Zinc Gluconate

The zinc salt of gluconic acid, supplying approximately 14 percent elemental zinc with the cleanest taste profile and highest bioavailability among non-chelated commercial zinc salts. The dominant zinc form in lozenges, oral solutions, and functional foods where taste and dissolution matter.

White to off-white odorless crystalline or granular powder. Moderately soluble in water and freely soluble in boiling water. Neutral taste with only a slight metallic edge at high concentration, substantially milder than zinc sulfate.

We supply food-grade and pharmaceutical-grade Zinc Gluconate from manufacturers in China holding ISO, FSSC 22000, Halal, Kosher, and other certifications relevant to the product and production.

Common market grades include Standard Food Grade, USP/EP/JP/BP Pharmaceutical Grade for oral and lozenge applications, and Direct-Compression Granulated grade. Fermentation-derived gluconic acid feedstocks support natural-product positioning.

Bulk and reduced-MOQ shipments. Batch-level COA covering assay, zinc content, reducing substances, heavy metals, and microbiology.

Zinc is an essential trace element and a structural or catalytic cofactor for more than 300 enzymes, with critical roles in immune function, wound healing, protein synthesis, and DNA repair. Daily requirements are approximately 8 mg in adult women and 11 mg in adult men; deficiency is common in populations relying on cereal-based diets where phytates inhibit absorption.

Zinc Gluconate is manufactured by reaction of fermentation-derived gluconic acid with zinc carbonate or zinc oxide, followed by crystallization and drying. The fermentation route to gluconic acid uses Aspergillus niger on glucose feedstocks, supporting both food-grade and pharmaceutical-grade purity.

Regulated in the EU as an authorized source of zinc for food supplements and food fortification under Regulation (EC) 1925/2006 and Directive 2002/46/EC, classified as Generally Recognized as Safe by the U.S. FDA, listed in USP, EP, JP, and BP pharmacopoeias, and approved by JECFA with a group Provisional Maximum Tolerable Daily Intake for zinc from all sources.

Among commercial zinc forms, Zinc Gluconate occupies a balanced position. Elemental zinc content of 14 percent is intermediate between Zinc Sulfate (23 percent monohydrate) and Zinc Citrate (31 percent). Bioavailability is high and comparable to Zinc Sulfate and Zinc Picolinate in controlled trials, and clinical data on Zinc Gluconate lozenges in cold-symptom reduction is the most extensive published evidence base for any zinc form in any indication.

The trade-off versus Zinc Sulfate is taste and tolerance: Zinc Gluconate dissolves to a near-neutral solution with only a faint metallic note, while Zinc Sulfate is strongly astringent and bitter. This makes Zinc Gluconate the form of choice for lozenges, syrups, and any application where the consumer experiences the zinc directly rather than swallowing a coated tablet. The strategic position is taste-led in consumer-health channels, with cost-sensitive bulk fortification ceded to Zinc Sulfate and Zinc Oxide.

• Dietary zinc supplements: tablets, capsules, gummies, and lozenges
• Cold-and-flu lozenges; the most clinically studied zinc form for cold-duration reduction
• Pediatric zinc oral solutions and syrups
• Zinc fortification of breakfast cereals, breads, and infant nutrition products
• Functional beverages and immune-support drink mixes
• Pharmaceutical chewable tablets and oral suspensions
• Animal feed zinc source where bioavailability and palatability are formulation priorities
• Nutritional bars and meal-replacement mineral premix component
• Clinical nutrition and oncology-support formulas