Ox bile extract

Ox bile extract is the concentrated, dried extract of bovine bile — in the words of the US food regulation that affirms it (21 CFR 184.1560), a yellowish green soft solid obtained by evaporating the alcohol extract of concentrated bile, CAS 8008-63-7, also traded as purified oxgall or sodium choleate. It is not a single molecule but a natural mixture, and most of it is conjugated: taurocholic and glycocholic acids lead, with taurodeoxycholic, glycodeoxycholic, taurochenodeoxycholic and glycochenodeoxycholic acids present, plus smaller amounts of the free acids cholic (C24H40O5, MW 408.6, CAS 81-25-4), deoxycholic and chenodeoxycholic. Chemically these are amphipathic steroid surfactants: above their critical micelle concentration they build mixed micelles with phospholipid and disperse fat into a finely divided form. That surface-active behaviour is the established food-technology function of the material, and it is exactly why 21 CFR lists ox bile extract as a GRAS surfactant. Species and origin are the two things a buyer must pin down before ox bile ships out of India, and most enquiries get this wrong. Cattle slaughter is prohibited or tightly restricted across most Indian states and the export of cow and calf beef is banned outright, so the bovine by-product stream actually available in India is overwhelmingly water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis, carabeef). Material offered as “ox bile” from an Indian plant is therefore commonly buffalo bile unless the paperwork says otherwise. Thovek names the species of origin, the approved abattoir and the country of collection on every certificate of analysis, and will source genuine Bos taurus material under certificate where a customer’s label, market or pharmacopoeial reference requires it. India holds WOAH negligible BSE risk status and each lot ships with a TSE/BSE statement. On allergens and diet: the material is of bovine origin, so it is neither vegan nor vegetarian, and it is halal or kosher only where the slaughter itself is certified. Bile is not a milk product and the extract carries no dairy allergen; it is also free from gluten, soy, egg, fish, crustacean and tree nut. Thovek supplies ox bile extract both as bulk powder for encapsulation and as a finished capsule under contract. Standard bulk grades are total bile acids NLT 45% and NLT 60%, with a 42–45% cholic acid grade for buyers who specify on cholic acid, and a bacteriological oxgall grade used in microbiological media and in bile-tolerance screening of probiotic strains. The powder is hygroscopic and strongly bitter, so it is normally encapsulated rather than tabletted or chewed: typical fills are 125 mg, 250 mg and 500 mg in size 1 and size 0 shells. The shell can be HPMC where a brand wants a plant-derived capsule even though the fill itself is animal-derived, or bovine gelatin; delayed-release and enteric shells are available. Co-blends with pancreatin, fungal lipase, betaine hydrochloride or a multi-enzyme complex are made to the customer’s own formula and unit dose.