What is it and why is it important?

Enteric coating is a process whereby the product (usually a tablet but sometimes individual granules of a powder) is coated with a substance that is resistant to stomach acid, but breaks down later in the digestive tract, i.e. the small intestine, and releases the contents there.

It is important because the stomach is a very harsh environment for many substances that tablet manufacturers wish to be absorbed; without such a coating, in many cases, the substance would be destroyed by the stomach acid and made useless. This particularly applies to enzymes such as serrapeptase, and to certain drugs.

Enteric coating of individual granules within a capsule has for a long time been used so that the advantages of a capsule can be gained while still getting an effective product. However, recent research has indicated that, in this case, the coating is too thin to actually be effective, without making the individual granules so large that the capsule is an unmanageable size. Manufacturers are therefore swinging back to the use of enteric-coated tablets.