Effect of Aqueous Film Coating Conditions on Water Removal Efficiency and Physical Properties of Coated Tablet Cores Containing Superdisintegrants

Abstract

Few studies have examined the effect of aqueous film coating process conditions on the physical integrity of the final coated product. Characterization of the aqueous film coating process was previously carried out by selecting water removal efficiency as the response variable to detect and monitor moisture accumulation in the tablet bed [1]. In this study, regression techniques were utilized to obtain the relationship between some physical characteristics of aqueous film coated tablet cores that contained superdisintegrant and several process parameters such as inlet air temperature, spray rate, and pan speed. Tablet response variables measured included residual moisture content, tensile strength and percent porosity. Predicted values of these properties were plotted as a function of the inlet air temperature and the coating solution spray rate. The correlations between the coated tablet response variables and the water removal efficiency of the coating process indicated that coated tablet properties such as residual moisture content, tensile strength, and porosity were linearly correlated with the water removal efficiency of the coating process, which is indicative of the environmental coating conditions present in the coating pan.