Nutrition is the foundation for optimal health and performance, playing a crucial role in fuelling the body.
And as consumers actively seek a proactive approach to support wellbeing, there has been a significant shift towards nutrient-dense functional foods and targeted supplements. Despite this demand, delivering a truly nutrient-dense, bioavailable and stable formula can be highly complex.
Bioavailability is key to nutrient absorption, dictating the proportion of an ingested supplement that actually enters the bloodstream and reaches cells. Even if a supplement is rich in nutrients, without effective bioavailability the body cannot utilize its benefits. Supplements with high bioavailability are therefore more effective as the body can absorb more of the appropriate nutrient, without requiring a higher dose.
Bioavailability alone does not guarantee performance; nutrients must also remain stable and biologically active to deliver their intended physiological benefit. Bioavailability is a key step in ensuring bioefficacy in supplements. Bioefficacy refers to the efficiency with which an ingested nutrient is both absorbed and actively utilized by the body to perform its intended physiological function.
Formulation challenges
Overcoming formulation challenges can be particularly difficult in supplements including omega powders, berberine, CoQ10, vitamin C and creatine powders. Each nutrient presents its own set of challenges…
Omega-3 fatty acids are widely acknowledged for their improvements to brain health, cardiac function, muscle recovery, and general wellness. Yet, formulating with Omega-3s is complex. Oxidation leads to rancidity, off-flavors, shortened shelf-life, and consumer aversion to ‘fishy burps’. Moreover, their hydrophobic nature restricts their incorporation into water-based products, such as beverages and ready-to-drink formulations.
Berberine, is a plant-derived isoquinoline alkaloid with demonstrated benefits in glucose metabolism and lipid regulation – it’s primary mechanism of action activates adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) to influence glucose uptake, lipid oxidation, and insulin sensitivity. However, its bitterness, poor aqueous solubility, and limited permeability can restrict its use in taste-forward formats such as beverages, gummies, and functional foods.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) plays a key role in mitochondrial energy production and antioxidant defense. Its antioxidant activity is clinically validated in supporting cardiovascular health, cognition, and healthy aging. However, CoQ10’s lipophilic nature and poor water solubility can limit both bioavailability and formulation versatility across applications.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that supports immune health, antioxidant support, and skin health. But its high sensitivity to heat, light, and moisture can introduce sensory challenges at higher concentration levels.
Creatine is one of the most clinically studied ingredients for muscle strength and recovery. Serving as a rapid phosphate donor to regenerate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during intense activity, it supports short-duration high-power output, muscular performance, and recovery. Traditional creatine can struggle with chemical stability, solubility, and sensory challenges especially in functional food and beverage applications.
Given these challenges, how can manufacturers ensure consumers are receiving optimal benefits from the nutrients and bioactives they take?
A science-driven technology platform
To explore how manufactures can overcome these formulation challenges, NutraIngredients spoke with CoreFX Ingredients in a fireside discussion centred around enhancing bioactive nutrients.
Six years after CoreFX was founded, Denis Neville, CEO of Core FX, partnered with Irish dairy co-operative Ornua in 2016. Not only did this partnership help to establish a stronger footprint in US markets, it also accelerated CoreFX’s manufacturing and operational processes. CoreNhanced is an innovative technical optimization platform for delivering nutrients in their most bioavailable and stable forms.
“[Through our partnership with Ornua], ultimately we were able to achieve the premise of what CoreFX set out to do from the start – optimizing the consumer experience. But always, science and creativity was at the heart of what we do, and CoreNhanced is an evolution of that,” says Neville.
CoreFX formally separated from Ornua in 2024 through a management buyout. Neville is now the sole owner after buying Ornua’s minority stake in 2026, and as of 2026 Ornua is not affiliated with CoreFX.
Consistent bioavailability and measurable impact
The CoreNhanced platform combines both established and emerging novel technologies to deliver nutrients in taste-neutral, clean-label powder form. Enabling enhanced BioTransport™ and controlled release, CoreNhanced helps to deliver more consistent bioavailability and measurable impact.
Now, CoreFX is expanding its expertise into Europe. “CoreNhanced is an evolution of where we’re going in terms of science. And Europe, for us, is a natural progression,” says Neville.
Thanks to CoreFX’s acquisition of Big Bend, WI in 2024 – and Big Bend’s existing European customers – CoreFX has been doing business in Europe via the US, making this a practical progression for the company.
“The European market is quite advanced in terms of the science and evidence behind nutraceuticals, nutrients and bioactives. So, it makes perfect sense for us to be on this continent and participating in this market because what we are doing is changing the game in terms of how these wonderful nutrients and bioactives – which are clinically studied, but aren’t unlocked in terms of their ability – optimize human health.
“What I mean by this is that a nutrient or bioactive may show in clinical studies to have certain capabilities, but in the body these nutrients and bioactives are sometimes not as bio-effective as they could be. And that’s where CoreNhanced comes in with our platform,” adds Neville.
Prototypes in action
The CoreNhanced system is designed to stabilize and protect high-value nutritional oils and sensitive bioactive molecules to ensure the highest viability. It is designed to be incorporated into the actives including: Omega3 powders; berberine, CoQ10; vitamin C; and creatine. Ideal for aqueous-based actives, it is engineered for high-difficulty formats including beverages, gummies, chews, functional foods and powders.
With its customer-first philosophy, CoreFX centers its business around the customer via trust, transparency, collaboration, and responsiveness – with all solutions crafted to be free-flowing, uniform in consistency, and highly dispersible.
Bridging the gap between formulation and execution, CoreNhanced has a variety of success stories.
The Passionfruit Blood Sugar Balance Beverage prototype features CoreNhanced Berberine, delivering 100 mg of berberine per serving. With a refreshing passionfruit flavor profile, the formulation demonstrates how CoreNhanced technologies can help address common sensory challenges associated with berberine, including bitterness, while supporting dispersibility and performance in beverage applications.
Another prototype, the Metabolic Mango Beverage, combines CoreNhanced Coenzyme Q10 33%, OmegaFX™, and OmegaFX 40V-TH Dry Ahiflower® Oil to support heart, metabolic, and cognitive health. Delivering 800 mg of CoQ10 and 200 mg of Ahiflower oil per serving alongside a multi-collagen blend, the beverage showcases how advanced formulation approaches can help improve stability, dispersibility, and integration of nutrients and bioactives in functional beverage systems.
Bridging the gap between science and consumer experience
“Consumers increasingly expect products that are backed by science and deliver a positive experience,” says Neville. “The opportunity lies in helping clinically studied nutrients and bioactives maintain their integrity and effectiveness throughout the formulation process.”
