Common Excipients Used in Pharmaceutical Formulations

The pharmaceutical industry is built on its beneficial products, but without the invisible power of excipients, these life-saving and life-changing medications would prove not nearly as effective. Pharmaceutical ingredient supplier Bell Chem wishes to highlight several functions of excipients that your industry might find even more beneficial than active ingredients.

What are Excipients?

Excipients are described as anything other than the active pharmaceutical ingredient. These products have a range of properties and functions, allowing medicines to act and react properly.

Binders

Without a binder, a tablet or capsule would crumble upon impact with another capsule. Keeping the integrity of medications intact is the duty of binders such as microcrystalline cellulose. 

Disintegrants

On the opposite side of the binders are the disintegrants. These ingredients, such as sodium starch glycolate and croscarmellose sodium, react with the normal chemical processes of the human body and cause the capsule or tablet to break apart when digested. 

Colorants 

Colorants, such as titanium dioxide, have two roles: they appeal to consumers as they ensure the medication is either the correct dose or even the correct medication. 

Dilutents

When the active ingredient of a medication is to be administered sparingly, a diluent such as lactose increases the volume of the capsule.

Lubricants

Lubricants are utilized during the manufacturing process to prevent capsules or tablets, or even individual ingredients, from adhering to the industrial equipment. A fine example of a lubricant is magnesium stearate. 

Preservatives

In liquid medications, excipients such as carrageenan, guar gum, and xanthan gum ensure the active ingredient remains unchanged from one dosage to the next. 

The manufacture of medication is not inexpensive, and preservatives assure their shelf life is extended to at least the useful life of the medication’s active ingredients. Preservatives such as sodium benzoate and sorbic acid prevent the growth of microbes, which can alter the delivery of the active ingredient. 

Sweeteners

Not all patients are adults, and sweeteners are welcome additions to children’s medications. Natural sweeteners such as sorbitol and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are regularly added to medications to ensure patients enjoy their medications enough to take them on schedule.

“Time-release” Excipients

Hydroxypropyl cellulose is an excipient regularly used to control the release of the active ingredient. Medications touted as “time release” or “12-hour release” contain these important excipients. 

Humectants

Topical applications include glycerine and sorbitol as humectants to increase absorption into the epidermis.

Bell Chem is your pharmaceutical ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including a wide variety of excipients. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

How to Stay Compliant with Government Chemical Safety Standards

Chemical compliance is a tremendously necessary burden for most industries. The breadth of compliance stretches beyond just the handling of chemicals, though. Industrial chemical supplier Bell Chem is here to lead you through many of the safety standards to ensure your company recognizes how to keep your employees safe.

The effects of chemicals

Learning how chemicals react in different situations, such as being in the presence of other chemicals, in water, to light, et cetera, is imperative in handling those chemicals. Another factor to consider is the type of reaction: will the chemical explode pyrotechnically or simply overflow the beaker if handled incorrectly? Will it cause a severe burn or a shock? The handling of chemicals is extremely important for each of your employees to understand. 

Every chemical has its own guidelines; if your industry focuses on specific chemicals, know those guidelines thoroughly. All guidelines are sent with every chemical and are kept on site in the lab or facility where the chemicals are stored and used. Guidelines are also explained online by looking up the Material Safety Data Sheet for each chemical. 

Government safety standards

The Office of Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) focuses on safety and healthful working conditions for all workers. OSHA offers worker education, training, hazardous chemical standards, and more. The Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) creates and publishes guidelines for those who manufacture, produce, import, export, and handle chemicals. 

Training is an essential key for this process at every stage of a chemical’s journey. Bell Chem’s employees and its warehouses meet or exceed all OSHA and other stringent government standards, ensuring the chemical you receive is specifically what you requested and is sent in the safest manner possible. 

Occupational exposure

Some chemicals must be handled with personal protective wear, which varies from one chemical to the next. While gloves may be the only PPE for one chemical, another may require a respirator and a vent hood. Even with these precautions, the amount of time spent in the presence of a chemical may affect workers. Ensure your workforce meets all occupational exposure guidelines to keep your employees healthy. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) lists Recommended Exposure Limits (RELs) to aid in determining the ultimate amount of time your workers can be safely exposed to chemicals.

OSHA believes engineering and work practice controls are the primary factors in reducing toxic chemical exposure. Knowing your chemicals are safe when they enter your facility is the foundation for the remainder of your safety criteria. Rest assured, industrial chemical supplier Bell Chem will only send chemicals that meet or exceed all government regulations. 

Bell Chem is your industrial chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

How Food Additives Can Help You Keep Up with Plant-Based Trends

With an estimated 9 billion humans worldwide by 2050, the necessity for plant-based foods to feed the masses is becoming more than a good idea; it is becoming a crisis. Manufacturers are responding with food additives to ensure their products are as healthy or healthier than the proteins in standard animal-based diets. Food additive supplier Bell Chem’s vast array of food additives will help ensure plant-based trends become a way of life for consumers.

Adding plant-based proteins

Plant-based additives are generally used to entice consumers to transition from their meat-based diets. This leads to additives that change the texture, flavor, and juiciness of ingredients. The key protein for plants is soy, which packs more protein than any other plant. Soy is also a complete protein, meaning it contains all 9 essential amino acids necessary for cellular growth and repair. 

Soy is not the only complete plant-based protein; many grains currently marketed as “ancient grains” are also included. Among these are quinoa, amaranth, hemp seeds, and chia seeds. The old standby of a bowl of rice and beans contains all 9 amino acids, as well.

Plant-based additive functions

• Color: To make your products pop, add beta carotene for an orange color, turmeric for yellow, chlorophyll for green, cinnamon for brown, or activated charcoal for black. 

• Emulsification: The phospholipid lecithin is a natural derivative of flaxseed, soybeans, and sunflower nuts. As emulsifiers, these plant-based ingredients easily blend oil-based products with water, such as what occurs in peanut butter and salad dressing. Carrageenan is another great natural emulsifier and thickener, high on the list of food additives. 

• Flavor: from sour to sweet, flavorings run the gamut in creating the “correct” flavor in a food. Phenolic acids are responsible for sour and/or bitter flavor; flavonoids can create a spectrum of flavors - hence the name - from sweet to astringent. These magical antioxidants also reduce inflammation.

• Preservation: Essential oils, such as orange or clove, deter fruit browning; tea tree, aloe vera, and citrus oils inhibit the breakdown of fruits and vegetables, keeping them fresher longer. Green tea extracts act as antioxidants as well, extending the shelf life of many products.

Bell Chem is a food additive supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including plant-based food additives. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Sorbitol: A Sugar Substitute and Its Benefits

With so many Americans focused on their health and eating more functional ingredients, it seems likely a sugar substitute would make a tremendous splash, and food ingredient supplier Bell Chem’s sorbitol might just be the punch you want for your newest products. 

What is Sorbitol?

To define sorbitol, picture a sugar alcohol - a polyol, to be precise - originally found in fruits such as apricots and berries that enhances foods with a sweet flavor as it maintains a more robust moisture level in those products. You may also recognize sorbitol by another name, glucitol, or by its chemical formula, C6H14O6.

Sorbitol Versus Sugar

Unlike table sugar, sorbitol maintains approximately 60% of the sweetness level at a slightly greater amount (66%) of the caloric content. While this may seem negligible, consider how the body absorbs sorbitol: in the small intestine, sorbitol proves not nearly as digestible as sugar. In other words, with approximately the same taste as sugar, more of it is flushed through the small intestine. Once in the large intestine, the “good bacteria” of your colon ferment sorbitol. 

Diabetic Freedom

Digestive changes are not the only health benefit of manufacturing foods and beverages with sorbitol, though. Giving those with diabetes the freedom to enjoy sweet foods is a challenge. Adding sorbitol has such a small effect on blood sugar levels, most diabetic patients can enjoy it. 

Unlike the bacteria in the large intestine, the bacteria in the mouth do not treat sorbitol as a food source as readily. This gives many manufacturers good reason to add sorbitol rather than table sugar in gums, lozenges, and mints. The moisture retention property of sorbitol causes these products to work more effectively, especially chewing gum, which maintains its pliability level longer than if table sugar were added. Many consumers also note a cooling sensation when eating items containing sorbitol, which gives it a role in toothpaste and other mint-flavored applications.

Great news for manufacturers using sorbitol

The humectant ability of sorbitol—pulling in moisture—is extremely advantageous as an addition to baked goods. These products remain fresher longer without drying out and tasting stale. Cooking with sorbitol has another secret benefit: if a syrup is created with water, sorbitol will not caramelize, and the glaze will remain clear rather than brown. Goods subjected to heating will find sorbitol an amazing sugar substitute since it is heat-stable, meaning it does not readily decompose when heated.

In frozen goods, sorbitol lowers the freezing point of water. This makes ice cream creamier and deters the formation of ice crystals, which dominate when products are frequently frozen and thawed.

Bell Chem is a food ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including sorbitol. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Common Misconceptions About Cleaning Chemicals in the Food Industry

Chemicals used in the industrial manufacture of foods and beverages are often significantly different than those used in a home. But how are they different? Are they organic since they come into contact with food? Are they much stronger, or maybe they have to be weaker so they don’t negatively affect the food? Cleaning chemical supplier Bell Chem answers these questions and counters many cleaning myths below.

One strong chemical can clean it all.

If only life were that easy. Before a disinfectant can properly sterilize an area, the area must be cleared of debris. The initial step generally requires a cleaner, which is significantly different from a disinfectant. While a cleaner removes buildup, it does not deter microbial growth; a disinfectant takes on that role. 

The surface being cleaned also must be considered. Glass surfaces often shine with an acidic cleaner, while stainless steel requires an alkaline cleaner.

Interior cleaners are the same as exterior cleaners.

Buildup outside pipes and machinery can generally be maintained with degreasers and cleansers. Inside the pipes, the constant rush of water causes clusters of mineral deposits that require descaling agents, such as hydrochloric acid or citric acid. Machinery longevity requires both internal and external care.

It is safe to manufacture similar products in the same machinery without disinfecting between batches.

Cross-contamination can significantly damage your reputation in an industry. For example, if you claim your products are gluten-free when traces of wheat remain in the mixing drum before adding oat flour, then your claim is untrue. Carefully clean all equipment with food-safe detergents before switching recipes. Rinse all equipment thoroughly afterward. 

No training is needed for maintenance.

Industrial cleaning and sanitizing requires a background of the chemicals used in the process, along with knowledge on whether to use a foam, spray, or soak to maintain the strict levels of cleanliness necessary to keep foods safe for consumption. 

Home cleaners are as good as industrial cleaners if you use twice as much.

The percentage of active cleansers, degreasers, detergents, and other cleaning agents is significantly higher in industrial cleaners. The level of cleanliness in a home does not need to meet the strict regulatory compliance of an industrial setting, so a less costly and effective cleaner is generally considered safe. Also, home equipment does not require the maintenance of industrial equipment; hence, a less strict cleaning schedule prevails.

Organic cleaning products are better than synthetic products.

For home use, this may be the case in some instances. For industrial settings, powerful synthetic ingredients are generally more cost-effective, less labor-intensive, and better for the equipment being cleaned.

Bell Chem is a cleaning chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including CSANTM cleaning chemicals. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Understanding the Role of Chemicals in Meeting Food Industry Regulations

Long ago, homesteaders would grow crops for their own consumption and eat what they grew, whether it was fresh from the ground or a few days old and showing its age. Water would be pumped from a well with a cloth covering the pump’s opening to catch as many impurities as possible. Foodborne pathogens were a constant threat. In today’s world, food industry regulations maintain a much more robust form of food safety. 

Food ingredient supplier Bell Chem leads its competitors with food safety certifications to ensure the products and ingredients you purchase from Bell Chem’s warehouse are pure, safe, and exceed all regulations set by government agencies. Knowing Bell Chem’s products exceed industry standards is one step in understanding how chemicals can help maintain your industry’s safety standards and regulations.

Preservation

Many foods and beverages are manufactured to be shelf-stable, and the ultimate method of stabilizing these products is with chemicals in the form of preservatives. While many products contain antimicrobial agents or antioxidants to kill existing bacteria or prevent new growth, other chemicals raise or lower pH levels where bacteria are unable to thrive. Preserving foods is good for consumers since food is sustained for an extended period without spoiling. 

Food contact chemicals

It is not only chemicals within the food that stabilize its freshness; it's also products surrounding the manufacture of those foods, from packaging to cleaners on food surfaces and detergents cleaning storage tanks. Packaged food touches cardboard, plastic containers, metal cans, and other forms of packaging that enhance the appeal of the product while maintaining its freshness. Chemicals within these wrappings are responsible for increasing shelf life, preventing metal oxidation (chromium or zinc), enhancing heat resistance (silica), maintaining below-freezing temperatures (calcium chloride, salt), and allowing the containers to bend without breaking. Using the correct packaging for both the environment and the food maintains freshness and can greatly increase your product’s shelf life.

Sanitation

All food and beverage manufacturers must meet strict FDA guidelines for cleanliness and sanitation. Leave your facility’s sanitation to Bell Chem’s CSANTM cleaners, detergents, and sanitizers.  CSAN’s lineup includes food-safe alkaline and foaming cleaners, acid and chlorinated detergents, and sanitizers to fit your specific needs. 

Bell Chem is a food ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including CSANTM products. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Making Your Beauty Products More Sustainable

The effects of climate change and current beauty trends do not seem related, but a poll of 20,000 women reported that 60% wished for their cosmetics to be sustainable. Personal care raw materials supplier Bell Chem has the perfect blend of ingredients to help you implement the changes in your cosmetic industry to give it the sustainability features your customers deserve. 

A sustainable product is one that balances your company’s needs with the environment’s needs over time. In other words, conservation is key, whether your products last longer on the shelf or the ingredients are sourced ethically. 

Creating a brand that includes an eco-friendly tagline will enhance your customer base and give you an edge over your competitors as you alleviate waste products in the manufacturing process. Another benefit is the satisfaction of your employees since they will realize their role in manufacturing is making a difference in the world. How can you put these sustainable ideas into practice? Read below for a few clever ideas.

Purchase sustainable products 

Palm oil is heavily utilized in the beauty industry. While many palm oil distributors sell their products inexpensively, others choose sustainable palm oil. Knowing the ingredients you add to your products are responsibly sourced gives the Earth a break and helps your products shine.

Buy organic

When packages tout an organic label, customers take notice. From a single ingredient to an entire product, the trend toward buying organic is growing. Organic products must conserve biodiversity, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For consumers, organic products generally cause fewer negative reactions than synthetic products. For the Earth, fewer or no pesticides means less harm to wildlife in the form of chemical runoff into streams and, eventually, the oceans.

Using preservatives

Preservatives are a key component to sustainability, but can organic products use preservatives? Certainly. Many preservatives simply change the pH level of products, such as citric acid. Because microbes find it difficult to survive in a lower or higher pH level, adding an organic acid or base can give your organic products a much longer shelf life. Bell Chem’s long list of preservatives, such as salt, vinegar, propionic acid, and sodium benzoate, is suitable for organic or nonorganic cosmetics. 

Bell Chem is your personal care raw materials supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including nutritious ingredients for your functional sweets. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message. 

How Your Company Can Hop On Functional Food Trends

The idea of functional foods began in Japan in the 1980s when producers focused on manufacturing foods with a role beyond basic nutrition; these foods affected consumers positively. The idea crept across Europe before catching root in the United States. Nowadays, “functional foods” is a buzzword that nutritional ingredient supplier Bell Chem knows you want to learn more about. With its vast array of nutritional ingredients, Bell Chem has the correct products to make your existing foods and beverages more, well, functional.

The 2024 Global Trend Study by HealthFocus International noted that almost 75% of consumers are aware of the role of functional foods, and nearly 50% will purchase more functional foods in the near future, increasing the $320 billion spent on healthy foods and beverages annually.

With so many consumers focused on healthy eating, high prices are a major barrier to lower-income households. Adding small amounts of supplements, such as caffeine, protein, or fiber, in products can open a different market share for your products without seriously increasing the product price. 

Different bodies, different diets

Over half of adults in the United States reported they joined a diet program within the past 12 months. Of those individuals, 20% of the diets focused on high-protein foods. These foods are typically fresh meat or beans, but the advent of packaged foods for most meals means noodles or cereal bars with milk powder, peanut flour, or sweet whey meet these dietary needs in a quick, reliable packaged food. Eating on the run is no longer a quick snack; it has become the primary choice of approximately 75% of consumers. Knowing the majority of consumers want portable, healthy foods means manufacturers can easily benefit by supplementing their existing food supply chain.

Drink yourself healthy

Bottled water is no longer simply water. Instead, energy water with a boost of caffeine stimulates the mind and body to work better and longer. Energy drinks have long included calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium, but now these supplements are available in water. With a burst of flavor, citric acid in water can give vitamin water a distinct flavor with health benefits. Choose Vitamin A, any of the B-complex vitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, or any others. Vitamins boost the body’s immune system, and this water trend generates more revenue than any other health trend. Adding a small amount of sugar, honey, or sugar substitute allows your water to compete against soda. 

Bell Chem is your nutritional ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including functional food ingredients. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message. 

Zinc Oxide: The Natural Solution to Effective UV Protection

Sunscreens can be categorized into 2 broad groups: chemical sunscreens and physical sunscreens. Most consumer-recognized sun protection on the market is based on a combination of chemicals that either deters or alleviates ultraviolet rays—a chemical sunscreen. USP ingredient supplier Bell Chem has an ace up its sleeve on countering the increasingly harsh UV light produced by our nearest star: zinc oxide, a physical sunscreen. Read below for information on how your customers can utilize this physical sunscreen in their health and beauty care products.

What is a physical sunscreen?

Like wearing a long-sleeved shirt, zinc oxide blocks ultraviolet rays from being absorbed in the body’s epidermis. UVA and UVB rays simply reflect off the surface of the zinc oxide, scattering passively as they go and never fully absorbing into the skin.

UVA and UVB, defined

Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays have a longer wavelength than ultraviolet B (UVB) and penetrate more deeply into the skin, causing greater damage than UVB rays. Most evidence of aging and skin damage is caused by UVA rays.

Ultraviolet B rays are shorter and generally penetrate just the surface of the skin. We recognize UVB damage as a sunburn.

When a sun care product deters both UVA and UVB rays, it is considered a broad-spectrum application. Zinc oxide falls into the broad-spectrum sunscreen category.

Zinc oxide for sensitive skin 

The chemicals used in many sunscreens can cause adverse reactions in those with sensitive skin. Because zinc oxide is topical and does not penetrate as deeply as chemical ingredients, the skin is not negatively affected as it might be with chemical sunscreens. 

The ultimate sunscreen

When looking for a quality sunscreen, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends a water-resistant broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF (sun protection factor) of 30 or greater. Zinc oxide literally has you covered in all these requirements. 

According to the AAD, sunscreen is for everyone, regardless of skin tone. When you consider that 20% of all Americans will develop skin cancer, you can confidently tell your customers to reach for the zinc oxide before venturing outside.

Bell Chem is your USP ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including zinc oxide. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message. 

The Versatility of Sodium Hypochlorite in Industrial Cleaning

The average consumer’s household bleach contains approximately 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). Industrial cleaning necessitates a more powerful punch for its uses, and with industrial chemical supplier Bell Chem’s 12.5% sodium hypochlorite, you can expect clean and disinfected surfaces quickly and inexpensively. But sodium hypochlorite does more than just surface cleaning. Read below for an idea of how invaluable sodium hypochlorite is to your industry.

Hospitals, Clinics, and Healthcare Environments

With so many diseases carried in by sick patients, healthcare facilities must maintain an extremely high level of infection control. Sodium hypochlorite sterilizes medical equipment and quickly disinfects floors, walls, gurneys, and other hard surfaces.

Water Treatment

The supply of drinking water is vital to citizens of all cities. Sodium hypochlorite oxidizes microorganisms within water treatment plants for these cities, keeping the water supply safe for consumption.

Aside from working in water treatment plants, sodium hypochlorite is also the chemical of choice for treating water-damaged materials, such as in industrial plants after a catastrophic flood, since it oxidizes molds and mildews, bleaches stains, and sanitizes polluted and waterlogged items. 

Food and Beverage Industry

Sodium hypochlorite sanitizes so many surfaces in the food and beverage industry, from the industrial processing equipment to the food surfaces used for cutting bread or icing cakes. Raw fruits and vegetables are regularly sprayed with sodium hypochlorite to kill disease-causing microorganisms.

Janitorial

Wiping down a bathroom will make it look great, but it does not ensure the surfaces are disinfected. Sodium hypochlorite disinfects bathrooms, floors, kitchens, and other high-traffic areas efficiently and effectively. 

Pressure Washing

Commercial pressure washers work much more rapidly when they clean homes, driveways, and commercial businesses using sodium hypochlorite combined with water. Algae, mildew, mold, and caked-on soil are quickly eliminated with sodium hypochlorite.

Bell Chem is your industrial chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including nutritious ingredients for your functional sweets. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.