Nektium launches Smartek delivery technologies for botanical extracts
Smartek by Nektium has already been used to develop products including Vanizem® and the fully water-soluble Zynamite S (photo credit: Nektium)
Spanish botanical specialist Nektium has unveiled Smartek by Nektium, a suite of proprietary delivery technologies designed to help manufacturers bring premium, science-backed ingredients to market with greater efficacy, stability, and formulation flexibility.
Developed in-house by Nektium’s research teams, Smartek stabilises and protects bioactive compounds in botanicals, ensuring their potency is maintained throughout processing and into finished products.
The platform combines advanced techniques including multi-stage microencapsulation, molecular and matrix inclusion systems, and controlled ionization. Each botanical extract is matched with the optimal technology combination to enhance efficacy, improve physicochemical properties, and neutralize sensory characteristics.
The company says Smartek not only maximises health benefits at low doses but also extends shelf life and opens up new opportunities for innovation in formats such as gummies, sachets, shakes, and functional beverages.
Miguel Jimenez, CEO of Nektium, commented: “Smartek by Nektium brings the best out of botanicals and helps manufacturers innovate smarter and faster. We’re using innovative combinations of smart technologies to offer potent functional benefits in convenient low doses that fit seamlessly into on-trend delivery formats.”
Smartek has already been applied to several of Nektium’s flagship products. These include Vanizem, a mood- and sleep-enhancing extract of Aframomum melegueta (Grains of Paradise), processed using patented coacervation technology to stabilise vanilloid compounds at low doses, and Zynamite S, a fully water-soluble, neutral-taste formulation of Nektium’s award-winning nootropic Zynamite, tailored for functional beverage applications. Further launches are in development, including double microencapsulation systems for enhanced dispersibility in powder formats.
The launch comes at a time when quality control in the botanical supplements sector is under increasing scrutiny, with systematic reviews suggesting that around a quarter of bulk ingredients and finished products may be adulterated. Climate change is also impacting raw material quality, intensifying the need for robust supply chain safeguards.
Nektium emphasises that its raw ingredients are fully traceable and sustainably sourced, with extracts manufactured at its state-of-the-art facility in Spain under strict regulatory compliance. Rigorous identity and batch control procedures, including DNA barcoding and UHPLC profiling, underpin the company’s vertically integrated supply chain.
Beatriz Ercilla Negrin, director of quality assurance and regulatory at Nektium, said: “Smartek by Nektium is a testament to our philosophy of combining science-based innovation with in-house manufacturing and quality control. By controlling the entire process and leveraging advanced technologies, we provide customers with botanical ingredients that deliver on the promise of quality, traceability, health benefits, and efficacy.”
