How a Capsule Can Affect Supplement Quality: Comparing Softgels and Liquid-Filled Hard Capsules

Do you choose dietary supplements based on their composition? Then you might be overlooking another important factor - the capsule itself. Most people focus on labels and primarily track the active ingredients. However, if you are looking for a product that meets the highest standards of quality and safety, you should also consider the type of capsule used to deliver the supplement. The encapsulation system is one of the most critical factors in determining a product's final quality, stability, and effectiveness.

In this article, we will explain the key differences between conventional soft capsules (so-called softgels) and capsules using LFHC technology, and answer why the method of encapsulation matters more than you might think.

Article at a glance

1. Shortcomings of Traditional Softgels (Soft Gelatin Capsules)
2. The Trime Standard: Liquid-Filled Hard Capsule (LFHC) Technology
3. The Price of Quality
4. Where Others Stop, We Begin
5. Key Takeaways

Shortcomings of Traditional Softgels (Soft Gelatin Capsules)

For decades, soft gelatin capsules - commonly known as softgels - have dominated the market for liquid nutrients (such as omega-3 fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins). However, current scientific insights highlight limitations of this technology, particularly in terms of oxygen permeability, chemical purity, and interactions between the capsule shell and its contents. Softgels are inexpensive to produce, but from a quality standpoint, they have significant drawbacks.

A Cocktail of Chemical Plasticizers

To make gelatin soft and flexible, so-called plasticizers (most commonly glycerol, sorbitol, or propylene glycol) must be added. These make up 20–30% of the capsule shell’s total weight. The usage of chemical plasticizers alone contradicts the philosophy of a clean formulation, free of unnecessary additives.

Porosity and Oxidation

The problem with high concentrations of plasticizers is that they degrade the capsule's structural integrity. They create microscopic pathways that allow moisture and oxygen to constantly leak inside. For delicate oils like omega-3s, a standard softgel simply doesn't offer enough protection. Due to their double bonds, EPA and DHA are highly vulnerable to oxidation. Once oxygen gets through, it triggers a chain reaction called lipid peroxidation, breaking down the active ingredients and killing the product's potency well before the expiration date.

Did you know that consuming oxidized lipids is not just a matter of taste and smell, but may also negatively impact health?
→ The intake of oxidized omega-3 fatty acids has been associated with pro-inflammatory effects and increased oxidative stress in the body. Animal studies suggest that long-term consumption may adversely affect LDL cholesterol levels, lead to liver hypertrophy, and cause inflammatory changes in the digestive tract. [1]

Interaction Between Shell and Fill

Because softgel shells hold a lot of water—up to 40% during manufacturing and around 5–8% in the finished product—along with various plasticizers, the capsule is never truly stable. Instead, ingredients constantly migrate back and forth. Hydrophilic (water-loving) elements in the liquid core can actually "pull" plasticizers out of the shell. Over time, this leaves the capsule brittle, deformed, and prone to cracking. On the flip side, ingredients from the liquid center can leak outward into the shell, making the capsule sticky and structurally weak.

Thermal Stress During Production

Softgels are produced using a “wet” process and must be dried for days in drying chambers. During this time, the contents are unnecessarily exposed to heat stress.

The Trime Standard: Liquid-Filled Hard Capsule (LFHC) Technology

At Trime, we believe uncompromising quality and safety belong in every capsule. That’s why we carefully evaluate not only the active ingredients we use, but also the systems that deliver them.

Instead of compromises, we have invested in Liquid-Filled Hard Capsule (LFHC) technology, which provides customers with a chemically pure product (free from artificial plasticizers and unnecessary additives) while ensuring maximum stability of the contained substances.

How Are LFHC Capsules Manufactured?

The key difference between softgels and LFHC lies in the manufacturing process.

Softgel production is a “wet” process in which capsules are formed from liquid gelatin ribbons, which are then dried in dehumidification chambers for 24 to 72 hours. During this time, the capsule fill is exposed to residual moisture and heat stress, accelerating degradation.

In contrast, LFHC technology uses pre-made, fully dried hard capsules. The filling process takes place in a controlled atmosphere: the liquid is immediately dosed into a dry capsule, the space is flushed with nitrogen to remove oxygen, and the capsule is hermetically sealed within a fraction of a second. This process “locks in” the active ingredient in an ideal state without exposure to adverse conditions during production.

Perfect Sealing

To ensure complete tightness of the liquid fill, the connection between the capsule body and cap must be airtight. A traditional method is “banding,” where a strip is applied around the joint.

However, we use a more advanced method: capsules are hermetically sealed using fusion microspray technology (LEMS® – Liquid Encapsulation Microspray Sealing). The result is a perfectly “welded” capsule at the moment of filling, offering extremely high mechanical resistance and zero permeability at the joint. Nutrients are effectively “preserved in time” at their peak freshness.

The Price of Quality

You may wonder why not all manufacturers use LFHC technology, given its clear advantages. The answer is simple: complexity and cost.

Production in a hermetically sealed atmosphere, the use of nitrogen to displace oxygen, and precise sealing via fusion microspray require sophisticated equipment and much stricter process control than conventional softgels.

Higher production costs are naturally reflected in the final product price. At Trime, however, we believe that cutting costs on dietary supplements is not worth it—price is a direct indicator of uncompromising purity and safety. With Trime, you get only pure active ingredients with real efficacy—nothing extra.

Krill Oil+

Where Others Stop, We Begin

Most manufacturers choose standard gelatin softgels due to their low cost and availability. While affordable and proven, softgels carry the burden of chemical plasticizers, high porosity (and thus poor protection for sensitive omega-3 fatty acids), and the risk of substance migration.

At Trime, our priority is quality, effectiveness, health, and safety. That’s why we use LFHC technology, which eliminates the structural shortcomings of softgels and aligns with “clean label” principles by minimizing unnecessary additives. LFHC technology is further proof of our commitment to safety and transparency.

To learn more about what we intentionally avoid during the manufacturing of our dietary supplements, read our article: "We go beyond the label: True Quality and Safety Lie in the Details You Can’t See at First Glance."

Key Takeaways

Sources:

[1] Albert BB, Cameron-Smith D, Hofman PL, Cutfield WS. Oxidation of marine omega-3 supplements and human health. Biomed Res Int. 2013;2013:464921. doi: 10.1155/2013/464921. Epub 2013 Apr 30. PMID: 23738326; PMCID: PMC3657456.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3657456/