Mean yield pressure from the in-die Heckel analysis is a reliable plasticity parameter

Dwell time on tableting: dwell time according to force versus geometric dwell time

Dwell time is an important parameter responsible for the material deformation and the mechanical and biopharmaceutical properties of the tablet. Thus, it is widely used for scale-up purposes. The geometric dwell time (GDT) can be assumed based on the shape of the punch head and the diameter and speed of the turret. This research is aimed to compare compaction simulator-recorded dwell time according to force (DTF) and the GDT calculated for the simulated rotary tablet press using the microcrystalline cellulose and calcium phosphate mixtures (CEOLUS™ UF-711 and DI-CAFOS® A60) in different proportions. Tablets were prepared, and DTF was analyzed with a compaction simulator (STYL'One Nano and Alix software) upon simulating a small rotary press at 70 rpm and a compression pressure of 10-50 kN (100-500 MPa). While GDT comprised of 14.4 ms, DTF was compression force and formulation dependent. The differences between the DTF values of the formulations decreased as the compression force increased, which was most pronounced at compression forces of 10 and 15 kN.

Evaluating the Effect of Microcrystalline Cellulose Variations on Tablet Quality of Natural Plant Product Using a Design of Experiment Approach

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) of different grades from different manufacturers differ in particulate and powder properties significantly. The choice of MCC is important to the development of a tablet formulation with satisfactory quality. In this study, the effects of five different MCCs (KG 802, Pharmacel 102, MC 302, M 200, and PH 112) that had different compactibility and tablet disintegration on the tablet quality of two different natural plant products (NPPs) were evaluated systematically, including Crataegi Folium ethanol extract (CF-E) and Sarcandrae Herba water extract (SH-W). The result of D-optimal mixture designs demonstrated that KG 802 showed the best ability to improve compression properties and tensile strength, followed by Pharmacel 102, MC 302, and M 200. PH 112 did the weakest. However, MCCs of different grades had no different influence on the disintegration of NPP tablets. Similar results were found in the experiments of the two different NPP powders, suggesting the generalization of the finding. Moreover, KG 802-containing CF-E formulations showed the largest optimum region size, that is, the lowest production risk. The design space sizes of SH-W were hardly sensitive to the change of MCCs, due to the better tabletability. In conclusion, the properties of MCCs could transfer to the high NPP loading (70%) formulations, leading to the variations on the compression properties and tablet quality. The poorer the tabletability of NPP, the more obvious the variation. The result is promising for the use of MCC and the manufacturing of high drug-loading NPP tablets by direct compression.

Optimization of Pregelatinized Taro Boloso-I Starch as a Direct Compression Tablet Excipient

Background. Tablets are still the most preferred means of drug delivery. The search for new and improved direct compression tablet excipients is an area of research focus. This is because the direct compression method overcomes the drawbacks of granulation methods of tablet production. It exempts several treatment steps associated with the granulation methods. The requirements for the powders to be directly compressible include flowability, low friction tendency, compressibility, and fast disintegration capacity. Taro Boloso-I is a new variety of Colocasia esculenta (L. Schott) yielding 67% more than a previously reported variety (Godare) in Ethiopia. This study is aimed at enhancing the flowability while keeping the compressibility and compactibility of the pregelatinized Taro Boloso-I starch. Methods. Central composite design was used for the optimization of two factors which were the temperature and duration of pregelatinization against 4 responses. The responses were angle of repose, Hausner’s ratio, Heckel’s yield pressure, and tablet breaking force. Results and Discussions. An increase in the temperature resulted in decrease in both the angle of repose and the Hausner ratio and that of time decreased angle of repose as well. The Heckel yield pressure was observed to increase with increasing levels of both temperature and time. The pregelatinized starch prepared by heating 15% slurry of Taro Boloso-I starch at the pregelatinization temperature of 66.22°C for 20 min showed desired flow property and compressibility. Conclusions. Pregelatinized Taro Boloso-I starch could be regarded as a potential direct compression excipient in terms of flowability, compressibility, and compactibility. The PGTBIS could perform better as filler and binder in direct compression tablets than the Starch 1500® in terms of compactibility.