Glossary

Patent and ingredient terms, explained by category.

Patent terms

Formulation patent
A patent that protects formulation or blending technology, such as ways to improve absorption.
Process patent
A patent that protects a method of manufacturing an ingredient or product.
Substance patent
A patent that protects a new ingredient (compound) itself.
Use patent
A patent that protects a newly discovered use of a known ingredient.

Ingredient terms

Absorption rate
The proportion of an ingested ingredient absorbed from the digestive tract.
Bioavailability
The proportion of an ingested ingredient that the body actually uses.
DSLD
The supplement label database published by the US National Institutes of Health.
UNII code
A unique identifier for substances, maintained by the FDA.