How Are Capsules Made?

In 1968, capsules gained popularity in the medical industry as an alternative to tablets, offering a way to consume medicines and supplements without the unpleasant taste and bitterness that often deterred people from taking tablets.

There are two main types of capsules:

• Hard-shelled, containing dry powdered ingredients, are made in two halves, with a smaller diameter “body” that is filled and then sealed using a slightly larger diameter cap.
• Soft-shelled, primarily used for oils and for active ingredients that are dissolved or suspended in oil

What are capsules made from?

Typically, capsules are made from gelling agents, such as gelatin or plan derivatives.

Gelatin is produced by boiling specific parts of cattle, such as hooves, bones, and connective tissue, until they form a gel-like substance. This mixture is then cooled and expanded in water. Once the process is complete, the result is a tasteless, odorless, and colorless substance that can be molded into the familiar gelatin capsules consumed daily.

Gelatin offers a range of health benefits, particularly for skin and joint health. Additionally, gelatin capsules are often more cost-effective compared to vegetarian alternatives.

The vegetarian capsules are used by forming vegetable cellulose used in hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). These capsules are perfect for people who cannot consume gelatin for any religious, cultural or dietary reasons.

How do capsules dissolve in the body?

Gelatin capsules contain around 10% water when they are dry, meaning they increase rapidly upon entering a wet environment, allowing it to soften and distort in approximately 15-20 minutes.

HPMC capsules contain less than 10% water when they are dry, meaning they take a little longer to react to the increased water content, slowly hydrating over 30 minutes and distorting.

How do we manufacture our capsules?

Here at Supplement Factory we have two capsule manufacturing machines that run within our 

manufacturing facility; a semi-automatic machine and a fully automated machine.

How does the semi-automatic machine work?

1. Capsule shells are placed within the the semi-automatic machine in a size-specific capsule plate 
2. The shells are then placed into the machine for powders to be sucked into the machine and fill the larger portion of the capsules, before the cap is placed onto each capsule and pressed on
3. The plate is then removed and emptied into bags ready for packing 

This machine can create around 10,000 capsules within an hour and is used for smaller runs such as trials, bespoke formulations and new concept products.

The automatic machine runs through all processes on its own, being able to produce over 50,000 capsules per hour. These capsules are automatically pushed into a container, ready to be audited and weighed by a member of the factory team.

Due to being AA grade BRC accredited and GMP compliant, all capsule runs have samples chosen regularly to check for even filling, as well as full closure of the capsule shells.

If you are looking to manufacture high-quality private label capsule supplements, contact Supplement Factory today.