The St. Louis, Missouri-based company launched the calcium magnesium citrate co-salt at the SupplySide Marketplace trade show in New York, and is offering two forms of the ingredient – a purified powder, and a purified granular.
Andy Clutter, market manager for Jost Chemical Co., told NutraIngredients-USA that dry blends of magnesium and calcium citrates pose significant formulation problems due to solidification when mixed with water.
Jost’s new co-salt, however, stays in suspension and alleviates solidification, hardening and flowability issues.
The ingredient, launched at the show, is produced by a proprietary process and contains calcium and magnesium in a 2:1 ratio.
“Homogeneity and segregation studies have demonstrated that the co-salt is a unique blend of calcium citrate and magnesium citrate,” said the company.
The ingredient already has a positive new dietary ingredient (NDI) decision from the US Food & Drug Administration, said Clutter.
The granular form of the ingredient has enhanced compressibility for tablets, added the company
Minerals
Calcium is well known to be vital for bone and dental health, and it also helps to maintain a regular heartbeat and transmission of nerve impulses.
Magnesium is critical for regulating the neuromuscular activity of the heart, and a recent meta-analysis supported the mineral’s ability to reduce blood pressure (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, doi:10.1038/ejcn.2012.4).
Dietary sources of magnesium include green, leafy vegetables, meats, starches, grains and nuts, and milk. Earlier dietary surveys show that a large portion of adults does not meet the RDA for magnesium (320 mg per day for women and 420 mg per day for men).
Microencapsulation
Jost Chemicals also announced in New York that it was adding microencapsulation to its manufacturing capabilities. Initial offering include copper gluconate and ferrous fumarate, sinc oxide, and ferrous sulfate.