Gelatin-free capsules are based on potato starch

Swiss Caps, based in Kirchberg, St Gallen, has launched the first soft capsule made entirely from vegetable raw materials. The new generation of soft capsules, called VegaGels, are 100% plant based and contain only starch and lipids with no synthetic additives.

Potato starch is the principal ingredient of the transparent, smooth, flexible film, which can be shaped, filled, and packaged just like gelatin. As a further advantage, the company claims the production process consumes considerably less energy than conventional gelatin-based capsules because the drying stage is eliminated. Additionally, the process requires no solvents and generates no environmentally problematic by-products.

Swiss Caps owner, Paul Greither, said, 'They are free of taste and odour, easily digestible and convenient to swallow. Like conventional softgel capsules, they dissolve quickly in the digestive tract; moreover, they can be accurately sized, universally shaped and liquid filled.'

With an estimated world market for softgel capsules of US$1bn, demand for the product is expected to rise.