The Evolution of Cellulose in Tableting Technology

How the evolution from traditional powdered cellulose to microcrystalline cellulose to a new generation of co processed high functionality excipients can benefit tableting processes including continuous manufacturing applications. This shows JRS Pharma in its overview pdf.

Overview

The development of co-processed, multifunctional excipients has enabled formulators to address multiple challenges with a single excipient, resulting in enhanced production and better finished product quality. This paper explores how the evolution from traditional powdered cellulose to microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) to a new generation of co-processed high functionality excipients can benefit tableting processes.

See the full brochure: Evolution of Cellulose Tableting Technology

What Is Cellulose?

Cellulose is one of the most abundant organic compounds on earth. This polysaccharide is a chief constituent of plant fiber. Cotton fiber, for example, is composed of approximately 90% cellulose, and wood is composed of 40–50%. Cellulose, the main structural component of plant cell walls, helps makes plants stable, elastic, and resilient to external influences. The basic building block of cellulose is glucose. Glucose monomers are connected through ß(1-4) glycosidic bonds. The degree of polymerization in cellulose ranges from 200 to 1500 glucose monomers. Single polysaccharide chains bundle together in parallel arrays to form cellulose microfibrils, a process that is mediated by hydrogen bonding. This creates a three-dimensional network that is essentially a crystalline substance, though both amorphous and crystalline regions are present. Crystal defects are common in cellulose molecules. Numerous industries take advantage of cellulose’s unique structural properties and functionality for host of potential applications, resulting in the commercial production of approximately 100 billion tons of cellulose each year worldwide.

Microcrystalline Cellulose:

Special Grades Address Pharmaceutical Challenges Powdered cellulose can be made by mechanical fragmentation milling (e.g., as with ARBOCEL® from JRS Pharma). Raw material suppliers can further improve the functional properties of powdered cellulose by combining mechanical and chemical treatments to create microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), which offers additional benefits over powdered cellulose. For instance, JRS Pharma uses mechanical fragmentation followed by partial acid de-polymerization to produce VIVAPUR® MCC and EMCOCEL® MCC.

For drug makers, converting powdered cellulose to MCC in this manner significantly improves tabletability. JRS Pharma, elucidated this benefit by comparing the flowability and tabletability of three different grades of powdered cellulose, MCC, and silicified MCC. The tensile strengths of tablets made with these materials were plotted against the corresponding flowability values (expressed as angle of repose). The resulting “Compactability Map” shows that the MCC had superior flowability and significantly better tabletability as compared to powdered cellulose.

EVOLUTION OF CELLULOSE TABLETING TECHNOLOGY

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