Folate (vitamin B9) is necessary for numerous body processes, including DNA synthesis and repair, proper cellular division, and amino acid metabolism. Adequate folate intake can benefit consumers of all ages as it supports fertility, pregnancy, menopause, and heart and cognitive health. However, reproductive-age females express the greatest need to ensure healthy offspring and reduce the risk of congenital disabilities.
One issue that has plagued folate formulators is creating liquid supplements (e.g., oily liquid suspensions, oral sprays, and complex softgels). Liquid supplements are gaining popularity due to their ease of consumption and potential for faster absorption. The global market for them was valued at USD 29.2 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow.
And yet, this consumer-friendly delivery application has been a long-standing challenge for formulators and brand owners. Until now.
The new Quatrefolic® convenient formulation solution
One of the hurdles for formulating folate in liquid supplements is that traditional folate ingredients are typically salt-formulated with old compounds (synthetic form or calcium salts), affecting their solubility in liquid supplements. Gnosis offers folate that is anything but traditional—Quatrefolic®, the most bioavailable form of folate, 5-MTHF, is in a glucosamine salt, which provides superior stability and bioavailability, ensuring the body can utilize folate efficiently and quickly.
Still, Gnosis has pushed innovation even further with Quatrefolic® Fine Powder, which is designed to deliver active folate in ultra-fine particles and was developed explicitly for use in oily liquid suspensions, oral sprays, and complex softgels.
Most recently, Gnosis has filed a formulation patent for the use of Quatrefolic® Fine Powder in oily liquid products.
The key innovation lies in suspending the active Quatrefolic® ingredient in a blend of medium-chain triglyceride oil and stearin. This proprietary formulation process eliminates the risk of sedimentation, enhances the suspension capacity in oil, and improves the folate's overall chemical and physical stability.
Further, the patent discloses that Gnosis's unique formulation process eliminates sedimentation risk, ensures greater suspension capacity in oil, and enhances chemical and physical stability. The formulation was tested for active ingredient stability (accelerated study at temperatures up to 40°C and RH 75%) without showing any drop in potency or color changes.
By addressing the limitations of traditional aqueous-based folate formulations, Gnosis is enabling manufacturers to develop innovative, high-quality offerings for discerning consumers.