Microcrystalline Cellulose Is The Most Commonly Used Excipient In The Global Pharmaceutical And Dietary Supplement Sector As It Adds Bulk And Texture To Medicines In Tablets And Capsules
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Microcrystalline Cellulose |
Microcrystalline Cellulose is a popular pharmaceutical excipient used in tablets and
capsules to provide a bulking effect, enhance absorption, improve shelf life
and optimize texture. It has a number of uses in food products, too.
Microcrystalline cellulose is a versatile, cost-effective,
and safe excipient. Its low odor and ease of manufacturing makes it a good
choice for all pharmaceutical and food applications. It is also an effective
lubricant and bioadhesive, making it a good choice for bioadhesive drug
delivery systems.
It is a strong dry binder, tablet disintegrant, absorbent,
diluent and lubricant for direct compression as well as in liquid dosage forms.
It has a wide range of applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries owing
to its nutrient-rich, inert properties that deliver the active ingredient in a
convenient, compact, and dosed form.
The most common use for Microcrystalline
Cellulose is
in direct compression, it can also be used as a thickening agent, binding agent
and flow aid in tableting processes. Its high density makes it an excellent
excipient for compressible tableting, while its thickening powers allow for
more uniformly sized tablets with less waste.
MCC can be obtained by a variety of processing methods,
including reactive extrusion, enzyme mediated, mechanical grinding, steam
explosion and acid hydrolysis. It can also be spray-dried by varying the amount
of reagents and conditions to control its particle size and moisture content.
It has a degree of polymerization (DP) typically less than
400 and can be used in any pharmaceutical or food application where it has the
desired physicochemical properties such as crystallinity, moisture content,
particle morphology, surface area, bulk density, etc.
Different manufactures produce a great deal of variability
in Microcrystalline Cellulose properties, due to the kinds of pulp
used as raw material and the application process parameters. The physicochemical
properties of MCC depend on the synthesis and processing parameters such as the
degree of polymerization, pH, temperature, and aqueous slurry flow.
This material is not soluble in water and only slightly
soluble in most organic solvents. It is a good binder in both liquid and dry
forms, has a very low odor and is easily absorbed by the body. Increasingly, Microcrystalline Cellulose is being incorporated into personal
care products such as shampoos and lotions.
Pharmacel
MCC 90, was launched by DFE Pharma in July 2021. This is a silicified
microcrystalline cellulose that will help in broadening the company’s product
portfolio.
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