Gelatin Capsules

LFA provide high quality empty gelatin capsules in a range fo sizes and quantities. Whether you are making your own supplements from home or are running a production facility creating hundreds of encapsulated products we have the capacity to help you. Simply browse through all of our sizes and colors or filter by color and size from the dropdowns. If you don't see what you are looking for then get in contact of view our full range of empty capsules. If you require wholesale quantities then fill out this form and we will provide you with a competitive quote.

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7Our hard gelatin capsules are GMO free and derive from completely natural bovine sources. Gelatin or “gel” capsules are usually derived from beef or pork along with water and a plasticizing agent such as glycerine to provide durability. Gelatin is an essential component for human consumption and development.

Gelatin (sometimes spelt Gelatine in the UK) is an animal protein which is known as Generally Recognised as Safe (GRAS) in pharmaceutical and food consumption by the majority of international regulatory bodies.

Capsules are a very common method for dosing supplements and pharmaceutical ingredients. Gelatin has been used since the late 19th century to produce empty capsules and is still the most commonly used ingredient for their production to today. It is derived from natural bovine sources. Gelatin therefore does not always suit everyone's dietary needs.

Why Choose Us?

Businesses

We understand that you have customers to keep happy. That is why we have chosen to manufacture our empty capsules in the USA, where they will pass through rigorous quality control before you manufacture your products with them.

We know that if production stops, so does your business. Our Gelatine capsules are kept in stock at all times. You’ll never have to put production on hold for long, if at all when sourcing your empty capsules from us. Just place an order on our website or get in touch with our sales team if you’d prefer to pay by invoice, and they will be dispatched the same or next working day depending on the time of your order.

Individuals

Making your supplements yourself you know exactly what you are putting into your body. Capsules made by large manufacturers may contain low-quality fillers and ingredients which will not help you progress towards your goal. If you are serious about your training, you want to know exactly what you are putting into your body so that you can always be optimising your supplement intake. It also completely eliminates the possibility of consuming a banned substance if you are a professional athlete. 

If you are looking to create your own supplements you most likely will be best suited to our 00 capsule size as they are compatible with our manual ProCap capsule filler.

This is because it is the largest capsule size we offer so that you can fit in the most amount of active ingredients.

Research & Development

Whatever the goal of your capsules, in the R&D stage it’s likely you will want to test different dosages to see the difference in results. To do this, take a look at the capsule size chart and see what dosages your active ingredient will fit in which sizes. From there you can choose which sizes make the most sense and start testing.

Capsules are often used when to clinical trials as they can be quicker to produce than pill based formulations. As we have stock in locations across the world we can dispatch different sizes quickly helping you stay flexible whilst creating your next product.

Gelatin Capsules vs. HPMC Capsules vs. Pullulan Capsules

The main difference between Gelatin, HPMC and Pullulan capsules is what ingredient they are derived from.

Below is a comparison table to easily see the difference between the different types of empty capsules that we provide. 

Capsule Material Gelatin Capsules HPMC Capsules Pullulan Capsules
Manufactured From Beef or Pork Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Tapioca
Suitable for Vegetarians
Suitable for Vegans
Kosher
Halal
Organic *
Cost Lowest Medium Highest

*depending on ingredients used in the capsules. All products must certified by a 3rd party

What Are Soft and Hard Gelatin Capsules?

Gelatin capsules are commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry as containers for drugs. Not only are they easy to manufacture, but they do not require complex formulations to produce unlike some other drug containers.

Soft Gelatin Capsules

Also called softgels, soft gelatin capsules are a case produced from a single piece of gelatin, rather than two halves attached together. They are used for solutions not based on water, as this would dissolve the gelatin, but for oil based solutions. The active ingredients is dissolved in the oil-based solution, and once the capsule is ingested, it dissolves within the body, releasing the drug. The capsule dissolves within minutes of reaching the stomach. The soft gelatin capsule is manufactured and filled using the same machine as part of a single process, and some have the brands or dosage strength printed on then. Gelatin is hygroscopic in nature, and the gels contain between 5-14% water.

Hard Gelatin Capsules

Hard gelatin capsules, unlike the soft form, are made of two parts, the body and the cap, each of a different colour. This form of capsule holds dry ingredients in powder form. The body is first filled with the mix of active ingredients and any excipients used, and then closed with the cap using either a manual or automatic press machine.

Once ingested, the hard capsules disintegrate within three minutes and quickly release the drug inside. Hard gelatin capsules are also hygroscopic and contain a higher water content than the soft capsules at around 12-15%.

Some drugs need to be released at certain points in the body, and therefore the capsule must release the drug at an earlier time. To enable this, the capsule can be filled with target release pellets. As well as powdered ingredients, the gelatin capsules can also be used to cover premade tablets.

Gelatin Capsules

Although gelatin capsules are simple to produce, the gelatin can facilitate growth of bacteria. It is therefore important that gelatin capsules are inspected and analyzed to check for any signs of bacterial growth. Another aspect that must be considered is that gelatin is produced from animal bones and are therefore unsuitable for strict vegetarians. To overcome this, there are vegetarian forms available made from a form of cellulose called hypromellose.

Gelatin capsules vary in size depending on the requirement. They range from between 0.13 mL to 28 mL capacity.

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