• HTBA has agreed to buy Specnova in its first acquisition; financial terms were not disclosed.
• The deal adds liposomal and multilayer beadlet delivery systems while extending both companies’ access to international supplement brands.

HTBA, a Barcelona-based functional ingredient producer, said on October 6, 2026, that it has agreed to acquire U.S. delivery technology company Specnova. The transaction is expected to close within several weeks, subject to customary conditions.

Specnova will continue to operate independently after the deal, while working with HTBA to develop ingredients for supplement, food and beverage companies. Specnova gains access to HTBA’s commercial network outside North America, and HTBA adds a U.S. platform for delivery systems. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The acquired portfolio includes LipoVantage, which uses liposomes to encapsulate active ingredients and protect them through digestion, and NovaQSpheres, a controlled-release system built around multilayer beadlets. The technologies are used with plant actives, vitamins, minerals, amino acids and peptides, giving formulators additional options for absorption, sustained release and multi-ingredient products.

HTBA produces citrus flavonoids and active forms of vitamin B12 for nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, food, beverage and animal nutrition applications. Its wider business covers consumer health, functional health, taste modulation and animal nutrition. Specnova was founded in 2017 and is based in Virginia. The acquisition is HTBA’s first and combines its ingredient portfolio with Specnova’s delivery technology and North American customer relationships.

“Specnova is a natural fit, bringing technologies that complement our existing offering and provide a catalyst to accelerate future developments.”

Alexandre Valls-Coma, CEO of HTBA