Capsule Size & Approximate Volume
5 = 78 mg. – 156 mg.
4 = 120 mg. – 240 mg.
3 = 150 mg. – 300 mg.
2 = 200 mg. – 400 mg.
1 = 300 mg. – 600 mg.
0 = 400 mg. – 800 mg.
0E = 462 mg. – 924 mg.
00 = 600 mg. – 1100 mg.
000 = 800 mg. – 1600 mg.
Plantcaps® Vegetarian Capsules
Plantcaps® capsules are vegetarian capsules made from pullulan – naturally fermented from tapioca – for a more extensive and distinctive appeal to the booming and discerning healthy lifestyle market worldwide.
New Plantcaps® capsules help protect ingredients and healthy lifestyles.
Plantcaps® capsules from Capsugel are the new premium capsules designed for the needs of the growing and very discerning healthy lifestyle market.
- In the U.S., 35 percent of supplement users say vegetarian source is important when choosing a supplement—up from 26 percent in 2006. This group is among the most frequent users of supplements.
- In a study of European supplement users, more than 45 percent said they would be more likely to purchase a supplement if they knew it was in a vegetarian capsule.
Plantcaps® capsules provide the premier balance of performance and purity for healthy lifestyle consumers who are looking for naturally healthy attributes in the products they buy. Made from tapioca which is naturally fermented into pullulan, a starch-free vegetarian capsule, Plantcaps capsules speak to the needs of the most discerning consumers.
Everything your green consumers want in a capsule. Nothing they don’t.
- All the benefits of gelatin in a vegetarian capsule
- Organic label language allowed in the U.S. when filled with organic ingredients
- The more natural alternative, starch-free, gluten-free, preservative-free, vegetable origin and non-GMO; Gras status, Halal and Kosher certifications
- New patent-pending formulation provides robust performance with a wide range of ingredients
- The best oxygen barrier properties
- Suitable for Asian regulatory environments
DRcaps® capsules, the new vegetarian capsule for the food supplements market with acid-resistant features Purpose.
Consumers may refuse supplements that contain ingredients with a strong odor or taste, or that cause digestive discomfort after consumption.
Capsugel, through its continuous innovation strategy, created a plant-based capsule which is acid-resistant, delaying opening in the stomach while dissolving in the intestine. These features may help to prevent digestive discomfort.
The objective of this consumer study was to confirm that DRcaps® capsules help to control smell before consumption and limit bad aftertaste after. We compared the consumer reaction when ingesting DRcaps® capsules vs. tablets composed with the same ingredients.
Ingredients:
Hypromellose Structure
Gellan gum Gelling
agent
Composition per capsule part Body represents about 60% of the capsule weight
Regulatory references
Name of excipient(s) E Nr C.I. Nr Function Reference / Monograph standard
Hypromellose E464 Structure 2008/84/EC, EP, JP, USP/NF
Gellan gum E418 Gelling agent 2008/84/EC, JSFA, 21 CFR
DBcaps® capsules are also available in a convenient Capsule Caddy™ Container *, perfect for clinical trial batches and R&D projects.
Capsugel® Vcaps® Plus are immediate-release vegetarian HPMC capsules from Lonza. Open this section to view the complete official brochure page by page.
Lonza UC-II® eBook — official UC-II® ingredient information and educational material.
Because the quality you cannot see is often the quality that matters most.
When buying empty capsules, do not judge quality only by colour, transparency, appearance or price. First check who the actual manufacturer is and ask what quality documents, testing information and certificates the manufacturer can provide.
Tips for Choosing High-Quality Empty Capsules
A responsible capsule manufacturer should be able to provide documented evidence showing how its capsules are manufactured, controlled, tested and traced. Before buying, look for the following:
- Certificate of Analysis (COA) — lot-specific information and test results against established specifications.
- GMP / recognised manufacturing quality systems — evidence that manufacturing is performed under documented controls.
- ISO quality management certification — where applicable to the manufacturing site.
- Food-safety or pharmaceutical-excipient certification — such as FSSC 22000 or EXCiPACT, where applicable.
- Raw-material control and supplier qualification — controls should begin before capsule manufacturing starts.
- Manufacturing environment and hygiene controls — the production environment should be controlled and monitored.
- Microbiological and physico-chemical specifications — quality should be measured against defined specifications, not assumed from appearance.
- Batch / lot traceability — the product should be traceable from incoming materials through manufacturing to shipment.
- Technical and composition documentation — so buyers can understand what the capsule is made from and the standards it is designed to meet.
- Independent dietary or product certifications — such as Vegetarian, Vegan, Kosher, Halal or Non-GMO certification where relevant and applicable to that specific product/site.
Lonza / Capsugel®: An Example of Documented Capsule Quality
Lonza states that it provides a Certificate of Analysis with every capsule order, containing lot-specific details and test results against established specifications. Its published capsule-quality information also describes approved-vendor qualification, supplier auditing and monitoring, manufacturing controls, extended traceability, microbiological quality controls and validated release testing.
Lonza also publishes manufacturing-site certifications including ISO 9001, FSSC 22000 and EXCiPACT. Certification applicability varies by capsule type, polymer and manufacturing site, so the relevant documentation should always be checked for the specific capsule being purchased.
What You See — and What You Don’t
What you see: a simple empty capsule.
What you don’t see: raw-material controls · supplier qualification · manufacturing environment controls · process controls · microbiological and physico-chemical specifications · release testing · batch traceability · quality documentation.
A Simple Question to Ask Before Buying
“Who manufactures these capsules, and can I see the manufacturer’s quality documents?”
If a seller cannot identify the actual manufacturer or provide meaningful quality documentation, there is much less objective information available to judge the capsule’s manufacturing quality.
A capsule may look simple. The quality system behind it is not.
Pure Capsules® is a distributor and selector of capsule products from different manufacturers; we are not the manufacturer. Manufacturer certifications and specifications can vary by product and manufacturing site.
