Plant-based gummy candy helps vegans, vegetarians get their vitamins

Researchers reporting in ACS Food Science and Technology have packed a strawberry-flavoured gummy with vitamins, formulating it without any animal products so vegans and vegetarians can reach their recommended daily allowances (RDA).

Some essential vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin B12, are found exclusively in animal products, while others can be obtained from other sources. To avoid the pitfalls of vitamin deficiencies, people who adhere to plant-based diets often take supplements.

But it's been challenging to put both vitamin B12 and vitamin D3 in one pill because of their differing solubilities. One solution could be to put them into emulsion-filled gels, such as gummy candies. In sensory tests, 120 untrained panellists gave the gummies high scores for taste, colour, aroma and overall acceptability. The researchers say their results pave the way to make food products more nutritious.