With food additive titanium dioxide deemed unsafe by EFSA and EU taking steps to ban it from 2022, it has become more pertinent to look for TiO2-free coating solutions
In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for natural and clean label food supplements and therefore, also a growing incentive to replace problematical ingredients such as titanium dioxide E171 which is often used as a colourant in e.g. tablets. This became even more pertinent when EFSA updated its safety assessment of the food additive at the beginning of May 2021. In this opinion, EFSA indicates that “titanium dioxide can no longer be considered safe as a food additive”. This owes particularly to the fact that it has not been possible to exclude genotoxicity concerns after consumption of this additive.
In October 2021, the EU member states took the next steps towards a ban by voting for the exclusion of titanium dioxide. It is expected that the regulation can be adopted and published in beginning of 2022. The draft regulation prepares the ground for a solution allowing placement of foods and supplements containing E171 on the market after the regulation for six months after it comes into force.
White tablet coating agent free from titanium dioxide
In response to the need for clean label supplements, Seppic has developed an effective natural and clean label coating solution for tablets. SEPIFILM White TF is a white film-coating agent free from titanium dioxide designed for food supplements in tablet form. Based on ingredients well accepted and widely used in the food supplement industry, SEPIFILM White TF has strong opacifying properties giving a white colour to tablets without the use of titanium dioxide.
The performance of SEPIFILM White TF has been assessed comparing yellowish placebo tablets coated with SEPIFILM White TF and a HPMC-based white coating agent containing titanium dioxide. With a 5% weight gain tablets coated with SEPIFILM White TF look similar to the tablets coated with a titanium dioxide containing coating agent.
SEPIFILM White TF is easy to handle and can be used in a 12% water dispersion with standard coating parameters for a recommended weight gain from 4 to 5%. The film-coating agent is allowed for use in food supplements and confectionery in the EU and for dietary supplements formulations and confectioneries in USA.
SEPIFILM™ White TF
- Ready-to-use film-coating agent for food supplements
- Free from titanium dioxide and aluminium
- Gastrosoluble
- Powder form
