Joint Decisions: Why the Right Glucosamine Partner Makes a Difference

Joint health formulas remain a competitive consumer product sector, as multiple millions of aging people demand them. Here’s why the right partner helps your product stand out.​

When joints begin to degrade and ache, the individual is forced to slow down, give up certain habits or hobbies. A life slowdown often results in other health conditions, which, if left unattended, increase risk of development of cardiovascular disease and diabetes type II.

According to a paper, “Osteoarthritis in southeast Asia” published in the International Journal of Clinical Rheumatology​ (2014), “In a Chinese population aged 60 years and older, the prevalence of knee OA was 22% in men and 43% in women, and this prevalence was 45% higher than that in the US white population. In a Japanese rural population, the prevalence of knee OA was 30% in women and 11% in men.”

Healthy joints are understandably a priority to prevent that downward spiral. And because the market is so competitive, just buying glucosamine at a “friendly” price won’t give you the strength and flexibility your product will need to be noticed and purchased.

Ideally, you would work with a veteran supplyside partner that has mastered the art of crafting distinctive and effective joint supplement products, and that provides the widest array of glucosamine and chondroitin (as well as other mobility enhancement ingredients), plus manufacturing and processing expertise with proven success in the US, Australia and in Europe.

With nearly a quarter century serving the natural products/dietary supplements industry worldwide, TSI Inc. has naturally expanded from supplying quality dietary ingredients and finished dosage products to accelerating innovation in the glucosamine market, to providing expertly formulated turnkey products along with global market access and distribution and international regulatory expertise (Australia, for example, has one of the strictest regulatory standards in the world).

TSI’s five state-of-the-art factories in China produce branded bio-active ingredients, general herbal extracts, specialty compounds, and finished products – TSI is the largest purveyor of glucosamine and chondroitin, the consistent joint-support ingredient leaders in the mobility health and support sector.

TSI provides the highest volume of glucosamine – as well as chondroitin -- globally, to the top-selling brands throughout the US, Europe, Australia and Asia, under the brand PUREFLEX^®​. More specifically, TSI manufactures an extensive range of glucosamine materials, expanding opportunities for formulators for a diverse range of products: shellfish and non-shellfish as well as supplement grade, food or pharmaceutical-grade specification; and in N-Acetyl, HCL and Sulfate forms.

The global glucosamine market is expected to reach US$757.3 million in two years, according to a 2016 market analysis by Grand View Research. That same report emphasized, “Increasing number of vegan consumers particularly in developed countries is expected to be another driver for the [glucosamine] industry over the forecast period.”

TSI’s GlucosaGreen is an innovative glucosamine that is suitable for vegans and is significantly less environmentally impactful and much more sustainable than conventional shellfish-derived glucosamine.

The process to make shellfish-obtained glucosamine is reliant on the use of energy and abrasive chemicals, and results in an excessive flow of toxic wastewater. In China – where 90% of the world’s glucosamine is processed -- the excessive amount of wastewater generated, lack of treatment capability and capacity, and high costs to treat such vast amounts of waste, has caused significant damage to the surrounding areas of shellfish glucosamine processing plants with polluted water, acid fog, and even corrosion of nearby buildings.

GlucosaGreen®​ is produced from non-GMO corn through a patent-protected fermentation technology to create glucosamine that is bioequivalent to shellfish glucosamine, and it produces only 2% of the waste compared to shellfish glucosamine. 

Glucosamine (and chondroitin) are still preferred in tablet form by consumers on the go.

TSI owns a finished-dose contract manufacturing facility that has been producing approximately 400 unique formulations of glucosamine and glucosamine-chondroitin tablets.

TSI’s expertise in the entire supply chain and process from research to finished product will ensure your joint health supplement meets regulations, and superior standards of efficacy and safety.

TSI’s scientific service team works closely with global research institutions to conduct in-depth research on its mobility-enhancing ingredients ensuring your product has the comprehensive clinical analysis consumers seek. TSI has established a global quality testing center in Jiangyin, China, to provide professional, centralized and comprehensive testing services for your product – so that you can launch them with full trust and confidence.

Since 2006, the testing centre has passed the official reviews of USP, TGA, IMB, EDQM, Japan Ministry of Health, Welfare and CFDA – all strict quality control agencies and organizations. Our quality department also cooperates with numerous TGA-certified quality inspection and research centres in Australia to carry out product quality analysis, testing and research work. TSI’s international quality management team continue to lead and manage global quality control and regulatory matters, including quality in China, the United States, Europe, Australia, Japan and Southeast Asia.

The TSI Application and Preparation R & D Centre, located in the Shanghai headquarters, is also equipped with a collaborative and expert research team that provides technical support for the development of multiple dosage forms and new raw material products, as well as analysis, establishment of quality standards and guidance for scale-up production. Since 2008 the centre has successively developed hundreds of formulas for brand marketers.

It’s your​ product – TSI makes it happen.​