Introduction
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is one of the most studied and widely used botanical ingredients in traditional phytotherapy and nutraceuticals, valued for its digestive, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and gastrointestinal-supporting properties. Its main bioactive compounds – gingerols and shogaols – are responsible for most of its biological activities, making ginger a valuable ally for numerous applications, from digestive formulations to those targeting joint and cardiovascular well-being.
Despite its great potential, the nutraceutical use of ginger faces several formulation challenges: pungent and unpleasant taste, instability of active compounds, variability in standardization, and potential gastric sensitization.
Therapeutic Properties of Ginger
- Digestive Support: ginger is widely used to promote digestion and reduce nausea, including that associated with motion sickness or pharmacological treatments.
- Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Action: gingerols help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, supporting joint and muscle health.
- Cardiovascular Health: studies suggest a role in regulating blood pressure and improving lipid profiles.
- Innovative Applications: emerging research is exploring ginger’s role in metabolic and immune health, opening new nutraceutical perspectives.
Formulation Challenges of Ginger
Despite its consolidated benefits, the nutraceutical application of ginger presents critical issues:
- Strong taste and odor, difficult to mask in oral formulations.
- Variability in gingerol and shogaol content, complicating standardization.
- Potential gastric irritation, especially at high dosages or with repeated intake.
IPS Innovation: Ginger MATRIS® and Ginger MINIACTIVES®
To address these challenges, IPS has developed two technological solutions:
- Ginger MATRIS®: a high-potency formulation of ginger extract, with stable and elevated concentrations of gingerols and shogaols. Thanks to MATRIS® technology, it ensures taste masking, enhanced stability, and a gastro-protection profile that reduces gastric sensitization.
- Ginger MINIACTIVES®: highly spherical and uniform pellets produced with MINIACTIVES® technology, characterized by multilayer microencapsulation that improves gastro-protection and enables gradual release. This formulation ensures not only efficacy but also manufacturing versatility.
Bothversionsguarantee:
- Advanced taste masking
- Enhanced gastro-protection (GP) with reduced sensitization of gastric membranes
- Reproducibility and standardization
Scientific Studies and Collaborations
The SURACTIVES® division of IPS is engaged in developing and scientifically validating its technologies through preclinical in vitro studies using advanced organoids and 3D cellular models.
These studies, conducted on different active ingredients processed with MATRIS® and MINIACTIVES® technologies, demonstrated:
- improvedintestinalabsorption
- increasedbioaccessibility
- reduced impact on gastric and intestinal membranes
Although not yet conducted directly on ginger, these results confirm that the benefits observed derive exclusively from the technology itself and open the way for specific studies on Ginger MATRIS® and Ginger MINIACTIVES®, currently being developed in collaboration with specialized laboratories.
Formulations and Applications
The versatility of IPS technologies enables the incorporation of ginger into a wide range of nutraceutical dosage forms:
- tablets
- capsules
- single-dose sachets and stick packs
- vials with dosingcaps
For applications requiring direct compression, IPS also offers SmarTTabs® formulations, which fully preserve the original release profiles.
From today, different dosage options are also available, allowing manufacturers to precisely adapt the amount of active ingredient to specific market needs.
Conclusion
Ginger MATRIS® and Ginger MINIACTIVES® provide a concrete solution to the main formulation challenges of ginger, offering stable, standardized, and well-tolerated ingredients.
Through technological innovation, scientific research, and continuous validation, IPS reaffirms its commitment to delivering the nutraceutical industry advanced and reliable solutions, capable of combining efficacy, safety, and consumer experience.
Note: This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not substitute professional medical advice.
