The process of producing dietary supplements and vitamins is complex and involves a multistep approach to encapsulate the active ingredient in its final form (e.g., tablet).
Since manufacturers want to produce large quantities of these supplements with the least expenses, they often rely on automatic machinery. However, there is always the risk of agents sticking to parts of the machine – a process referred to as caking.
To overcome this issue, manufacturers use anti-caking agents, such as magnesium stearate and silicon dioxide, which act as flow agents and lubricants.
Although Magnesium Stearate and Silicon Sioxide are useful in preventing the aggregation of different ingredients to the production machinery, there are some side effects to using these flow agents.
