Research.

Human Nutrition & Health · Science and Technology · Science

About Our Research

Our commitment to research drives us to explore cutting-edge solutions, ensuring our products meet the highest standards of quality and effectiveness. By investing in scientific research, we continually advance our understanding and capabilities, bringing you groundbreaking products that enhance health, nutrition, and food production.

Balchem Minerals and Nutrients

Our History of Scientific Innovation and Breakthroughs in Nutrition:

Choline first synthesized by German scientist Oscar Liebreich. Liebreich identified what he thought was “the mother-substance-of-all” which he named “protagon”. He demonstrated that a constituent of protagon was a new molecule which he named “neurine”, which later was identified to be the same as the previously discovered “choline”.

Dr. Harvey Ashmead, founder of Albion Laboratories, discovers that metals pre-chelated with an amino acid are absorbed more efficiently.

Steven Zeisel, MD, PhD, publishes data demonstrating that choline deficient diets lead to liver dysfunction in humans.

Choline is recognized as an essential nutrient by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine.

The World Health Organization publishes guidelines for fortification recognizing superior absorption of Ferrous Bisglycinate, naming it a preferred iron fortificant for fluid milk, juice, and soft drink applications.

Choline is recognized as an essential nutrient by EFSA, and an Adequate Intake (AI) is set for healthy populations.

The US FDA establishes updated rules on Nutrition/Supplement Facts labels, which includes establishing a Reference Daily Intake (RDI) value for Choline.

Kappa Biosciences is crowned NutraChampion at NutraIngredients -Asia for its scientific and commercial MK-7 innovations.

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recognizes that choline helps support the growth and development of the brain and spinal cord, yet cautions that “many prenatal supplements do not contain choline or only contain small amounts inadequate to meet recommendations.”

VitaCholine^® wins an award from NutraIngredients-USA for Cognitive Function Ingredient of the Year, and Balchem was recognized for “methodically supporting research into the value of its VitaCholine^® during pregnancy and early life.”

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Person standing on a beach overlooking the sunset

Key Accomplishments

Balchem is proud of our history of research, and we know that we have a responsibility to advance and support nutrition science.

Our Albion^® Minerals, K2VITAL^®, OptiMSM^®, Optifolin+^®, and VitaCholine^® families of products, have been the subject of many scientific examinations that have demonstrated multiple health benefits in human nutrition.

Albion® Minerals K2VITAL™ OptiMSM® Optifolin+® VitaCholine®

Some of Our Proudest Research Achievements.

Enhanced Iron Absorption

Anti-Nutrients present in our diets such asphytates and oxylates, can significantly reduce the absorption of key minerals, including iron.

In a comparison of the bioavailability of iron from Ferrous Sulfate and Ferrous Bisglycinate (Ferrochel^®) in a fortified food, researchers found that the average iron absorption from Ferrous Bisglycinate was 4.7x greater than that of Ferrous Sulfate, particularly in the presence of the phytates.

Adapted From: Bovell-Benjamin AC, et al; Am J Clin Nutr 2000; 71: 1563-1569.

*Significant difference between groups, p<0.05

Supplementing with VitaCholine® During Pregnancy Linked to Long-Term Cognitive Benefits in Children

Choline is an essential nutrient that supports brain and spinal cord development – but does supplementing with Choline during pregnancy have a lasting impact on baby’s brain development?

A controlled feeding study in pregnant women demonstrated that consuming supplemental VitaCholine^® during the 3rd trimester resulted in better cognitive performance in their children, seen as early as the first year of life and even up to age 7y.

Interested in learning more? Click below for additional information about these groundbreaking studies.

*Adapted From: Bahnfleth CL, et al. FASEB J 2022; 36(1): e22054;

Mean ± SEM; *Significant main effect of choline treatment, p<0.05

Cornell Study

OptiMSM® Proven to Enhance Skin Appearance and Reduce Crow’s Feet in Clinical Trial

Supporting skin health as we age is important, but there are few effective nutritional solutions to help support our skin and connective tissues.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trial, OptiMSM^® supplementation for 16 weeks was shown to significantly improve measures of the visual appearance of skin.

Benefits of supplementation with OptiMSM^® included a significant reduction in the appearance of Crow’s Feet, while no benefits were observed in the placebo group.

Adapted From: Anthonavage M, et al., Nat Med J 2015; 7(11): 1-10. *Significant difference from baseline, p ≤ 0.05.

VitaCholine®

• Maternal VitaCholine^® Supplementation Improves Offspring Cognition: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29217669/
• Maternal VitaCholine^® Supplementation Improves Offspring Cognition – 7 Year Follow Up Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34962672/
• Maternal VitaCholine^® Supplementation Increases DHA Status: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35575618/

VitaCholine® Choline

Ferrous Bisglycinate

The effects of oral ferrous bisglycinate supplementation on hemoglobin and ferritin concentrations in adults and children: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials