ABOUT
Bether Encapsulates is a company that specializes in encapsulation. Our experience includes many of the major encapsulation technologies such as spray-drying, (double) emulsions and (co)acervation. Moreover, we offer a proprietary encapsulation technology based on encapsulation inside microbubbles. A technology that offers an unprecedented combination of barrier properties and controlled release.
Our technologies can be applied in different areas such as pharmaceutics, food, feed and advanced materials. Examples include the taste-masking of drugs and food ingredients, the controlled delivery release, of drugs, the ultrasound-triggered release of drugs from coatings and boosting flavors.
In addition, we support customers in the development of food and pharma products, e.g. by solving emulsification issues.
A large part of the work can be done in our lab equipped with emulsifcation and drying equipment and analysis tools such as (fluorescence) microscopy and spectrophotometry
We look forward to finding the solution to your problem in any of the above fields.
Contact us at:
Bether Encapsulates B.V.
L.J. Zielstraweg 2, 9713 GX Groningen, The Netherlands
+31 (0)6-10371991
albert.poortinga@bether-encapsulates.nl
Funding
TECHNOLOGY
At Bether Encapsulates we have experience with many of the most important encapsulation technologies. In addition, we offer a proprietary encapsulation technology: encapsulation inside microbubbles (creating structures that are also refered to as antibubbles or inverse bubbles)
A major problem with encapsulation is to prevent leakage of the encapsulated substance while obtaining a fast and complete release when desired. This has been recognized by several experts in the field:
‘Water soluble compounds are very difficult to encapsulate, they always tend to leak out at some point in time, leading to shelf life problems. If encapsulation is used which passes the test of time, it then means that the encapsulation is very difficult to reverse, i.e. it becomes a problem in itself to have the encapsulated Water soluble product becoming bio available once ingested.’
US patent 2010/0159105
Despite the vast amount of materials used to encapsulate substances, one material has been overlooked: gas.
We have the ability to, using proprietary technology, encapsulate your active inside microbubbles where it is shielded from the environment by a shell of gas.
Advantages are:
- No leakage of (non-volatile) actives
- Complete control over the moment and extent of release
- Minimal use of auxiliary materials
- No need for new, unapproved materials
Over time the technology has been developed in collaboration with leading insitutes worldwide such as Princeton University, Max Planck insitute, Helmholtz institute, University of Groningen and the University of Utrecht (see the list of publications).
The video below shows how a triggered 'popping' of the gas shell leads to a fast and complete release
Bether Encapsulates was founded beginning of 2015 by Albert Poortinga. Albert Poortinga holds a MSc in Applied Physics and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. Before starting Bether Encapsulates he worked within R&D in the food industry focusing on encapsulation. Albert is the (co-)author of 20 scientific articles and (co-)inventor of 25 patents, mainly in the field of encapsulation. Next to his work for Bether Encapsulates, Albert holds a position as a part-time associate professor within the Polymer Technology group on the Technical University of Eindhoven.
NEWS
August 2026: Publication entitled 'Bile acid triggered release of daunorubicin from silica nanoparticle-stabilized antibubbles' together with researchers from the Pharmaceutics department of the university of Utrecht, The Netherlands, and of Al Ain University, UAE.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpx.2026.100632
This research shows the controlled delivery of a chemotherapeutic in the small intestines therewith providing a significant step towards the development of oral chemotherapeutics. It also shows that our antibubble encapsulation technology can protect drugs from pH-induced degradation
March 2025: Publication entitled 'Microbubble-encapsulation of actives for controlled release and its application to the taste-masking of acetominophen' together with researchers from the Pharmaceutics department of the university of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Research showing the unprecedented barrier properties of our encapsulation technology allowing e.g. the formulation of taste-masked liquid formulations without compromising bioavailability.
January 2025: Publication entitled ''Ultrasound-triggered drug release in vivo from antibubble-loaded macrophages' together with the Helmholtz institute for infection research in Germany.
This research gives in vivo proof-of-principle that antibubbles loaded with drugs can be triggered to release the drug using diagnostic ultrasound either along or loaded into macrophages. Loading into macrophages provides the additional benefit that the antibubbles, and hence the drug, will be brought to the site of an infection or tumour by the macrophages.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2024.12.007
November 2024: start of the BbubbleCard project funded by the European Union, The Dutch ministry of Economic Affairs and Groningen Municipality and awarded by 'Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland' (SNN)
This project is a collaboration between University Medical Center Groningen, Innocore Pharmaceuticals and Solstice Pharmaceuticals. It aims to develop bioresorbable variants of antibubbles to be used for intravenous drug delivery, specifically for ultrasound-triggered drug delivery over the blood-brain barrier.
October 2023: Publication entitled 'Antibubbles Enable Tunable Payload Release with Low-Intensity Ultrasound' together with researchers from the Max Planck institute for medicine in Germany.
This research shows the unique properties of antibubbles such as their ability to administer multiple pulses of drugs triggered by ultrasound
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202305296
March 2023: IMPACT implants proposal awarded by 'Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland' (SNN).
In this project Bether Encapsulates together with the Biomedical Engineering group of the University Medical Center Groningen will further develop coatings for implants that can release antibiotics in response to an ultrasound trigger.
July 2022: Publication entitled 'Advances in antibubble formation and potential applications' together with researchers from Pharmaceutics of the University of Utrecht . See
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cis.2022.102688
April 2022: Joint publication with several Norwegian research institutes entitled 'Formulation and characterisation of drug-loaded antibubbles for image-guided and ultrasound-triggered drug delivery', see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2022.105986
May 2021: Albert Poortinga to present at the 23rd Microencapsulation Industrial Convention
December 2020: KIKA-sponsored project granted in which the technology of Bether Encapsulates will be tested to treat tumours by Dr. Mario Ries (University of Utrecht) and Dr. Dannis van Vuurden ( Princess Maxima Center)
October 2020 : Official kick-off the 'Ecosystem Personalized Implants' project
In this project, sponsored by 'Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland' (SNN), Bether Encapsulates collaborates with the company Polyvation and the Biomedical Engineering group of the University Medical Center Groningen to develop coatings for implants that can release antibiotics in response to an ultrasound trigger. Click here for a newspaper report (in Dutch)
September 2019: Microbubble-encapsulation technology of Bether Encapsulates is presented at Brightlands Rolduc Polymer conference
Click here for the conference book of abstracts
September 2019: Microbubble-encapsulation technology of Bether Encapsulates is presented at the International Conference on Ultrasonics
Click here for more information
December 2018: Student team supervised by Albert Poortinga of Bether Encapsulates wins Student competition chemistry
Click here for a video that shows how a new kind of sound-absorbing material can be made using the technology of Bether Encapsulates