Compressol™ ProTab – Building a Better Chewable: Simplifying Vitamin C Formulation for Nutraceutical Applications

FROM CHALLENGE TO TRIUMPH

Formulating a 500 mg chewable Vitamin C tablet proved especially difficult due to the ingredient’s poor compressibility, stickiness at high doses, and sensitivity to moisture. Traditional methods required multi-step granulation to achieve adequate hardness and stability, adding time and complexity. By leveraging Compressol ProTab, the team overcame these challenges—creating a robust, patient-friendly chewable using a direct compression process. The optimized formulation not only maintained tablet integrity and low friability but also reduced overall tablet weight and eliminated unnecessary processing steps, turning a complex formulation barrier into a streamlined success.

THE CHALLENGES

• Poor compressibility: Vitamin C is inherently difficult to compress into solid tablets.
• Stickiness at high dose: High Vitamin C content can cause sticking and picking during tableting.
• Moisture sensitivity: The ingredient’s hygroscopic nature leads to instability and processing difficulties.
• Label constraints: Limited excipient options due to clean-label and consumer preference requirements in the nutraceutical market.
• Performance goal: Need to achieve a robust, 500 mg chewable tablet that remains stable, palatable, and patient-friendly.

STRATEGIC RESPONSE

• Utilized Compressol ProTab for superior compactibility and moisture control.
• Implemented direct compression to eliminate granulation steps.
• Minimized excipients to support clean-label requirements.
• Delivered a robust, patient-friendly chewable with improved efficiency.

THE SOLUTION

Using Compressol™ ProTab, the team developed a high-dose Vitamin C chewable tablet through direct compression, eliminating the need for granulation. The formulation required minimal excipients while achieving excellent flow, compactibility, and moisture protection – resulting in a robust, stable, and consumer-friendly tablet.

RESULTS

The final formulation produced a robust 500mg Vitamin C chewable tablet with excellent hardness and friability below 1%. By using direct compression, the process became faster and more efficient—eliminating granulation, reducing material use, and lowering production costs. The tablet was also smaller and easier to chew than the market reference, improving consumer experience.

See the case study on Compressol™ ProTab – Building a Better Chewable: Simplifying Vitamin C Formulation for Nutraceutical Applications here

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Source: SPI Pharma, technical brochure Compressol™ ProTab – Building a Better Chewable: Simplifying Vitamin C Formulation for Nutraceutical Applications

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