "Country Music's Biggest Night."

Jimmie is currently on tour with Carrie Underwood for her Denim & Rhinestones concert series, with a show in Moline, Ill on Nov. 12. There's no news yet on how Jimmie's illness may affect the remainder of this year's dates.

Before joining his fellow American Idol alum on her tour, on Oct. 15 in Greenwood, S.C., Jimmie reflected on the role the competition has played in his music career.

"I got to meet so many great singers on the show," he exclusively told E! News in October. "And even though I didn't win or come in the top 10 or whatever, I learned so much from other singers. There's an opportunity to be surrounded by the best singers from each small town."

Allen, who was cut before the live voting rounds of season 10 of the singing competition in 2011, continued, "The relationships I've built with artists from the show—as well as people still working on the show—and having the opportunity to come back and be a mentor and share what I've learned from other artists, it's helped me a lot actually."

The CMA awards kick off at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 9 and will also feature performances from The Brothers Osborne with The War and Treaty, Luke Combs, Elle King featuring The Black Keys, Reba McEntire, Chris Stapleton and Patty Loveless, Thomas Rhett and Katy Perry and others.

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App

Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida men's basketball teams open their 2022-23 seasons on the road against basketball blue-bloods on Monday.

The Dolphins, coming off their first 20-win season in 11 years, will play at Duke at 7 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Arena in Durham, N.C., (ACC Network) and UNF, which returns seven of its top-eight scorers from last season, plays at Gonzaga in Seattle, Wash., at 9 p.m.

JU plays the first game against Duke under coach Jon Scheyer, who took over after Mike Krzyzewski coached the Blue Devils for 42 years.

JU will open at home on Friday against Johnson University, at 2 p.m.

The JU and UNF women's teams open at home on Monday. The Dolphins play host to Johnson at 11 a.m. and the Ospreys welcome Warner University of Lake Wales to UNF Arena at 7 p.m.

Edward Waters men will play at North Carolina A&T on Monday at 6 p.m. and opens at home on Sunday against Paine College, at 3 p.m.

Men

Nov. 7

Trinity Baptist at Johnson University (Fla.), 5 p.m.

Edward Waters at North Carolina A&T, 6 p.m.

Jacksonville at Duke, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)

North Florida at Gonzaga, 9 p.m.

Nov. 10

Trinity College at Welch (Tenn.), 8 p.m.

Nov. 11

Johnson at Jacksonville, 2 p.m.

Flagler vs. Southern Wesleyan (S.C.) at Greenwood, S.C., 4:30 p.m.

North Florida at Washington, 11 p.m. (PAC 12 Network)

Nov. 12

Trinity Baptist at Georgia Southern (exhibition), 2 p.m.

Flagler vs. Anderson (S.C.) at Greenwood, S.C., 4:30 p.m.

Nov. 13

Paine College (Ga.) at Edward Waters, 3 p.m.

Women

Nov. 7

Johnson at Jacksonville, 11 a.m.

Trinity Baptist at Wesleyan College (Ga.), 6 p.m.

Warner Christian (Fla.) at North Florida, 7 p.m.

Nov. 9

Jacksonville at Kansas, 8 p.m.

Nov. 10

Trinity Baptist at Welch (Tenn.), 6 p.m.

College of Charleston (S.C.) at North Florida, 7 p.m.

Nov. 11

Flagler at Wise (Va.), 4 p.m.

Nov. 12

St. Catherine's (Minn.) at Trinity Baptist, 12 p.m.

Flagler vs. Anderson (S.C.) at Wise, Va., 2 p.m.

Nov. 13

North Florida at Wisconsin, 2 p.m.

Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @GSmitter

COLUMBIA, S.C. – E.A. Sween Company, a leading supplier in the ready-to-eat sandwich industry, today announced plans to establish operations in Greenwood County. The company is investing $38 million and creating 300 new jobs.

Founded in 1955, E.A. Sween Company is a third generation, private company that produces and ships sandwiches and other ready-to-eat products nationally. Its brands include Deli Express®, Market Sandwich®, San Luis® Burritos and Simply Delicious® Bakery. The company sells more than 100 million sandwiches annually.

Located at 5730 Highway 25 North in Hodges, E.A. Sween Company’s new Greenwood County operation will be critical in helping to double the capacity of the company’s sandwich production. When the facility is fully operational, the company expects to produce an additional 75 million sandwiches a year.

The facility is expected to be online in the third quarter of 2023. Individuals interested in joining the E.A. Sween Company team should visit the company’s careers page.

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development has approved job development credits related to this project.

QUOTES

“The entire E.A. Sween Company team is thrilled to announce our new Greenwood County location. From the moment we first visited the community, we knew it was a perfect fit. South Carolina is a place where people, partnerships, relationships and opportunity matter to everyone we came across. This is an incredibly important moment in our history as we expand our business and bring quality products closer to our customers in the Southeast and beyond.” -E.A. Sween Company President and CEO Tom H. Sween

“When an industry leader like E.A. Sween Company locates in South Carolina, it’s further proof that our state’s business-friendly environment and talented workforce offer companies the recipe for success. Congratulations to E.A. Sween Company, and we welcome them to the Greenwood County community.” -Gov. Henry McMaster

“E.A. Sween Company’s $38 million investment and the 300 new jobs they are creating are big wins not just for Greenwood County, but for all of South Carolina. We are excited to welcome them to Greenwood County and look forward to a strong business partnership for many years to come.” -Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III

"This is an exciting time for Greenwood County. Today’s announcement is one of great importance as it is not only the largest number of jobs created in our county since 2013, but also because we are welcoming a wonderful, family-owned company into our community and into our North Greenwood Industrial Park spec building. We are appreciative of E.A. Sween Company’s belief in our county and that our taxpayers and county leaders had the foresight that allowed us to develop the land and construct this building. We thank E.A. Sween Company for their investment and wish them tremendous success."-Greenwood County Council Chairman Chuck Moates

“E.A. Sween Company’s decision to locate their newest facility in Greenwood shows that the Upstate continues to be a key location for food and beverage companies. Our region’s proximity to consumer markets and logistical advantages, combined with an available, trained workforce, makes Upstate South Carolina an ideal location as companies look for an East Coast location. Congratulations to Greenwood County on this great win.” -Upstate SC Alliance President and CEO John Lummus

The latest on the investigation into the fights that cancelled the Greenwood jamboree on Friday

GREENWOOD, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office said 23 people were charged following the fights that broke out during the Greenwood High School jamboree on Friday, August 12.

On Thursday, deputies said the number of people charged rose to 23. According to deputies, they’re reviewing the footage from the department, the district and those who witnessed the fight.

The sheriff’s office also said the individuals received the following charges:

On Sunday, Greenwood District 50 announced that schools would operate on a normal schedule on Monday despite the fights. However, officials said there was more law enforcement and staff at each school for precautionary reasons. The district announced this plan in the following statement from Superintendent Dr. Steve Glenn.

“Greenwood School District 50 will operate on a normal schedule tomorrow, Monday, August 15th. Local law enforcement has questioned multiple individuals that were involved in the incident that occurred at Friday night’ s Greenwood High School Jamboree. At this time, there have been no threats made to any of our schools. Most of the individuals who were involved in Friday night’ s altercation have been identified and will be disciplined according to the law and School Board policy. This type of behavior will not be tolerated in our school district. Those who choose to disrupt our schools and functions happening on our campuses will be prosecuted to the fullest extent. As a precaution, we will have additional law enforcement and staff in our schools and around our campuses on Monday morning. Our job as educators is to teach our children. As always, we will continue to work with our school administration and law enforcement to provide a safe learning environment for our students and staff on a daily basis.”

This was the second statement that the district gave on the fights. On Saturday morning, Greenwood District 50 released the following regarding the incident at the jamboree.

“Last night, the Greenwood Jamboree was cancelled due to multiple juveniles fighting near the concession stand. The juveniles involved in the altercations were from numerous schools participating in the Jamboree. There were no gunshots fired during the incident. Law enforcement was on the scene and responded swiftly to resolve the altercations.

Multiple individuals sustained injuries during the incident and those with major injuries were transported by EMS to Self Regional. The incident is currently under investigation by law enforcement and individuals involved in the altercations were taken into custody. Individuals involved in this incident will be prosecuted and disciplined to the fullest extent of the law and School Board policy.

We take these matters very seriously and will work with law enforcement to make sure these incidents will not take place in the future. Please know that along with all of our standard safety protocols and procedures, we will be implementing other safety measures at future events. As always, our top priority is the safety of our students, staff, and community. We appreciate your support in helping to keep our students, staff and community safe.”

According to officials, law enforcement at the game responded to resolve the incident, but no shots were fired.

“We just had a few juveniles get into a fight we had several different fights in different areas,” said Greenwood County Sheriff Dennis Kelly, “people out at concession area not watching football games, don’t know what they were fighting about at this point, still doing investigating on that end.”

The Sheriff’s Office later shared a post asking for information about this incident.

The incident is under investigation by law enforcement.

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