Preliminary assessment of carrageenan as excipient for extrusion/spheronisation

The current study pursues the suitability of different types of carrageenan as a novel extrusion aid. The aim was to find Out a suitable substitution to the commonly used microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC). The types Of K-carrageenan were found to be the most appropriate material and the required fraction to produce acceptable pellets in the formulation was determined. The investigation showed that 5% of kappa-carageenan was necessary to produce pellets without MCC. Similar formulations produced with MCC or K-carrageenan were compared with respect to size and shape of the pellets. K-Carrageenan required higher water content for the formation of pellets, but the formulation was more robust as the optimal range of water content was much broader. Hence, K-Carrageenan seems to be a suitable and promising extrusion aid. The study showed that the substitution of MCC by K-carrageenan in formulations is possible and the produced pellets were of high quality. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.