How to Make Prenatal Gummies at Commercial Scale

Prenatal vitamins help expecting mothers to ensure a healthy, lower-risk pregnancy. As our society becomes more health-aware and demand for these supplements increases, manufacturers have a prime opportunity to manufacture these products at scale to meet modern consumer preferences. 

Today, we are going to cover prenatal gummy vitamins in-depth. First, let’s start by examining how massive the industry is: 

Prenatal Vitamin Market Size 

According to a report by Grandview Research, the prenatal vitamin and supplement market was valued at over USD $377 million in 2018 and is projected to scale further through 2025. The report cited a few motivating factors for the growth in this product category: 

• With the wealth of prenatal health information online, mothers are more aware of the important roles diet and medication play during pregnancy. 
• Pregnant women who live stressful or sedentary lifestyles are at a greater risk of developing vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which can also affect the baby. 
• Women want to supplement their nutritional intake beyond the healthy foods they are already eating. 
• Pregnant mothers want to increase their chances of delivering a healthy baby. 

What Are the Active Ingredients in Prenatal Vitamins? 

Like any vitamin or supplement, prenatal vitamins contain a list of active ingredients that support the consumer’s health goals. In this case, that would be a healthy pregnancy and healthy delivery of the baby. 

According to the American Pregnancy Association, these are recommended micronutrients in prenatal vitamins that consumers should look for: 

• Vitamin A to help regulate healthy fetal development in pregnancy 
• Vitamin B complex (B1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 12) for healthy creation of red blood cells, proteins, and DNA and some protection against the chance of birth defects. 
• Vitamins C & E to aid in the production of collagen for healthy skin, bones, and tendons as well as immune system development. 
• Vitamin D for healthy bones, boosting immunity and aiding in regulating blood pressure as well as mood. 
• Calcium for healthy bone growth in the baby and preventing bone loss in the mother. 
• Iron for healthier red blood cell activity and preventing anemia 
• Iodine for promoting healthy thyroid functions, hormone production, and fetal cognitive development. 
• Magnesium, Sodium & Potassium for increased hydration, healthier nerve and muscle functions, and improved blood flow. 
• Zinc supplements to prevent zinc deficiencies and promote healthy delivery. 
• Choline Bitartrate for healthy liver function, placental function, and fetal brain development. 

How Are Prenatal Vitamins Manufactured? 

Manufacturing prenatal gummy vitamins at commercial scale requires using the right production equipment to meet the size and scope requirements for your batches. There are multiple configurations at varying sizes as well as stacked kitchen setups for those handling large batch demands with limited space. 

We’ve covered this multiple times before, but we will reiterate it here in case this is your first time learning about gummy manufacturing. The process involves three phases: 

1. Cooking 
2. Depositing and Cooling
3. Coating and Quality Control 

Cooking 

The gummy manufacturing process starts with the basic ingredients: Gelatin base (or non-gelatin substitute), sweeteners, colors, flavors, active ingredients, and citric acid to maintain a stable pH and for creating a traditional gummy texture. The gelatin and sweetener are loaded into a kettle and preheated to make into a slurry. Do note, if you use a non-gelatin alternative, this may affect the temperatures required to create the slurry.

After the slurry is created, it is moved to a mixing tank from storage. In the mixing tank, you would then add the rest of the essential gummy vitamin ingredients like colors, flavors, actives, and citric acid. 

Depositing and Cooling

After the final mixture is complete, the slurry moves through heated pipes until it arrives at a hopper on the depositor where it is dispensed in precise amounts into molds. The molds are then sent through a chilling tunnel where the slurry is cooled and given time to solidify. 

Coating & Quality Control

The solidified gummies are then conveyed to drying trays or to coaters where you can add any optional gummy coatings to enhance the flavor. This part of the final phase is not necessary but can play a major role in enhancing the product’s visual appeal and taste. 

Once fully cured, the gummies are inspected by a quality control team. The most critical aspect to analyze during this phase is the level of water activity in the gummies. If there is too much water activity, this can affect the texture and shelf-life, as well as encourage microbial growth. 

Measuring water activity is actually a rather simple process. All you need is a portable meter that can produce accurate readings in a matter of minutes. This simple, yet absolutely critical aspect of quality control should never go overlooked. 

Start Manufacturing Prenatal Gummies at Scale 

Are you ready to start manufacturing prenatal gummy vitamins at your pharmaceutical facility? Perhaps you are looking to upgrade your equipment? No matter the need, our team can help connect you with the right equipment to suit your scope and scale requirements. Contact us anytime to speak with a product expert.