Chelated minerals and the outlook for nutrient delivery

Balchem introduces chelated mineral ingredient platforms in the APAC region

- 

ASIA PACIFIC is now shifting toward science-backed nutritional solutions. The region's nutritional supplements market, valued at USD 192.44 billion in 2024, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.71% through 2030, based on a report from Grand View Research. This positions global ingredient suppliers to drive innovation in healthy aging across all life stages.

In the field of mineral chelated production, Balchem has decades of expertise and got over 150 legacy patents granted to its name. Five of its key ingredient brands: Albion® Minerals, Optifolin+®, VitaCholine®, OptiMSM®, and K2VITAL™ were showcased to the region's manufacturers and consumers at Vitafoods Asia 2025.

At this event, Oliver Riemann, Senior Marketing and Business Development Manager for Albion® Minerals, talked about consumer behavior in APAC and how Balchem is positioning its clinically validated innovations.

“In Asia, nutrition habits and how consumers value a healthy lifestyle and the quality of ingredients have changed over the last years. A decade ago, the region was dominated by commodity ingredients, particularly inorganic minerals like magnesium oxide. Inorganic minerals don’t show a very high bioavailability for the human body. But on the other hand, they are really cheap, and that drove their popularity,” he said.

Chelation as a differentiator in mineral supplementation

This is a big opportunity for Balchem's flagship brand, Albion®, which includes pioneering chelated minerals.

Chelation refers to the process of binding a mineral to an amino acid to form a stable, bioavailable complex. “It forms a unique molecule, with the mineral in the middle—like magnesium or iron—and it's wrapped with an amino acid. In our case, its glycine”, Riemann explained.