Glucosamine Hydrochloride
Glucosamine hydrochloride is the hydrochloride salt of D-glucosamine, an amino sugar in which the hydroxyl group at the second carbon of glucose is replaced by an amino group, with the formula C6H13NO5 HCl and CAS number 66-84-2.
The parent amino sugar is the monomer of chitin and a building block of the glycosaminoglycans of cartilage and connective tissue, which is the basis of its use in joint supplements. It is a white crystalline powder or free flowing crystals with a slightly sweet then saline taste, freely soluble in water and practically insoluble in ethanol and non-polar solvents.
Compared with the sulphate salt it is the more concentrated form, delivering around 83 percent glucosamine base against roughly 65 percent for the stabilised sulphate, so a smaller tablet carries the same dose. It is also the more physically stable of the two, being non-hygroscopic and requiring no added salt to hold the crystal together. The trade off is acidity: a solution of the hydrochloride is distinctly acid, so beverage and effervescent formulations need buffering, and prolonged heating in solution at high pH causes browning through Maillard reaction between the amino group and reducing sugars.
We source bulk Glucosamine Hydrochloride from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Shandong. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | White crystalline powder or crystals |
| Identification | Infrared spectrum conforms to reference; positive for chloride |
| Assay, dried basis | 98.0% to 101.0% |
| Specific Optical Rotation | Plus 70.0 to plus 73.0 degrees |
| Chloride Content | 16.0% to 17.0% |
| Loss on Drying | Not more than 1.0% |
| pH, 5% solution | 3.0 to 5.0 |
| Sulphated Ash | Not more than 0.1% |
| Residual Ethanol | Not more than 0.5% |
| Lead | Not more than 0.5 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | Not more than 1.0 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | Not more than 1,000 CFU/g |
| Yeast and Mould | Not more than 100 CFU/g |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
The dominant grade is a 98 to 101 percent assay material meeting the Food Chemicals Codex or the relevant pharmacopoeial monograph, with optical rotation confirming the D configuration and limits on chloride, sulphated ash and heavy metals. A pharmaceutical grade with tighter related substance and residual solvent limits is produced for registered joint preparations in the markets that license them.
The commercially important distinction is by raw material. Shellfish derived material, made from crab and shrimp shell chitin, is the historic and cheaper source but carries a crustacean allergen declaration. Vegetarian or non-shellfish grade, produced by fermentation or from fungal chitin, is a separate and higher priced stream sold on that basis, and the certificate must state the source. Beyond that the variables are physical: fine milled powder for capsules and blends, and coarse or granulated grades with better flow for the high dose direct compression tablets this ingredient is normally sold in, since it is dosed in gram quantities. Coated grades are used where the acidity or the taste needs masking.
Applications
- Joint health tablets and capsules, usually at gram level doses, the principal outlet
- Combination joint products with chondroitin sulphate and MSM
- Powdered joint drinks and sachets, where the high solubility of the salt is an advantage
- Functional gummies and chewables in the mobility category, with the acidity buffered
- Sports nutrition products aimed at connective tissue loading and recovery
- Topical creams and gels for joint comfort, where the salt is readily dissolved into the aqueous phase
- Companion animal joint supplements for dogs, cats and horses, a large volume application
- Feed and pet food premixes requiring a stable, non-hygroscopic glucosamine source
- Starting material for the manufacture of N-acetyl glucosamine and other amino sugar derivatives
Brands Using Glucosamine Hydrochloride
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Glucosamine Hydrochloride on the ingredient label.
- HorbaachGlucosamine HCL 2000 mg, 120 Caplets ↗Joint support caplets supplying 2000 mg of glucosamine hydrochloride per serving.Label verified 2026-08-31
- HorbaachGlucosamine Gummies, 60 Count ↗Pineapple orange gummies using glucosamine hydrochloride to deliver 160 mg of glucosamine per serving.Label verified 2026-08-31
- PureBulkAdvanced Joint Support ↗Combines vegan D-glucosamine hydrochloride with chondroitin sulphate and MSM in a single joint formula.Label verified 2026-08-31
- FuturebioticsFlexMend Vegetarian Glucosamine with MSM, 90 Tablets ↗Vegetarian joint tablets providing 1500 mg of glucosamine HCl across four tablets.Label verified 2026-08-31
- Amy Myers MDJoint Support Complex ↗The SynoComplete blend in this capsule pairs glucosamine HCl with chondroitin sulphate.Label verified 2026-08-31
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Glucosamine Hydrochloride
Top Glucosamine Hydrochloride manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States, glucosamine hydrochloride is sold as a dietary ingredient under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act and has an established history of use in that market, with GRAS determinations filed for particular preparations intended for conventional food. Crustacean shellfish is a major allergen under the Food Allergen Labelling and Consumer Protection Act, so shellfish derived material and products containing it must carry that declaration, which is the commercial reason the fermentation derived grade exists. Claims are limited to structure function statements.
In the European Union, glucosamine has an established presence in food supplements and is also licensed as a prescription medicine for osteoarthritis in several member states, so the same substance can sit in either framework depending on presentation and dose, and national authorities have taken differing positions on where the boundary falls. Glucosamine hydrochloride was assessed and authorised as a novel food ingredient for use in specified food categories, with the Union list setting the conditions of use, and crustaceans are Annex II allergens under the food information regulation. It is not a food additive and carries no E number, and there is no JECFA specification, so buyers work to the pharmacopoeial or Food Chemicals Codex monograph.
Manufacturing Process
The established route is acid hydrolysis of chitin. Crab and shrimp shell, a by-product of seafood processing, is washed and demineralised in dilute hydrochloric acid to dissolve away the calcium carbonate, then deproteinised in dilute alkali and bleached, leaving purified chitin. The chitin is hydrolysed in concentrated hydrochloric acid under heat, which cleaves both the glycosidic bonds of the polymer and the acetyl groups on the amino sugar, so the product emerges directly as glucosamine hydrochloride in a strongly acid liquor.
That liquor is cooled and filtered free of insoluble residue, decolourised on activated carbon, then concentrated under vacuum and crystallised by cooling, with the crystals recovered on a centrifuge and washed with chilled water and ethanol to strip mother liquor and residual acid. A recrystallisation pass follows where a pharmacopoeial assay is required. The wet crystals are dried under vacuum at low temperature, since heating the dry salt causes browning, then milled or granulated to the specified particle size, sieved, blended and packed with a moisture barrier.
The non-shellfish route replaces the marine feedstock. Either a fungal biomass such as Aspergillus niger is grown, harvested and its cell wall chitin hydrolysed by the same acid route, or an engineered strain of Escherichia coli or Bacillus is fermented on glucose to accumulate glucosamine or N-acetyl glucosamine directly, in which case the broth is clarified, the product captured on ion exchange resin, and the eluate acidified, concentrated and crystallised as the hydrochloride. Downstream purification is otherwise the same.
