The Californian supplier, which has a 30 year history, offers a broad catalogue of vitamins for supplements, including two other forms of vitamin B12 (Vit B 12 USP; Vit B12 1% on DCP, unmilled; and Vit B 12 1% on DCP) and one of vitamin E (Vit E acetate 50%, spray dried).
The new additions give its customers more choice to design products with specific products.
For instance, the B12 1% on resin is claimed to have superior stability and bioavailability to others on the market.
Vitamin B12 plays an important role in the formation of red blood cells and maintenance of a healthy nervous system. As such it is usually included in multivitamins and fortified breakfast cereals - even though most people glean sufficient amounts from dietary sources including meat and eggs.
However when vitamin B12 is not properly absorbed in the ileum (part of the small intestine), pernicious anemia can occur.
According to BI Nutraceuticals, the use of unstabilized B12 can reduce the benefit since it is easily degraded by stomach acid and other compounds that may co-exist in a multivitamin formulation.
Moreover, when it degrades, it can produce B12 analogs - compounds that look like B12 and that can occupy the B12 receptors, but which are in fact inactive. These analogs are also implicated in disrupting the biosynthesis of fatty acids and the TCA or citric acid cycle that forms part of the metabolic pathway for converting carbohydrates, fats and proteins into energy.
BI Nutraceuticals says it has dealt with the stability issue by the B12 being absorbed onto a pharmaceutical grade resin, which protects through the stomach until it reaches the ileum.
As for the vitamin E ingredient, BI Nutraceuticals says it offers beneficial oxidative stability. A free-flowing powder said to be suitable for high speed tablet presses, it contains one molecule that is nature identical, which helps it to bond with other molecules and be retained by the body.
BI Nutraceuticals has released no details about where its new ingredients are being produced.
Earlier this year it announced the introduction of a new vendor qualification program for materials sourced from Asia called Protexx, to preserve quality standards. Asian countries - and in particular China - have come onto the scene as suppliers of low cost raw materials for the dietary supplements market. While in some cases this has had serious repercussions for US and European companies who have been unable to compete on price, some companies have preferred to stick with Western suppliers since they tend to have more stringent systems in place.
The company has similar programs in place for its US and European operations.