For many years, titanium dioxide (TiO2) has played a quiet but important role in the nutraceutical industry.
It has helped manufacturers to create tablets, capsules and coatings that look consistent, mask the colour of active ingredients and, importantly, protect sensitive nutrients from light-induced degradation by blocking visible light and UV radiation.
Its brightness and chemical inertness have also made it a reliable way to deliver the clean, white appearance that consumers often associate with quality, safety and consistency.
Yet the role of TiO2 is being reassessed. In the EU, titanium dioxide, also known as E171, has not been permitted as a food additive since August 2022.¹
Alongside regulatory scrutiny, changing consumer expectations and the wider push towards cleaner-label, lower-impact ingredients have accelerated the search for alternatives.
For nutraceutical brands, however, replacing TiO2 is not simply a matter of removing one ingredient and adding another.
It is a technical challenge that impacts formulation, production, sensory perception, stability and manufacturing economics, explains Dr Lukas Schertel (pictured), CEO and cofounder at Seprify.
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