The single passion fruit-flavored omega-3 fish oil gummy chew contains 750 mg of fish oil and delivers 300 mg of EPA and 225 mg of DHA. This is NOW's first supplement in the gummy chew format, said Nick Rana, new product formulator at NOW.
“Omega-3s are a top-selling category for us, and we know many consumers do prefer gummy-type products,” he said. “So ConCordix technology allows us to introduce an alternate format to the liquids or softgels that we currently offer, while delivering a good potency that doesn’t require excessive amounts to get a beneficial dose.”
He added that ConCordix chews, which are used for both nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals, offer a clean product using technology backed by science. It allows NOW to bring a product to market with a safe, effective dose in a new format.
Marc Van Maris, chief commercial officer at Vitux, said creating NOW’s gummy chew was the first time a customer could offer 750 mg of fish oil in a single chew.
“That’s a huge bonus for [consumers], as it means one chew per dose versus several traditional gummies,” he added.
In addition, ConCordix chews do not contain artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives and are gluten free, dairy free and non-GMO. Formulated for adults and children over the age of 4, NOW spokespersons said the product will be available this summer throughout the U.S. and Canada in natural health food stores and online. The gummy chews come in a 36-count box and are priced at $23.99.
Disrupting the gummy market
One-hundred companies, including Metagenics and Nordic Naturals, rely on ConCordix to support supplement delivery. According the ConCordix website, the technology removes the barriers of supplementation by mimicking the natural way in which people get nutrients from food, which includes chewing, swallowing and digesting.
Ten years of research led ConCordix scientists to improve supplement bioavailability. They were able to increase the contact surface area “by reducing the droplet size of the fat-soluble nutrients, leading to higher absorption into the bloodstream,” the site noted.
Since 2011, ConCordix has decreased that droplet size tenfold, Van Maris said. A study conducted with ConCordix fish oil supplements demonstrated a 44% increased bioavailability of omega-3 fatty acids compared with soft-gel capsules primarily on the market, according to a 2019 white paper issued by Vitux.
Moreover, ConCordix provides a specialized processing and packaging technology ensuring “shelf-life and good stability of active ingredients and the supplement" where "lipid- and water- soluble ingredients can be combined in a single supplement.”
NOW put that shelf-life ability to the test and waited to launch the omega-3 gummy chew for two years until enough data became available that could be analyzed and verified.
“This has been a tremendous partnership,” Van Maris said. “We are proud that NOW challenged us to push the limits and corroborated our quality claims.”