Blue California: A Perfect Blend of Science and Nature

Founded in 1994, Blue California, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, has made a name for itself as a premier manufacturer of botanical extracts and specialty ingredients. As the dietary supplement industry faces new challenges with the unveiling of stricter quality control criteria, Blue California is confident that it will not only meet those standards, but exceed them as well.

“We are very proud of the excellent record we have maintained over the years, our effort to respond to our industry’s challenges, and our commitment to quality, innovation and new technology—all of this required investment of our resources in order to accomplish our goals,” commented Cecilia McCollum, executive vice president. “As expected, the official GMP requirements will have an effect on the industry, so you will likely see slow sales for a while and witness the eventual survival of those manufacturers and ingredient suppliers who are truly capable of meeting superior quality standards,” She added, “Fortunately for us, we anticipated this need long ago and have been ISO 9000 certified for years and GMP certified by NSF since 2006.”

One of the more recent goals a­chieved by the company includes the debut of its new microencapsulation technology, which can be utilized in the food, cosmetics and beverage industries, as well as the dietary supplement industry. Microencapsulation technology is an important advantage for the nutraceuticals industry because it maximizes bioavailability, enhances solubility (without the use of emulsifiers), masks or retains odor and flavor, and enhances chemical stability and time-release formulas. Blue California has successfully launched several ingredients developed with the new technology, such as VitaDHA, a deodorized and cold water-soluble form of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).

“This more palatable DHA enables our customers to produce chewable tablets for children and adults alike without the ‘fishy’ taste so characteristic of fish-derived DHA,” said Ms. McCollum. “The solubility allows this ingredient to be used in liquid formulas or beverages as well.”

Other trademarked ingredients recently introduced with the help of microencapsulation include Vita­Sterols and water soluble CoQ10. Vita­Sterols, a 40% concentration of phytosterols, is an ideal product for cholesterol control. CoQ10 (10% and 40%) is well suited for beverages due to its palatability, slight color and excellent stability in liquids.

While the company’s manufacturing facility in China employs dedicated scientists whose objective it is to improve the development process and raw material value, the quality control department in California follows a stringent protocol that includes HPLC, microbiology, identity testing and ICP-MS pesticide screening. Furthermore, Blue California is one of the few companies in the U.S. that offers PSL (Photo-Stimulated Luminescence) screening to test raw materials and finished products for irradiation. In March, the quality control department also added Atomic-Absorption (AA) spectroscopy for testing heavy metals to its list of services.

With companies wary of ingredients produced in China due to recent safety concerns, Blue California decided to prove its level of quality by allowing its main customers to audit the manufacturing facility in China. Since given the opportunity to audit the Blue California facility, many customers have become inspired to shorten their list of suppliers to only those that allow the same in-depth audits of manufacturing sites. Ms. McCollum said, “I think the melamine situation was a good lesson for many in our field and for Blue California a much-deserved opportunity to show our true capabilities to the industry.”

But Ms. McCollum reminds the industry that quality requires intense scrutiny and process control not only where the ingredients are manufactured, but also where the finished products are processed. “Quality requires constant watch and compliance to approved procedures and quality protocols,” she said.—M.Z.

Blue California
30111 Tomas
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92668
Telephone: 949-635-1990
Fax: 949-635-1988
Website: www.bluecal-ingredients.com