Up to 40% of people have trouble swallowing pills1Hinote T. Trouble swallowing pills? Here’s what you can do about it. Orlando Health. Retrieved July 30, 2024 from https://www.orlandohealth.com/content-hub/trouble-swallowing-pills-heres-what-you-can-do-about-it#:~:text=Whether%20the%20cause%20is%20emotional,hint%20at%20something%20more%20serious.. Even those who can swallow pills may avoid them due to pill fatigue, which happens when taking many tablets or capsules becomes tiring. This has led many to seek alternative supplement forms, like gummies2Schultz H. Pill fatigue is driving innovation in space between functional foods and supplements, experts say. November 20, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2019 from https://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Article/2014/11/20/Pill-fatigue-is-driving-innovation-in-space-between-functional-foods-and-supplements-experts-say.. However, gummies can also result in an unwanted increase in sugar intake. 3Shahbandeh M. Value of the gummy vitamins market in the United States in 2016 and 2025 (in billion U.S. dollars. March 1, 2018. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/794500/us-gummy-vitamins-market-value/..
Gummy supplements are undeniably popular, with the global market valued at $7.2 billion in 2022 and projected to reach $12.4 billion by 2031. However, gummies aren’t the only popular alternative. The value of the global chewable vitamins and supplements market was $4.7 billion in 2021, and experts project it to grow to $6.3 billion by 2027, with a 5.01% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR)4Gummy vitamins market. Straits research. Retrieved July 30, 2024 from https://straitsresearch.com/report/gummy-vitamins-market#:~:text=Market%20Overview,period%20(2023%E2%80%932031).. Though smaller than the gummy market, chewable tablets offer numerous advantages like better dosage, absorption, and taste.
This article will compare chewable tablets vs. gummies and explain why the former is an unquestionably better delivery format.
What are Chewable Tablets?
So, what are chewables? They are chewable tablets that are specially formulated to deliver a payload of vitamins, minerals and/or other nutraceuticals.
Well-formulated chewables provide great flavors, various sweetening options, a pleasant mouthfeel, and good stability. Adults and children like chewable vitamins, as shown by their strong global sales. Chewable tablets for adults and children come in different sizes and shapes to fit various doses and to look appealing. Additionally, they can be manufactured to meet clean-label standards.
Although not strictly defined as a chewable tablet, fast-melt tablets deserve to be mentioned here. As the name suggests, fast-melt tablets dissolve quickly in the mouth without water. Like chewables, this makes fast melts easy to swallow and a great alternative delivery form for people with difficulty swallowing pills or with pill fatigue. Also, like chewable tablets, fast-melts don’t require large amounts of sugar and can be manufactured to meet clean-label standards.
What are Gummy Vitamins?
What are the pros and cons of gummy vitamins?
Let’s start by defining gummies as confectioneries typically made using corn syrup, sucrose, gelatin, starch, food acids, and various coloring and flavoring agents. Gummies can also be made with pectin as an alternative to gelatin and may use other sugar-based sweeteners instead of sucrose. Some gummies utilize non-sugar sweeteners, but these may present their own problems.
Like chewables, gummies can also deliver a payload of vitamins, minerals and/or other nutraceuticals. While gummies can also be used by different age groups, elderly users with dentures may find the stickiness of gummies to be objectionable. Younger users, particularly children, may perceive gummies as candy which means the bottle should be kept well out of their reach so that they don’t consume more than the appropriate serving size.
Why Are Chewable Tablets a Better Dosage Form Than Gummies?
Let’s look closer at the comparison between gummies vs. chewable tablets, starting with stability and storage. Gummies made with gelatin can melt and lose their shape if exposed to temperatures above 90°F. When cooled, they may turn into a sticky, bag-shaped lump, making them hard to eat. Heat can also make gummies less effective and potentially contaminated. Exposure to heat, light, and moisture speeds up the breakdown of vitamins, reducing their potency. If you think your gummies won’t face temperatures above 90°F, be cautious. Selling gummies on Amazon means they could be exposed to temperatures over 100°F for extended periods when stored in their warehouses5https://www.amazon.com/ask/questions/Tx3S9YOPJE12JBF/. Partnering with a qualified supplement contract manufacturer with climate-controlled storage facilities is highly advisable, regardless of the delivery format you select for your product.
Another consideration is the two methods of integrating nutrients into gummies are problematic.
- The first method is to spray the nutrients on the finished gummy. Of course, this means the nutrients may come off in the hands of the people taking the gummies, and/or may also fall off the gummies and settle to the bottle of the bottle—which results in the consumer not receiving the full amount of the nutrients they’re paying for.
- The second method involves directly incorporating the nutrients into the gummy mixture during the manufacturing process. To avoid premature hardening of the gummy mixture, it must be maintained at a relatively high temperature. However, this introduces a risk of nutrient degradation due to heat exposure. This is certainly true of some heat-sensitive nutraceuticals like probiotics which already have poor stability. While there are a few select and effective probiotic strains hardy enough to withstand the high heat of the gummy matrix during mixing (such as those of the Bacillus genus), there are many other desirable strains (such as those of the Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria genera) with specific benefits for other purposes which simply are not going to survive the heat. Luckily, chewable tablets offer a viable alternative without concerns about heat damage.
In contrast, here’s what the scientific journal, Systemic Reviews in Pharmacy6Antil A, Kahiy M, Tomar D. An Overview on Efficacy of Chewable Tablets in Improving Oral Drug Delivery. Systemic Reviews in Pharmacy. 2023; 14(9): 571-7., has to say chewable tablets:
The journal article also notes that chewable tablets often provide a superior mouthfeel—the sensation or texture experienced when chewing. Well-formulated chewable tablets can deliver a soothing and cooling effect with a smooth texture, while many find the texture of gummies less pleasant. This consideration is important not only for children but also for adults taking chewable vitamins. Additionally, fast-melt tablets can offer a better mouthfeel than gummies.
Another advantage chewable tablets have over gummy vitamins is they can be manufactured using direct compression. This process compresses a powder mixture into tablets without needing to granulate the powder first. This method is ideal for moisture- and heat-sensitive ingredients since it avoids the wetting and drying steps, which helps keep the ingredients stable.
An additional benefit of chewable tablets is they offer a wider range of flavor options compared to gummies. While gummies usually come in standard fruit flavors, chewable tablets (and fast-melt tablets) can include popular flavors like chocolate, vanilla, and caramel, which don’t work as well in gummies.
Dosage
Chewable tablets generally offer a higher dose of nutraceuticals than gummies for two main reasons. First, chewable tablets can be adjusted in size to accommodate more active ingredients, providing higher potency than standard gummies. Second, gummies are limited by their matrix, which occupies a significant amount of space, leaving less room for nutraceuticals. It’s challenging to include more than 10% of active ingredients by weight in a gummy7Discovering the global gummies market and this new galenic form is shaking up the nutraceutical industry. Alcimed. Retrieved July 30, 2024 from https://www.alcimed.com/en/insights/gummies-market/. .
At Vitaquest, our R&D department can achieve 50% by weight of nutraceuticals in a chewable tablet. Clearly, on a gram-per-gram basis, a chewable tablet can fit a much higher potency than a gummy.
Here’s a practical example when comparing a popular brand of children’s chewable multivitamins to a popular brand of children’s gummy multivitamins:
- Chewable – A two tablet serving provides a total of 5 calories, 2 g total carbohydrates, and <1 g of sugar, plus 100% or more of all the vitamins.
- Gummy – A two gummy serving provides a total of 15 calories, 4 g of total carbohydrates, and 2 g of sugar, plus less than 60% of most vitamins.
Manufacturing Timeframe and Costs
The standard timeframe for developing a chewable supplement for the first time is 12-16 weeks. In contrast, developing a gummy supplement can take up to twice as long.
The minimum order quantity (MOQ) for chewable and fast-melt tablet supplements is around 4,100 bottles. On the other hand, the MOQ for gummy supplements can be as high as 30,000 bottles, though some contract manufacturers may lower this to 10,000 bottles.
Clearly, manufacturing gummies is more costly and time-consuming compared to chewable supplements.
Sugars Content & Additives
While it may be possible to use sugar alternatives with gummies, this doesn’t happen in most cases since the sugar or sugar syrups provide sweetness and are part of the gummy matrix that helps the gummy keep its form. Without the sugar, the structure of the gummy may be compromised. Likewise, gummies must avoid an alkaline pH to maintain their structure. It often requires the addition of extra citric acid or malic acid to keep the pH more acidic. In contrast, extra sugars and acids aren’t needed to help a chewable tablet maintain its structure.
How Can Vitaquest Help?
Vitaquest is a contract manufacturing and development organization that has provided supplement brands with best-in-class chewable tablet manufacturing, formulation, packaging design, and fulfillment services for over 45 years.
Whether you’re a newcomer to the industry or aiming to diversify your product range, Vitaquest possesses the expertise, cutting-edge facilities, and solutions needed to swiftly and effectively turn your chewable supplement concept into reality. Vitaquest also offers other dosage forms, including capsules and powders.
Vitaquest also has expertise in domestic and international regulatory standards. We are GMP-certified by NSF, assuring brand owners and consumers alike about compliance with industry regulations and standards. In addition, Vitaquest can offer Kosher, Halal, and certified organic products, and possesses the rare but globally recognized standard in the food and supplement industry known as FSSC 22000 certification for food safety.
Conclusion
Many people struggle with swallowing pills or experience pill fatigue, which leads them to seek alternative supplement forms like gummies and chewable tablets. When comparing chewable tablets versus gummies, the former holds several advantages. Chewable tablets offer better stability, are less sensitive to heat, have lower sugar content, and provide a wider range of flavor options. Additionally, they can deliver higher doses of nutraceuticals per serving, require a lower minimum order quantity, and have lower manufacturing costs and production times. Chewable tablets are also suitable for all age groups.
Are you ready to manufacture high-quality chewable tablets with Vitaquest? If so, call 800-526-9095 to speak with one of our knowledgeable sales executives or request a nutraceutical manufacturing price quote if you’ve already finalized your project requirements!
Frequently Asked Questions about Chewable Tablets vs. Gummies
Q: Are chewable vitamins better absorbed?
According to a scientific pharmacy journal8Antil A, Kahiy M, Tomar D. An Overview on Efficacy of Chewable Tablets in Improving Oral Drug Delivery. Systemic Reviews in Pharmacy. 2023; 14(9): 571-7., chewable tablets have improved bioavailability over traditional tablets.
Q: Are chewable vitamins better than gummies for teeth?
Gummies tend to have more sugar in them than chewable tablets. The sticky texture of gummies also means they’re more likely to adhere to teeth than chewable tablets. Consequently, chewable tablets may be better than gummies for teeth.
Q: Are chewable tablets more effective?
Compared to gummies, chewable tablets offer a higher dosage level of nutraceuticals per serving. This will make getting a clinically relevant dose of those nutraceuticals easier, suggesting greater effectiveness.
Q: What are the advantages of chewables?
The advantages of chewables over gummies include better stability, less heat sensitivity, a lower sugar content, better flavor options, the opportunity for a higher dosage level of nutraceuticals per serving, a lower minimum order quantity as well as a lower manufacturing cost and production time, and better suitability for all age groups.
Q: What are the disadvantages of multivitamin gummies?
Multivitamin gummies, like other gummy supplements, are more sensitive to heat and less stable than chewable tablets. They also contain significantly more sugar, which is not ideal. Compared to chewable tablets, gummies offer fewer flavor options and require higher minimum order quantities, manufacturing costs, and production times.
