Zinc
Zinc is added to supplements and foods as a compound rather than the metal. Zinc oxide is made from refined zinc metal or ores, while organic salts such as zinc citrate and zinc gluconate are made by neutralizing citric or gluconic acid with a zinc source and precipitating or drying the product. Zinc bisglycinate is made by reacting zinc with glycine; the forms differ mainly in elemental zinc content, solubility, taste and cost.
Suppliers sell different products under the same name. Specify the one you need.
Inorganic form with the highest zinc content by weight (roughly 80%); compact and low cost, common in multivitamin tablets and premixes.
Organic salt with about 31% zinc, sold as dihydrate or trihydrate; used in tablets, gummies and oral care.
Water-soluble organic salt with a lower zinc content (around 14%), used in lozenges, liquids and tablets.
Zinc bound to two glycine molecules, roughly 20-27% zinc depending on grade; sold as branded chelates and in taste-masked versions.
Inorganic sulfate plus specialty salts such as lactate, acetate and picolinate for specific solubility or labeling needs.
Granulated versions of these salts for direct compression and high-speed encapsulation.
Compare each result with your own specification when the lot arrives.
Zinc compounds are chemically stable. Store in sealed containers in a dry area; gluconate and some chelates pick up moisture and can cake if left open. Suppliers usually assign multi-year retest dates, and opened bags should be resealed.
Zinc percentage differs widely between forms and with hydration, so tie each inventory item to one specific compound and grade and calculate formula input amounts from the lot's assay. Review lead and cadmium results on each lot against your finished-product limits, and use lots in retest-date order.
Facts from regulators and standards bodies, each linked to its source.
21 CFR 182.8991 lists zinc oxide as GRAS as a nutrient when used under good manufacturing practice.
Source: ecfr.gov (opens in a new tab)21 CFR 182.8988 lists zinc gluconate as GRAS as a nutrient.
Source: ecfr.gov (opens in a new tab)In the EU, zinc bisglycinate, zinc citrate, zinc gluconate and zinc oxide are among the zinc substances listed in Annex II to Directive 2002/46/EC (as replaced by Regulation (EC) No 1170/2009) for food supplements.
Source: eur-lex.europa.eu (opens in a new tab)This is general information, not regulatory advice. Status differs by country and by how the ingredient is used, so check the rules for your product and market.
Manufacturers and distributors whose own websites say they sell it.
Manufacturer · Montvale, NJ
Sells it as Albion
US ingredient company whose Albion Minerals line makes mineral chelates, including Meta Mag magnesium bisglycinate and zinc chelates.
Manufacturer · Emmerthal, Germany
Sells it as LomaChelateX
German mineral salt manufacturer with a broad range of magnesium and zinc salts, including the LomaChelateX bisglycinate line.
Saddle Brook, NJ
Sells it as Zinmax
New Jersey branded-ingredient company, formerly Nutrition 21. Its portfolio includes chromium picolinate, zinc picolinate and an annatto tocotrienol for supplement, food and beverage brands.
Manufacturer · Haifa Bay, Israel
Israeli mineral ingredient manufacturer offering magnesium bisglycinate in fully reacted and buffered grades, and zinc salts.
Manufacturer · Bengaluru, India
Indian maker of pharmaceutical ingredients and mineral salts, with plants in Hosur. Its mineral range covers calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and selenium salts and amino acid chelates.
Manufacturer · St. Louis, MO
St. Louis maker of high-purity mineral salts, including magnesium bisglycinate and zinc salts, for nutrition and pharmaceutical customers.
Manufacturer · Basel, Switzerland
Swiss producer of fermentation-based ingredients and mineral salts, including a crystallized magnesium bisglycinate dihydrate and zinc salts.
Suppliers are in alphabetical order and none pays to appear. Each claim is checked against the supplier’s own website on the date shown. Ask for the specification sheet and a recent COA before you order, and confirm details with the supplier.
Common forms include zinc oxide, zinc citrate, zinc gluconate, zinc bisglycinate chelate, zinc sulfate and other salts and granulated / DC grades. Ask each supplier for the specification sheet of the exact grade they quote.
Expect zinc assay, identification, lead and cadmium, loss on drying / water content, chloride, sulfate and other impurities, microbiology and particle size and bulk density, each with its method, specification and result for that lot.
Zinc compounds are chemically stable. Store in sealed containers in a dry area; gluconate and some chelates pick up moisture and can cake if left open. Suppliers usually assign multi-year retest dates, and opened bags should be resealed.
21 CFR 182.8991 lists zinc oxide as GRAS as a nutrient when used under good manufacturing practice. 21 CFR 182.8988 lists zinc gluconate as GRAS as a nutrient. In the EU, zinc bisglycinate, zinc citrate, zinc gluconate and zinc oxide are among the zinc substances listed in Annex II to Directive 2002/46/EC (as replaced by Regulation (EC) No 1170/2009) for food supplements.
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