Redefining Nutraceuticals with Cutting-Edge Research and Technology

By M R Yuvatha, Senior Correspondent, siliconindia  |  Tuesday, 09 December 2025, 05:35 IST

With over 39 years in nutrition, healthcare, dairy, and nutraceuticals, Suresh Garg founded Zeon with the vision of 'A Promise of Good Health' transforming it into a leading contract manufacturer of nutraceuticals and herbal products. Known for his strategic insight, he has expanded Zeon globally, driving innovation, operational excellence, and sustainable growth.

In a recent interview with M R Yuvatha, Senior Correspondent at siliconindia, Suresh Garg, Founder & CMD, Zeon Lifesciences, shared his insights on innovations and safety in the nutraceutical industry.

With nano-encapsulated ingredients gaining popularity, what measures are being taken to ensure their long-term safety, metabolic impact, and regulatory compliance?

Nano-encapsulation has become the buzz this past decade, but personally, I think the more interesting part is why it’s taken off. A lot of good ingredient, Curcumin, Resveratrol, Omega-3 are simply bad survivors. Heat knocks them out, light breaks them down, and by the time the body gets them, half their strength is gone. Nano-carriers help, no question about that.

But, and this is important, anything that enters the body at that scale needs to be understood properly. You can’t just say, ‘It improves absorption’ and call it a day.

Right now, companies are doing three things quite seriously:

One, long-term safety work.

And I mean real studies not just routine toxicity tests. Researchers are tracking where these nanoparticles actually go, how long they stick around, whether the liver or spleen ends up storing them, and what happens when they pick up a ‘protein coat’ in the bloodstream. That protein corona phenomenon… it can completely change how the immune system reacts. So yes, we study that too.

There’s also a big shift to biodegradable carriers. If the delivery system quietly breaks down and exits the body, it makes everyone researchers, regulators, consumers a lot more comfortable.

Two, the regulatory environment is finally catching up.

The FDA, EFSA, and others have become far more alert. And in India, regulators want clearer explanations of particle size, surface behaviour, and reactivity. That’s fair. Nano is not ‘just a smaller version of the same material’. It behaves differently. It deserves its own scrutiny.

Three, quality systems are getting tighter.

Once you work in the nano range, you realise how even tiny shifts in process can change particle size or stability. That’s why a lot of manufacturers now lean on Quality-by-Design methods, more process monitoring, more characterisation. You want the same behaviour every time, or the science becomes unreliable.

So yes, nano-encapsulation is promising, but it’s also something we handle with a lot of respect.

In the era of AI-driven personalised nutraceuticals, what steps are companies taking to use consumer data ethically, avoid bias, and validate results scientifically?

AI in nutrition is fascinating, honestly. When you combine genetics, microbiome data, sleep patterns, blood markers… you get insights we couldn’t imagine twenty years ago. But the flip side is that these datasets are incredibly personal. If you mishandle them, you lose trust instantly.

The responsible players are doing three main things:

First, being transparent.

People should know what data is being collected and why. No hidden clauses. No ‘surprise’ permissions. More companies are adopting stricter global standards because it’s the right thing to do not just because it looks good.

Advanced privacy tools are becoming common too. Federated learning, differential privacy, encrypted modelling… these let AI systems learn without exposing raw user data. Honestly, this is where the industry needed to go.

Second, they’re fighting algorithmic bias.

If your AI model is trained only on Western datasets, it will produce nonsense for many Indian users. Diets are different. Microbiomes are different. Lifestyles are different. So companies are building more diverse datasets.

Explainable AI matters as well. If an algorithm tells someone, ‘Take this supplement’, they deserve to know why. Doctors want that reasoning even more than the users do.

Third, validation. Real validation.

We can’t rely on algorithms alone. Companies are running multicentre trials, controlled studies, and long-term tracking to see whether the AI’s recommendations actually lead to improved health markers. And the gap between ‘AI suggests it’ and ‘clinically proven to work’ is narrowing, but it must be approached carefully.

AI is powerful but only if ethics, science, and common sense stay in the driver’s seat.

Innovations like 3D-printed structures, oral films, and sustained-release pellets are transforming supplement delivery. What impact are they having on adherence, dosage precision, and real-world effectiveness?

Honestly, this is the part of the industry that excites me the most because you can literally see the difference it makes for consumers.

You take oral thin films they dissolve instantly. For kids or older adults who struggle with pills, this is a game-changer. Compliance shoots up because the whole experience becomes easier.

Then you have 3D printing, which people often assume is ‘fancy tech’, but it’s incredibly practical. You can fine-tune the exact dose. You can design internal structures that release ingredients slowly, or in bursts, or only after reaching specific pH levels. No more breaking tablets and hoping you got the right half.

Sustained-release pellets solve another everyday problem: frequent dosing. If someone only needs one dose a day instead of three, they’re far more likely to stick with it.

But effectiveness that’s the real win here. Many nutraceuticals are poorly soluble. With these newer systems amorphous dispersions, engineered matrices we’re improving bioavailability in very real terms. The ingredient doesn’t just reach the body, it reaches it ready to work.

So yes, these technologies aren’t gimmicks. People feel the difference, and clinicians appreciate the predictability.

As nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals converge, what strategies help companies deliver prescription-grade efficacy while keeping products accessible, safe, and wellness-focused?

The lines are blurring because consumers expect more now. They want supplements that actually deliver measurable results, and pharmaceutical science helps us make that happen.

One big shift is adopting pharma-style R&D discipline. Instead of relying only on ingredient-level studies, companies are testing complete formulations dissolution, stability, dose-response, everything. This gives much stronger evidence for claims.

Manufacturing is another part of the story. Pharma-grade processes good documentation, cleanroom workflows, validated equipment translate extremely well into nutraceuticals. You get safety, consistency, and in many cases, lower wastage.

There’s also a growing trend of collaborative development. Pharma experts bring deep formulation knowledge. Nutraceutical researchers bring botanicals, bioactives, and wellness insights. When those worlds collaborate instead of working in silos, the outcomes are far better.

And yes, regulatory harmonisation is slowly improving. Clear standards give stability. When companies know the rules, they can innovate responsibly and predictably.

The goal is not to turn nutraceuticals into drugs. The goal is to combine scientific rigour with the accessibility and preventive mindset that defines this industry.

With nutraceuticals targeting lifestyle diseases, what methods are being used to track measurable outcomes, integrate digital monitoring, and demonstrate cost-efficiency?

Suresh Garg, says, "Lifestyle diseases need proof. People want real changes lower HbA1c, improved lipid profiles, reduced inflammation. Not vague ideas of ‘feeling healthier’".

So more companies are relying on objective biomarkers. Glycaemic markers for diabetes risk, LDL and triglycerides for heart health, hs-CRP for inflammation these give hard numbers that both clinicians and users trust.

Then comes digital monitoring. Wearables and apps are now part of the ecosystem. CGMs, sleep trackers, step tracking, food logs they provide a continuous stream of data instead of a once-in-three-months clinic visit. That feedback loop helps adjust interventions faster.

The last part is cost-efficiency, which people often underestimate. If a supplement can delay medication, reduce hospital visits, or improve long-term health outcomes, it’s economically significant. That’s why Health Technology Assessment (HTA) frameworks are becoming popular they help calculate long-term value, not just upfront cost.

This combination clinical markers, digital feedback, economic value makes lifestyle-focused nutraceuticals far more credible and easier to integrate into healthcare routines.