The science of active ingredient release demands precision. With SphiroX® we have developed a beadlet technology that protects sensitive ingredients through controlled layer coating and releases them where they are meant to act.
Developed for precise active ingredient release.
Our process begins with active ingredient characterisation, moves through formulation and layer coating, and ends with scientific validation and research.
Technology
Fig.1: Schematic representation of the SphiroX® layer architecture
Active ingredient protection is not a matter of luck.
Most food supplements fail before they can act. Sensitive ingredients are destroyed by stomach acid. Oils oxidise in the bottle and lose their effect over time, long before they reach the intestine. Probiotic cultures absorb moisture, activate prematurely and in many cases have already died off before the product is even taken. Postbiotics and other bioactive active ingredients also lose effectiveness without stable protection.
SphiroX® is our answer to this problem, developed by Epicode GmbH, a HealthTech technology company on Lake Constance.
Scientific precision
Our SphiroX® layer technology encases each active ingredient with precisely defined protective layers: formulated for the respective substance, validated for the real gastrointestinal passage, reproducible on an industrial scale.
The result: precise active ingredient release
Variants
At Vykea the standard is not only whether our beadlets look good in the sachet or container. Every beadlet and product is checked for whether it works inside the human body. Each SphiroX® variant goes through a format-specific validation across simulated gastrointestinal phases and is tested under exactly the physiological conditions to which your customers' digestive system is actually exposed.
Nothing released too early. Everything arrives where intended.
SphiroX® Solid Beadlets enclose powdered active ingredients in a precise layer coating, developed so that it stays intact in the acidic environment of the stomach and releases its contents only at the intended pH value in the intestine. For validation we use multi-stage USP dissolution tests, the gold standard of release analytics. Each batch is taken through the following phases:
The integrity of the coating is confirmed. No premature release.
A controlled, reproducible release profile is triggered.
The full dissolution curve is generated to confirm release timing, completeness and batch consistency.
The result: your active ingredient reaches exactly the place where it is meant to act, and not the stomach acid that would otherwise destroy it.
This is how a SphiroX® Solid beadlet is built up: functional layers, produced by gentle layering without heat or pressure. The functional coating separates incompatible active ingredients from one another and controls the release over a period of 8 to 12 hours.
Fig.: Symbolic cross-section of the SphiroX® layer structure
Inert core of cellulose as the basis for the precise, layer-by-layer build-up. Defines the size and shape of the ~2 mm beadlet.
Active ingredients are applied in layer groups. Compatible ingredients share a layer, while incompatible or interacting active ingredients are separated from one another by functional coatings.
Gastro-resistant coating. Protects the active ingredient from decomposition by stomach acid and prevents premature release in the stomach.
Time-delayed coating. Controls the timing of release, so that the active ingredient is only released after a defined dwell time in the digestive tract.
Long-release coating. Provides an even, continuous release of active ingredient over a period of 8 to 12 hours.
The outermost layer determines the taste and smell of the beadlet. Freely configurable aroma profile, more pleasant than any conventional delivery form.
The numbering describes the possible elements of a beadlet, not the physical order of the layers.
SphiroX® Liquid and SphiroX® Instant each follow their own architectures, optimised for their specific active ingredient requirements.
Liquid active ingredients. Solid protection.
Coating oil-based ingredients such as omega fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins and botanical extracts is one of the most technically demanding challenges in food supplement manufacturing. Oils oxidise. They leak. They break down before they even reach consumers, let alone the intestine. SphiroX® Liquid solves this problem.
We validate each batch along two central dimensions: stability and bioavailability.
Accelerated oxidation stress tests confirm that the SphiroX® shell prevents lipid peroxidation over the storage period, that invisible degradation which destroys the efficacy of unprotected oil formats without consumers noticing.
Using the internationally harmonised INFOGEST protocol, we simulate the full digestion in the upper gastrointestinal tract (oral, gastric and intestinal phase) and measure which proportion of the encapsulated active ingredient actually becomes bioaccessible. Not just present. But absorbable.
Measured at production and at the end of the storage period, to confirm that the shell holds. Batch by batch, month by month.
Speed and precision. No contradiction.
SphiroX® Instant combines the advantages of the beadlet format in handling, dosing accuracy and stability, without delayed release. Developed for active ingredients where rapid dissolution is decisive.
SphiroX® Instant Beadlets are validated to dissolve completely within defined time parameters.
SphiroX® Instant can be formulated in any desired flavour, perfected through repeated sensory panels until taste and acceptance are right.
One consistent line for all formats
We test to pharmacopoeial standards because we believe that scientific rigor should not be the privilege of individual product categories.
Validation
Our test methods
Each SphiroX® variant is validated according to established, international test methods, to the same standards that apply to regulated delivery forms. Pharmacopoeia standard, no supplement compromise.
Fig.3: Simulated digestion phases for validating SphiroX® release
The gold standard of release analytics. We test each batch in simulated body fluids: Simulated Gastric Fluid (SGF) at pH 1.2 for 120 minutes and Simulated Intestinal Fluid (SIF) at pH 6.8. The release profile is documented as a curve: reproducible, transparent, auditable.
The internationally harmonised standard protocol for the in-vitro simulation of the oral, gastric and intestinal digestion phase. For SphiroX® Liquid we measure not only whether the active ingredient is released from the beadlet, but which proportion actually becomes bioavailable. Bioaccessibility ≠ encapsulation efficiency. We measure both.
For oil-based active ingredients, oxidative degradation is the critical stability factor, often invisible, always efficacy-reducing. Using Rancimat and OXITEST methodology we simulate accelerated aging conditions and measure induction times under accelerated oxidation conditions. Result: documented oxidation protection over the declared shelf life.
Every SphiroX® formulation undergoes stability testing in ICH-compliant climate chambers: 40 °C at 75 % relative humidity over six months (accelerated) and 25 °C / 60 % r.h. for up to 36 months (long-term). At defined intervals, content, release profile and degradation products are analysed. The robustness of the declared shelf life is therefore not an assumption but analytically demonstrated.
CFU count at production is not a quality marker. CFU count at the end of shelf life is one. Our stability program records live colony counts at defined intervals (0 / 6 / 12 / 24 months) under controlled storage conditions. In addition: simulated gastric passage tests. We know how many bacteria arrive.
Quality & Research
Fig.4: Analytical laboratory for quality control of SphiroX® formulations
Quality begins before the product.
We work with leading research institutions and specialised analytical laboratories such as Eurofins to validate our SphiroX® formulations under real physiological conditions. Stability tests, release profiles, bioavailability tests, microbiological analyses, heavy metal tests, pesticide screenings and content assays form the basis on which we develop and optimise every formulation.
SphiroX® Beadlets are produced under certified conditions (HACCP, GMP / ISO 22000) and validated to international pharmacopoeia standards. Each batch is analytically tested batch by batch, every formulation is fully documented and auditable. Quality that does not rely on promises.
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12 ingredients, precisely delivered with SphiroX® technology.