Traditional capsules are formed from gelatin, which is derived from animal by-products — mainly the bones and skin of cows and pigs, but also fish.

　　For decades, these capsules were the only option available to manufacturers looking to encapsulate ingredients intended for human consumption.

　　Today, capsules of vegetable origin provide an increasingly attractive alternative for consumers. These capsules are 100% natural and contain no preservatives, gelatin, wheat, gluten or animal by-products. They are produced from cellulose harvested from pine or poplar trees and meet the dietary and cultural needs of vegetarians. They also meet the requirements for religions that prohibit the consumption of ingredients derived from certain types of animals.

　　In some studies, vegetarian capsules have been shown to exhibit enhanced dissolution/ disintegration performance compared with gelatin capsules. They are also reported to provide improved performance on filling machines.

　　Capsules of vegetable origin behave the same or better than traditional gelatin capsules during filling, packaging and storage and upon administration to patients/consumers.

　　HPMC capsules also have a lower moisture content than gelatin capsules, which is beneficial for filling, particularly for sensitive ingredients. In some cases, the use of HPMC capsules enables delivery in an encapsulated form of a formulation that is not suitable for filling in gelatin capsules.