Vegan (HPMC) or gelatine capsules: how to choose

Choose HPMC capsules when the product must be vegan or vegetarian, the fill is hygroscopic or moisture-sensitive, or an ingredient could cross-link gelatine; choose gelatine when your market accepts an animal shell and you want quicker opening in laboratory tests, lower oxygen permeability and a lower shell cost (Al-Tabakha, 2010; Vergauwen, 2017; Junginger, 2020). Pullulan is a transparent, fermented vegan shell with a better oxygen barrier than HPMC, and Lonza's acid-resistant HPMC capsule opens about 45 minutes later than a typical immediate-release capsule (Vergauwen, 2017; Lonza Capsugel, 2026a; Lonza Capsugel, 2026b).

At a glance

• Moisture: gelatine shells hold 13% to 16% water and HPMC 4% to 6%; gelatine turns brittle below 10% (Al-Tabakha, 2010; Jones, 2017).
• Opening: in the stomachs of eight fasting volunteers, gelatine opened in 7 ± 4 minutes and carrageenan-gelled HPMC in 9 ± 2, not a significant difference (Tuleu and colleagues, 2007).
• Release testing: at pH 1.2, a green tea extract released 95% from gelatine in 30 minutes, 0% from gellan-gelled HPMC and 18% from HPMC without a gelling agent (Glube and colleagues, 2013).
• Market: in Nutrition Business Journal data, capsules took 10.3% of US supplement sales in 2025 and vegetarian capsules 2.2% (Nutraceuticals World, 2026).

Capsule shell types: what gelatine, HPMC and pullulan are made of

Gelatine comes from collagen in cattle bones and hides and in pig skins, with poultry and fish as alternatives (GMIA, 2019); one shell maker offers bovine, porcine and fish grades (Suheung, 2026). In GB and EU law, edible gelatine is not a food additive, so it has no E number (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Article 3).

HPMC (hypromellose, E 464) is a cellulose ether. First-generation HPMC shells use a gelling agent, carrageenan with potassium chloride or gellan gum (Vergauwen, 2017; Qualicaps, 2016). Thermogelled shells need no gelling agent: they set on pins heated to about 70°C (Al-Tabakha, 2010; Lonza Capsugel, 2026c).

Pullulan capsules are made from E 1204, a polysaccharide produced by fermenting food-grade hydrolysed starch with Aureobasidium pullulans (EFSA, 2025); Lonza's transparent Plantcaps use pullulan from tapioca (Lonza Capsugel, 2026a). Like gelatine, pullulan holds about three times HPMC's moisture, but it is less prone to cross-linking (Vergauwen, 2017).

Additive status, as of October 2026

E 464 is a Group I additive authorised in England, Scotland and Wales (FSA, 2025a). It is also a Group I additive in the EU (Regulation (EU) No 1129/2011), where EFSA found no need for a numerical acceptable daily intake (EFSA, 2018). GB and EU rules permit pullulan in food supplements in capsule and tablet form (FSA, 2025b; Regulation (EU) 2018/1497; EFSA, 2025). The FSA's approved additives list for England, Northern Ireland and Wales includes both (FSA, 2026a).

Moisture: dry air, damp air and hygroscopic fills

Gelatine shells are specified at 13% to 16% water for storage at 35% to 65% relative humidity (RH), and one thermogelled HPMC shell at 2% to 7% across 10% to 60% RH (Ku and colleagues, 2010). Gelatine turns brittle below 10% moisture (Jones, 2017), while HPMC stays flexible when dry (Al-Tabakha, 2010; Ku and colleagues, 2010). Above about 60% RH, both shells soften (Al-Tabakha, 2010).

Worked example: the water in a size 0 shell

A size 0 gelatine capsule weighs about 96 mg and holds 0.68 ml (Medisca, 2021), so at 13% to 16% moisture its shell carries about 12 mg to 15 mg of water; a 95 mg size 0 HPMC capsule (Lonza Capsugel, 2013) carries about 4 mg to 6 mg. Water moves from high water activity to low, so a dry fill draws water from the shell. A gelatine shell at 14% reaches the 10% threshold after losing about 4.3 mg, or 1.3% of the weight of a 340 mg fill (0.68 ml at 0.5 g/ml), and hygroscopic fills can draw enough water to make gelatine capsules break and split (Jones, 2017).

For probiotics, one review advises keeping total water activity below 0.2, ideally below 0.15, and notes that desiccant in the bottle helps (Fenster and colleagues, 2019). Low-moisture HPMC suits that, but the shell is not the barrier: HPMC took up water more slowly than gelatine in tests, yet neither protected its contents. The sealed pack does that job, and desiccant does not make HPMC brittle (Jones, 2017).

Gelatine cross-linking and dissolution

Reactive impurities can cross-link gelatine's protein chains into a pellicle, a thin, water-insoluble membrane that can delay or prevent release. USP's list includes aldehydes in actives, excipients or packaging, or formed in storage; high humidity or temperature; peroxides in polyethylene glycol; and UV light. Formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, glyoxal and reducing sugars are the commonest agents (USP, 2025a). HPMC exposed to conditions that cross-linked gelatine showed no cross-linking (Al-Tabakha, 2010).

For gelatine capsules that fail dissolution, USP allows a repeat test with an enzyme in the medium: pepsin at pH 4.0 or below, papain or bromelain above pH 4.0 and below 6.8, and pancreatin at pH 6.8 and above (USP, 2025b), once cross-linking is shown (USP, 2025a; Lu and Shah, 2017).

Dissolution and release testing: the gelling system matters

Water penetrates gelatine and pullulan capsules in about 40 seconds and HPMC capsules in about 3 minutes (USP, 2025a). Gellan-gelled HPMC released little in acid, and potassium ions slow the opening of both gellan and carrageenan shells (Al-Tabakha, 2010). In one study, potassium phosphate buffer delayed carrageenan-gelled HPMC and made it more variable; thermogelled HPMC was unaffected and opened consistently, 3 to 4 minutes after the carrageenan shell, from pH 1 to 6.8 (Ku and colleagues, 2011).

Worked example: a green tea extract in three shells

Unilever researchers measured release from 260 mg of a green tea extract in size 0 capsules (Glube and colleagues, 2013).

The authors link the slow release from HPMC without a gelling agent to catechins interacting with the shell, and advise checking supplement dissolution before release (Glube and colleagues, 2013). So test your fill in your shell, and use sodium rather than potassium buffers for carrageenan-gelled HPMC (Ku and colleagues, 2011). For US products tested to USP, chapter 2040 expects hard capsules to disintegrate within 30 minutes in pH 4.5 acetate buffer (USP, 2025b).

Oxygen, oils and liquid fills

Gelatine makers report that oxygen passes through HPMC shells much faster than through gelatine (Junginger, 2020). One puts the difference at up to 50 times, rates pullulan as low as gelatine, and advises an antioxidant in the fill or an oxygen-resistant pack for oxygen-sensitive actives in HPMC (Vergauwen, 2017). A 2017 review, citing makers of both shells, gives 3.14 against 166 ml/m² a day for gelatine and HPMC (Majee and colleagues, 2017), and Lonza, which makes all three, rates pullulan the best oxygen barrier of any vegan shell (Lonza Capsugel, 2026a).

Hard capsules hold oils once the joint is sealed, by banding or a microspray with gentle heat, often with nitrogen purging during filling (Lonza Capsugel, 2026d). Qualicaps sets 90% of body volume as the maximum liquid fill (Qualicaps, 2016). Refined oils and triglycerides suit gelatine, and plant-based shells suit lipid systems too (Biyani, 2018; Lonza Capsugel, 2026d). Glycerol, propylene glycol and liquid PEGs used alone make gelatine brittle, and PEG 400 and 600 can slightly swell HPMC (Biyani, 2018).

Acid-resistant and delayed-release shells

Acid-resistant HPMC shells delay opening without a coating step: Lonza says its DRcaps disintegrate about 45 minutes later than a typical immediate-release capsule (Lonza Capsugel, 2026b). In Capsugel-funded gut models, gellan-gelled DRcaps stayed largely intact through 60 minutes at pH 1.2 and opened fully about 45 minutes into the small-intestine phase; they kept more probiotic bacteria alive, and more amylase and lipase activity, than standard capsules (Marzorati and colleagues, 2015).

A later opening is not the same as enteric protection. USP's delayed-release dissolution test for enteric-coated products holds a dosage form for 2 hours in 0.1 N hydrochloric acid, with no more than 10% dissolved on average, before a pH 6.8 buffer stage (USP, 2025c). Lonza's Enprotect shell, listed among its pharmaceutical products, resists acid for up to 2 hours at pH 1.2 (Lonza Capsugel, 2025). If your specification says enteric, test to that acid stage and confirm that every shell component is a permitted food additive in each market.

Diet, faith and market fit

HPMC and pullulan make vegan capsules and vegetarian capsules, and Lonza lists vegan, kosher and halal certification for its thermogelled HPMC shells, which can vary by site (Lonza Capsugel, 2026c). As of October 2026, "vegan" has no legal definition in UK or EU law (FDF, 2023).

Halal and kosher rules require gelatine capsules to be free of porcine material, bovine gelatine's acceptability depends on the slaughter method, fish gelatine is more widely accepted, and Hindu custom excludes bovine by-products (Ali and colleagues, 2017). Kosher gelatine comes from kosher-slaughtered animals or kosher fish (OK Kosher, 2023). As of October 2026, fish is a labelled allergen in GB and the EU; the exemption covers fish gelatine used as a carrier for vitamin or carotenoid preparations, so a fish gelatine shell brings fish allergen labelling (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II).

Gelatine rules for human consumption

As of October 2026, GB and EU law set the same core rules (Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, Annex III, Section XIV; Regulation (EU) 2016/355; Regulation (EC) No 1243/2007). Raw materials include bones other than specified risk material, farmed ruminant hides, pig and poultry skins, and fish skin and bones; slaughtered animals must pass inspection as fit for human consumption. Residue limits include 5 ppm of lead and 10 ppm of hydrogen peroxide, and packaging must bear the words "gelatine fit for human consumption".

Colours and titanium dioxide

Titanium dioxide makes shells white and opaque and protects fills from light (Lonza, 2022). In the EU, Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/63 ended its use as a food additive (E 171), food supplements included, from 7 February 2022 (European Commission, 2022). Northern Ireland follows the EU rule (FSA, 2026a). As of October 2026, E 171 remains authorised in England, Scotland and Wales (FSA, 2025c). The FSA is preparing to implement a UK and EU SPS agreement, still being negotiated, in summer 2027; GB authorisations would then cease to apply, and the FSA cites titanium dioxide as an example of EU-led divergence (FSA, 2026b). Alternatives include calcium carbonate, the most common, which gives a semi-opaque white; iron oxides; colours; and soluble salts (Lonza, 2022).

Sizes and filling machines

Lonza lists gelatine capsules in 12 popular sizes from 000 to 5 (Lonza Capsugel, 2023) and thermogelled HPMC in nine, from 000 to 4 (Lonza Capsugel, 2026e); Qualicaps makes Quali-V HPMC in sizes 00 to 5 (Qualicaps, 2026). Capacities are in our guide to capsule sizes and fill weights.

In trials, thermogelled HPMC ran on high-speed fillers, often with no adjustment (Ku and colleagues, 2010).

HPMC vs gelatine capsules: the decision table

How we approach it at British VitaTech

We make capsules in-house in the UK with HPMC, pullulan and gelatine shells, including delayed-release designs, and our capsules are GMP certified. British VitaTech is ISO 9001, HACCP and GMP certified by BSI, and FDA registered. New shells and coatings are made without titanium dioxide, so one formula sells in the UK and the EU; see capsule and tablet manufacturing.

In our paid R&D stage, we choose the shell from your fill, markets and claims, make bench samples and check disintegration and dissolution in the media your specification names. The pilot batch goes on stability in the final pack at ICH conditions with accredited partner laboratories, with disintegration tested at each time point (stability and shelf life testing). Probiotics go into HPMC or acid-resistant shells with desiccant (probiotic supplement manufacturing), and oils such as omega-3 into softgels made in-house (softgel manufacturing, omega-3 supplement manufacturing).

Vegan, halal and kosher certification is arranged for your product, with shell declarations covering gelatine source and allergens (vegan supplement manufacturing, halal supplement manufacturing). Every batch is tested by accredited partner laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025), and batch testing is part of every order. Quality control releases each batch against its specification, with a certificate of analysis (testing and batch release). You receive the formula, specifications, stability data and test reports. Your formula is yours.

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