VIN
VIN
VIN
INDEX
1. Introduction 1
15. Conclusion 19
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CAPSULE
Introduction :
In the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, encapsulation refers to a range of dosage
forms techniques used to enclose medicines in a relatively stable shell known as
a capsule, allowing them to, for example, be taken orally or be used as
suppositories. The two main type of capsules are:
Hard gelatin capsule, which are typically made using gelatin and
contain dry, powdered ingredients or miniature pellets by e.g. processes
of extrusion or spheronisation. These are made in two halves: a lower
diameter “body” that is filled and then sealed using a higher diameter
“cap”.
Soft gelatin capsule, primarily used for oils and for active ingredients
that are dissolved or suspended in oil.
Both of these classes of capsule are made from aqueous solutions of gelling
agents, such as animal protein (mainly gelatin) or plant polysaccharides or their
derivatives (such as carrageenans and modified forms of starch and cellulose).
Other ingredients can be added to the gelling agent solution including
plasticizers such as glycerin or sorbitol to decrease the capsule’s hardness,
coloring agents, preservatives, disintegrants, lubricants and surface treatment.
Advantage Of Capsules
1. Ease of use due to fact that it is smooth, slippery and easy to swallow.
2. Suitable for substance having bitter taste and unpleasant odor.
3. As produced in large quantities it is economic, attractive and available in
wide range of colors.
4. Minimum excipients required.
5. Little pressure required to compact the material.
6. Unit dosage form.
7. Easy to store and transport.
Disadvantage Of Capsules
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2. Improper rectification :
3. Failure to separate :
Sometimes cap and body fails to separate due to vacuum generation. Can
be overcome by applying extra vacuum.
4. Dented capsules :
Dents can form on the dome of the cap and /or body this is due to
improper setup of machine or due to overfilling.
5. Telescoping :
This is due to mis-alignment of cap and body, body splits and a portion of
body covers the cap. Rectified by maintaining proper alignment of cap
and body.
6. Popping :
7. Brittleness :
When capsule lose moisture they become brittle (due to poor storage
condition). Filled capsule have hygroscopic substances cause brittleness.
8. Other defects :
Colour deviation
Short or long body and cap
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Damaged printing
Dots / specks on capsule
Holes / scratch
Bubbles on capsule shell
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Hard gelatin capsule shells are fabricated and supplied empty to the
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The size of hard gelatin capsule selected for use is determined by requirements
of the formulation, including the dose of the active ingredient and the density
and compaction characteristics of the drug and other components. The first step
to estimating the optimal capsule size for a given product is to determine the
density of the formulation using tapped density for powders and bulk density for
pellets, minitablets, and granules. The appropriate capsule size may then be
calculated using the measured density of the formulation, the target fill weight,
and capsule volume. The fill weight for liquids is calculated by multiplying the
specific gravity of the liquid by the capsule body volume multiplied by 0.9.
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A. Gelatin
Gelatin is by far the most common and most well-known material used to
produce hard capsule shells. It is a generic term for a mixture of purified protein
fractions obtained from irreversible hydrolytic extraction of collagen obtained
from the skin, white connective tissue, and bones of animals.
Depending on the source of the collagen and the method of extraction, two
types of gelatin can be produced – type A gelatin and type B gelatin. Type A
gelatin is made from pork skin via acid hydrolysis and has an isoelectric point
between 7.0 and 9.0. Type B gelatin is prepared by alkaline hydrolysis of
bovine bones and has an isoelectric point between 4.8 and 5.0. Because of this
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Gelatin derived from Gelatin grade is further specified by bloom strength. This
is measured in a Bloom gelometer which determines the weight in grams that is
required to depress a standard plunger in a 6.67% w/w gel under standard
conditions.
Gelatin is stable in air when dry but is subject to microbial decomposition when
it becomes moist.
B. Plasticizer
Plasticizers are added to gelatin to reduce the rigidity of the polymer and make
it more pliable. Common examples of plasticizers are glycerine and polyhydric
alcohol. Water is also a good plasticizer and is naturally present in the gelatin.
C. Colourants
Most frequently, hard gelatin capsules are coloured to enhance the aesthetic
properties and also to act as a means of identifying the product. Colorants used
must meet the regulatory requirements of those countries where the product will
be sold. Examples of commonly used capsule colourants include synthetic dyes
such as azo dyes and xanthene dyes. Iron oxide pigments are also used.
D. Opacifying agents
Opacifiers (e.g., titanium dioxide) may be included to make clear gelatin
opaque. Opaque capsules may be employed to provide protection against light
or to conceal the contents.
E. Preservatives
Preservatives (often parabens esters) were formerly added to hard capsules as an
in-process aid in order to prevent microbiological contamination during
manufacture. Manufacturers operating their plants to Good Manufacturing
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Practice (GMP) guidelines no longer use them. In the finished capsules, the
moisture levels, 12–16% w/ v, are such that the water activity will not support
bacterial growth because the moisture is too strongly bound to the gelatin
molecule.
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13The dosator device uses an empty tube that dips into powder bed, which is
maintained at a height approximately two-fold greater than the desired length of
the plug. The dosator piston’s forward movement helps form the plug, which is
then transferred to the body of the capsule, and released.
Dosator filling
principles
Filling of
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purposes, a machine that is capable of filling and sealing 1500 capsules an hour
(e.g. CFS® 1500) has been developed.
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Soft gelatin capsules have grown in popularity in recent years because they
enable administration of liquids in a solid dosage form with a bioavailability
advantage over other commonly used solid dosage forms (e.g., tablets). They
are available in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colours that may be specific to the
manufacturer.
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Acid-resistant polymers when present in the capsule shell formulation are used
to impart enteric release characteristics. They can also be used to formulate
chewable soft gelatin capsules e.g., ChildLife’s Pure DHA chewable 250 mg
softgel capsule.
Typical content (%
Component Function
w/w)
Gelatin Polymeric base 66.3
Glycerine Plasticizer 33.0
Methylparaben + propylparaben
Preservative 0.1
(80/20 ratio)
Colour Colourant 0.1
Titanium dioxide Opacifier 0.5
Water Solvent/process aid q.s. (0.7–1.3 × of gelatin)
Note: Liquids that can easily migrate through the capsule shell are not suitable
for soft gelatin capsules. These materials include water above 5% and low
molecular weight water-soluble and volatile organic compounds such as
alcohols, ketones, acids, amines, and esters.
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A. Gelatin
Similar to hard gelatin capsule shells, the basic component of soft gelatin
capsule shell is gelatin. A large number of different gelatin shell formulations
are available depending on the nature of the liquid fill matrix. Most commonly,
the gelatin is alkali- (or base-) processed (type B) gelatin and it normally
constitutes 40% of the wet molten gel mass. Type A acid-processed gelatin can
also be used. The properties of gelatin shells are controlled by the choice of
gelatin grade and by adjusting the concentration of plasticizer in the shell. The
physicochemical properties of gelatin are controlled to allow
B. Plasticising agents
Plasticizing agents are added in a soft gelatin capsule formulation to ensure
adequate flexibility. They interact with gelatin chains to reduce the glass
transition temperature (Tg) of the gelatin shell and/or promotes the retention of
moisture (hygroscopicity). The most common plasticizer used for soft
gelatin capsules is glycerol. Sorbitol, maltitol, and polypropylene glycol can
also be used in combination with glycerol.
Glycerol derives its plasticizing ability primarily from its direct interactions
with gelatin. In contrast, sorbitol is an indirect plasticizer because it primarily
acts as a moisture retentive agent. Compared to hard gelatin capsules and tablet
film coatings, a relatively large amount (20 -30% w/w) of plasticizers are added
in a soft gelatin capsule formulation to ensure adequate flexibility. The amount
and choice of the plasticizer contribute to the hardness of the final product and
may even affect its dissolution or disintegration characteristics, as well as its
physical and chemical stability.
C. Water
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Water usually accounts for 30-40 % of the wet gel formulation and its presence
is important both during the manufacturing process (to facilitate manufacture)
and in the finished product to ensure that the capsule is flexible. The desirable
water content of the gelatin solution used to produce a soft gelatin capsule shell
depends on the viscosity of the specific grade of gelatin used. It usually ranges
between 0.7 and 1.3 parts of water to each part of dry gelatin.
After the capsule is formed, most of the water is removed from the soft gelatin
capsules through controlled drying. The finished soft gelatin capsules contain
13–16 % w/w water, which represents the proportion of water that is bound to
the gelatin in the soft gel shell. This level of water is important for good
physical stability, because in harsh storage conditions softgels will become
either too soft and fuse together, or too hard and embrittled.
D. Preservative
Preservatives are often added to prevent the growth of bacteria and mould in the
gelatin solution during storage. Examples of commonly used as preservatives
include potassium sorbate, and methyl, ethyl, and propyl hydroxybenzoate.
F. Other excipients
Other, infrequently, used excipients can include flavouring agents and
sweeteners to improve palatability. Acid-resistant polymers are used to impart
enteric release characteristics. They can also be used to formulate chewable soft
gelatin capsules. A chelating agent, such as ethylene diamine tetracetic acid
(EDTA), can be added to prevent chemical degradation of oxidation sensitive
drugs catalysed by free metals in gelatin, such as iron.
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1. Plate process
2. Rotary die process
3. Reciprocating die process
4. Accogel process
5. Seamless process
Plate process
This is the oldest commercial process used in the manufacture of soft gelatin
capsules. In this process, a warmed sheet of plain or coloured plasticized gelatin
is placed over a die plate having a number of depression or moulds or numerous
die pockets. By applying vacuum, the sheet is drawn into these depressions or
pockets to form capsule wells. The capsule wells are then filled with
medication-containing liquid. A second sheet of gelatin is carefully placed on
top of the filled wells followed by the top plate of the mould. Pressure is then
applied to the combined plate to form, seal and cut the capsules into individual
units. This method is used for small scale preparation of soft gelatin capsules
and capsules formed generally, had one flat side.
The major problems with this method of manufacturing softgels were the lack
of dosage uniformity, high manufacturing losses, and its labour-/cost-
intensiveness. This equipment is no longer available.
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The precise and extremely low clearance of the rotating parts demands
continuous lubrication of the machine to avoid even a slight build-up. The
lubrication oil should, therefore, be a GRAS (generally recognized as safe)
material. Immediately after manufacture, the formed capsules automatically
undergo volatile solvent washing to remove any traces of lubricating oil from
the exterior of the capsules. The capsules are then conveyed to a drying station
and dried on trays, either in air or under vacuum, to equilibrium moisture
content to about 6 – 10 % with forced conditioned air of 20% – 30% relative
humidity at 21°C–24°C. The drying technique may proceed with an infrared
drying step to speed up the process.
CONCLUSION
Thus at the end I have reach at conclusion that during my one month training in
Ultra Drugs Pvt. Ltd .I have understand the environment of industry and how
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much company’s staff do the hard work in the production of such a bulk number
of product and how one can cope with the problem while working. A
pharmaceutical manufacturing unit is placed where not only been best possible
formulation are prepared to serve the social surrounding but also industrial
training program carried out to prepare technically skilled manufacturing
chemist and analysts.
In this industry both the above two functions are carried out under the
supervision of well skilled experienced and technical persons with complete
attention and honesty that improves not only the growth profile of industry but
also produce best chemist and analysts in future.
I wish for a sharp growth profile of the industry in the coming days and I also
admire it to be one of the best places for producing better chemists and analysts
beyond the formulation.
I like the environment, staffs and head of departments and heartily wish to work
with them ever when an opportunity is given to me.
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