What Sphera Encapsulation does

Sphera Encapsulation S.r.l. is an Italian biotechnology company and the first in Italy entirely dedicated to research and development in micro- and nano-encapsulation technologies. Founded in 2016 as a spin-off of the University of Verona's Food Chemistry laboratory under Prof. Gianni Zoccatelli, the company is co-led by Martina Vakarelova (microencapsulation of microalgae extracts) and Francesca Zanoni (nano-encapsulation of lipophilic compounds). It operates a portfolio of seven core encapsulation modalities — fluid bed, spray drying, spray chilling, coacervation, ionotropic gelation, and nanocapsules — and proprietary branded technologies including SpherAQ® (water-soluble lipophilic encapsulation, 70-80% payload, in vivo absorption validation), Floraspher™ (sustainable botanical extract encapsulation), and SpheraCURE (turmeric bioavailability). All formulations use biodegradable, organic matrices.

The company monetizes through two primary streams: (1) professional R&D services spanning feasibility studies, 30-50 g prototyping, stability and release testing, 2-25 kg pilot production, and industrialization/technology transfer to customer facilities; and (2) optional exclusive patent licensing arrangements allowing clients to be sole users of bespoke technologies, with production carried out at the client's chosen third-party manufacturer. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is sales-led, with direct engagement via website contact forms and phone, supplemented by industry-conference presence (Vitafoods Europe, Food Ingredients Europe, Future Food-Tech, Loughborough microencapsulation training) and EU-funded research consortia (SecretED Horizon 2020, BIO-CORDELIA Horizon Europe, MSCA NAT-BUILD).

Sphera's customer base spans functional foods and nutraceuticals (primary), agrochemistry, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Named commercial collaborators include Lubrizol Life Science Health (nutraceutical co-development), Glatt, Buchi, Brace GmbH, and Soitra (equipment/technology partners). In July 2024, Italian nutraceutical CDMO Labomar acquired a minority stake with an option to reach 100% ownership within a few years, providing a strategic distribution channel. Headquartered in Dossobuono di Villafranca near Verona with 1-10 employees, the firm is privately held with no IPO and remains founder-operated.

Name

Sphera Encapsulation

Legal name

Sphera Encapsulation S.r.l.

Website

https://spheraencapsulation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sphera Encapsulation is an Italian R&D boutique specializing in micro- and nano-encapsulation technologies for functional food, nutraceutical, cosmetics, agrochemical, and pharmaceutical clients, offering proprietary processes (SpherAQ, FloraSpher, SpheraCURE), pilot-scale services, and patent licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract R&D and Encapsulation Technology Services

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Starch and Vegetable Fats and Oils Manufacturing (31122)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Delivery Systems & Encapsulation (Microencapsulation, Liposomes, Emulsions, Beadlets, Spray-Dried) (AFAJAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Encapsulation & Emulsified Delivery Systems (Spray-dried emulsions, Lipid microencapsulation) (AFAJACAL), Lipid-Based Emulsions & Encapsulated Oils (Spray-Dried Oils, Microencapsulation) (AFAJALAM)

Keywords

• Microencapsulation services
• Nano-encapsulation technology
• Lipophilic encapsulation
• Nutraceutical formulation R&D
• Functional food encapsulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Verona

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. R&D Services and Custom Encapsulation: Sphera Encapsulation generates revenue through providing research and development services, custom encapsulation formulations, prototype development, simulation of functionality, evaluation of release dynamics, and consultancy on process scale-up and industrialization. Services include laboratory analysis, pilot production (2-25 kg), and support for industrialization.
2. Licensing and Patents: Clients can choose to be exclusive users of new technologies developed for them, differentiating from competitors and guaranteeing product uniqueness. Large-scale production can be carried out at customer-chosen third-party manufacturers or at the customer's own production site.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sphera Encapsulation provides contract research and development services for micro and nano-encapsulation of active ingredients, spanning feasibility studies, prototyping, pilot production (2-25 kg), and industrialization support. The company sells proprietary encapsulation technologies including SpherAQ® (water-soluble lipophilic encapsulation) and FloraSpher (botanical extract encapsulation), with optional exclusive patent licensing. Services target functional food, nutraceutical, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and agrochemical clients.

Product overview

Sphera Encapsulation is the first Italian company entirely dedicated to research and development in encapsulation technologies, offering a portfolio of proprietary products and contract services. Core products include SpherAQ® (water-soluble lipophilic molecule encapsulation), Floraspher™ (sustainable botanical extract encapsulation), and SpheraCURE (turmeric bioavailability technology). The company provides six primary encapsulation technologies: Fluid Bed, Spray Dry, Spray Chilling, Ionic Gelation, Coacervation, and Nanocapsules. Services span the full product lifecycle from R&D and feasibility studies through prototyping, pilot production (2-25 kg), and industrialization support, including patent licensing options for exclusive technologies. The company was founded in 2016 as an innovative startup with University of Verona support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SpherAQ: A proprietary technology that enables encapsulation of lipophilic molecules, making them water-soluble and ready for consumption without added aroma or excipients. It addresses bioavailability issues related to lipophilic ingredients like oils.
• FloraSpher
• SpheraCURE

Products and services

• SpherAQ® A proprietary microencapsulation technology that encapsulates lipophilic molecules, making them totally water-soluble for use in food, nutraceutical, and cosmetic formulations. Achieves 70-80% payload capacity, masks flavors and odors, and extends shelf life with protection from light, oxygen, and temperature.
• FloraSpher Sustainable encapsulation technology designed for functional food products, improving water dispersibility and powder flowability of botanical extracts using biodegradable matrices.
• SpheraCURE Proprietary encapsulation technology designed to make turmeric more assimilable by the body, enhancing bioavailability of the active ingredient.
• Laboratory Encapsulation and Analytical Services Laboratory services covering encapsulation techniques (fluid bed coating, spray drying, spray-chilling, coacervation, ionotropic gelation, solid lipid nanoparticles, nano/microemulsions) and analytical techniques (spectrophotometry, particle size analysis, simulated gastrointestinal digestion). Designed for R&D teams needing outsourced laboratory execution.
• Research and Development Services Feasibility studies, prototyping at 30-50 g laboratory scale, stability studies (stress tests, release studies, simulated digestion, cellular studies), and pilot production at 2-25 kg scale for microcapsules and microspheres. Targeted at companies developing new encapsulated products.
• Industrialization Services Full-scale reproduction of laboratory techniques, technology transfer to customer facilities, and assistance across all phases of product line creation for exclusive technologies. Targeted at companies ready to scale encapsulated products to commercial production.
• Patents and Exclusive Technology Licensing Exclusive licensing of new encapsulation technologies developed for specific customers, allowing them to differentiate from competitors and guarantee product uniqueness. Production can be performed at customer-chosen third-party manufacturers or on the customer's own site.

Quantifiable outcome

• High payload capacity up to 70-80% achievable with coacervation and ionotropic gelation technologies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Lubrizol Life Science Health - The Nutraceuticals BusinessflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Lubrizol's nutraceuticals business to enhance bioavailability of lipophilic molecules using SpheraQ technology. SpheraQ revolutionized nutraceutical solutions, with formulated products reaching new levels of excellence through microencapsulation technology.
• GlattcoreTechnology or IntegrationSuccessful collaboration with Glatt, a leading equipment manufacturer for fluid bed technology. Glatt is a key partner in providing encapsulation equipment and technology support.
• BuchicoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Buchi for spray drying equipment. Sphera uses Buchi Mini spray dryer B-290 for encapsulation processes.
• Hudson River Biotechnology (HRB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic collaboration announced in January 2025 to patent an intelligent delivery particle. This innovative delivery system combines expertise from both companies in advanced encapsulation technologies.
• University of VeronacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSphera Encapsulation was founded as an innovative start-up at the end of 2016 with support from the University of Verona. The underlying idea was born in the Food Chemistry laboratory of the University of Biotechnology of Verona, under Professor Gianni Zoccatelli.
• ONIRIS Institute (France)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaboratory of Professor Denis Poncelet, a leading expert in microencapsulation. Martina Vakarelova gained experience during her doctorate through collaboration with this French research institute.
• SecretED (Horizon 2020)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Union funded project under Horizon 2020 program dedicated to developing marine bio-surfactants. Sphera participated in workshops and the final event in Athens, working on natural alternatives to synthetic surfactants.
• BIO-CORDELIA (Horizon Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean initiative funded under Horizon Europe program for developing biodegradable fertilizers. Sphera is an active part of this initiative fighting against microplastics in agriculture.
• MSCA NAT-BUILDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean MSCA (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions) program for PhD positions in sustainable encapsulation technologies for the construction industry. Sphera participates in training and research collaboration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Balchem Corporation: Balchem is a publicly traded specialty ingredients manufacturer with broad encapsulation capabilities (including spray drying and fluid bed) serving human nutrition, animal nutrition, and pharma markets — a much larger incumbent with overlapping encapsulation offerings.
• Givaudan (Health & Beauty / Taste & Wellbeing): Givaudan runs large encapsulation platforms within its Taste & Wellbeing and Health & Beauty businesses, providing flavors, actives, and microencapsulated delivery for food, nutraceutical, and cosmetics customers globally — overlapping with Sphera's targeted-flavor and botanical-extract work.
• International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF, Health & Biosciences): IFF's Health & Biosciences and N&B segments include probiotic and encapsulation technologies serving food, beverage, dietary supplement, and personal-care customers — a large incumbent whose encapsulation portfolio competes for similar client use cases.
• Symrise (Diana division): Symrise's Diana food-ingredients division offers encapsulation and delivery systems for flavors, nutraceuticals, and functional ingredients — a global incumbent with overlapping technology breadth in lipophilic and botanical encapsulation.
• DSM-Firmenich (Taste, Texture & Health): DSM-Firmenich combines nutritional ingredients, flavors, and delivery systems (including encapsulation for vitamins, omega-3, and botanicals) for food and nutraceutical manufacturers — a broad, well-capitalized incumbent adjacent to Sphera's functional-food and nutraceutical focus.

Direct peers

• Encapsulation Technologies (a Bionova company): Encapsulation Technologies is a specialized European provider of encapsulation solutions and toll services for food, nutraceutical, and agrochemical applications — a direct peer in custom encapsulation R&D and pilot production.
• Lubrizol Life Science Health (Nutraceuticals): Lubrizol's nutraceuticals business already partners with Sphera on SpherAQ for lipophilic bioavailability. It is also a peer, operating its own encapsulation and delivery-system solutions for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical excipients worldwide.
• Glatt Group: Glatt is a leading equipment and integrated process solutions provider for fluid-bed, spray-granulation, and microencapsulation serving food, nutraceutical, and pharma customers. Sphera is both a partner and a peer offering encapsulation R&D services on Glatt technology.
• Aveka Group: Aveka is a US-based contract manufacturer specializing in microencapsulation, agglomeration, and particle engineering for food, nutraceutical, and industrial customers — a direct competitor to Sphera's pilot-scale R&D and industrialization services.
• Microtek Laboratories: Microtek is a US contract microencapsulation specialist providing custom R&D, scale-up, and toll manufacturing for pharma, food, and specialty chemicals — overlapping directly with Sphera's bespoke encapsulation services model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sphera_italy
• Facebookfacebook.com/SpheraEncapsulation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sphera-s.r.l.
• Instagraminstagram.com/sphera_encaps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sphera Encapsulation