"Other Ingredients" in MegaFood ProductsUpdated 2 months ago

Q: Can you tell me about the "other ingredients" in your products - what they are, why they are used, and where they come from? 

Thank you for reaching out with your question! At MegaFood, we use excipients (the fancy term for the things you find in the "other ingredients" portion of the supplement facts label) when necessary to form a high-quality product. Their functions can be found below:

Excipient Use by Product Category

Tablets

• Microcrystalline Cellulose
  • Tableting aid - helps with compression and holding the tablet together
  • Source: Wood pulp
• Ferment Media (rice protein, organic brown rice, autolyzed yeast extract, yeast[inactive]
  • The matrix used in our mineral process
  • Organic Brown Rice
  • Part of the food matrix used in our vitamin process
• Silicon Dioxide
  • Flow agent 
  • Source: Silicon dioxide (SiO2), also known as silica, is a natural compound made of two of the earth's most abundant materials: silicon (Si) and oxygen (O2). 
• Stearic Acid
  • Tableting aid - helps with binding of the tablet
  • Source: Palm Oil
• Rice Protein
  • Part of the food matrix used in our vitamin process
• Autolyzed Yeast Extract
  • Part of the food matrix used in our B vitamin process 
• Hypromellose
  • Coating and Processing aid in the nutrient drying process  
  • Source: Cotton or Wood Pulp
• Maltodextrin
  • Herbal extract carrier (required to turn liquid extracts into powders that can be tableted/encapsulated)
  • Source: Plant-based, Varies, Non-GMO
• Guar Gum
  • Processing aid in the drying process  - prevents food material from sticking to the dryer belt
  • What is a Flow Agent? A flow agent allows the material to flow through our equipment, such as tablet presses, uniformly and without clumping

Capsules

• Maltodextrin
  • Flow agent and herbal extract carrier (required to turn liquid extracts into powders that can be tableted/encapsulated)
  • Source: Plant-based, varies, Non-GMO
• Hypromellose
  • Capsule 
  • Source: Cotton or Wood Pulp
• Rice Hulls
  • Natural alternative to silicon dioxide or other anti-caking/flow agents. 
• Rice Extract Blend (rice extract, rice hulls, gum arabic, sunflower oil)
  • Natural alternative to stearic acid  or other lubricating agents.
• Silicon Dioxide
  • Anti-caking/flow agent
  • Source: Sodium silicate and sulfuric acid
• Stearic Acid 
  • Lubricating agent 
  • Source: Palm Oil
• Ascorbyl Palmitate
  • Lubricating agent 
  • Source: Non-GMO Corn
• Microcrystalline Cellulose
  • Flow agent
  • Source:  Wood pulp
• L-leucine
  • Lubricating agent
  • Source: Non-GMO Corn
• Why the various lubricating agents? While they serve the same function, they do all have different qualities and properties, making them the better choice for certain applications. 

Gummies

• Organic Tapioca Syrup
  • Provides structure and sweetness
• Organic Cane Sugar
  • Provides structure and sweetness
• Apple Pectin
  • Provides structure
• Citric Acid
  • Control pH and flavor enhancer
  • Source:  Glucose from sugar cane
• Sodium Citrate
  • Control pH
  • Source:  Synthetic (produced through microbial fermentation of sodium hydroxide)
• Organic Coating 
  • Non-stick coating
  • Source: Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Carnauba Wax

Chews

• Organic rice syrup
  • Provides structure and sweetness 
• Organic Raw Cane Sugar
  • Provides structure and sweetness 
• Inulin
  • Sweetener
  • Source: Chicory Root Fiber
• Palm Oil
  • A lubricant/coating
• Natural Flavors
  • Proprietary flavor blends
  • Source: Varies
• Sunflower Lecithin
  • binding and structure ingredient
• Citric Acid
  • Flavor enhancer
  • Source: Cassava
• Fruit & Vegetable Juice 
  • For color
  • Source: Varies
• Glycerin
  • Sweet coating and lubricating agent
  • Source: Palm based Vegetable Oil
• Rosemary Leaf Extract
  • To preserve freshness
• Malic Acid
  • Flavor enhancer
  • Source: Synthetically produced
• Rice Bran
  • Provides structure
• Organic Wildflower Honey
  • Flavor
• Organic Tapioca Starch
  • Provides structure 

Powders (Magnesium + Boosters)

• Maltodextrin
  • Flow agent
  • Source: Non-GMO Corn
• Citric Acid
  • Flavor enhancer 
  • Source: Non-GMO Corn and Cassava
• Natural Flavors
  • Proprietary flavor blends
  • Source: Varies
• Monk Fruit Extract
  • Sweetener
• Organic Brown Rice
  • Part of the food matrix used in our vitamin process
• Rice Protein
  • Part of the food matrix used in our vitamin process
• Hypromellose
  • Processing aid in the nutrient drying process
  • Source: Wood Pulp

Liquids

• Organic Glycerin: 
  • Lubricating agent, anti-caking agent, emulsifier 
  • Source: Palm based Vegetable Oil
• Juice Concentrates: Apple Juice Concentrate, Pear Juice Concentrate, Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate, Beetroot Juice Concentrate
  • For color
  • For Flavor
  • Source: Varies by fruit  
• Natural Flavors:
  • Proprietary flavor blends
  • Source: Varies
• Citrus Peel Extract:
  • To preserve freshness
  • Source: Varies by fruit