An innovative formulation approach for low-melting ingredients: optimizing an alternative melt suspension technique for Pyraclostrobin suspension concentrate

Abstract

The agrochemical industry is now focusing more on safer formulations with lowest dose rate. Suspension Concentrate formulations are one of the safest and most commonly utilized type in agrochemical industry. In this study, a suspension concentrate was developed and compared using a novel melt suspension technique alongside the conventional milling process. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of the new technique in terms of particle size reduction, processing time, and storage stability. In the melt suspension process, the low melting active ingredient(fungicide), was melted along with suitable surfactants and antifreeze in water and homogenized at high rotation per minute (2000). The same fungicide suspension concentrate was also prepared using milling process for comparison. Stability studies were conducted following the Food and Agricultural Organization procedure for both suspensions concentrate products. The storage stability results showed that particle size variation was just 0.8 ± 0.84% (w/v), antifungal content variation during storage stability studies was (±3.12 g/L) only, all other physical parameters results variations were < ± 0.5% w/v. Prepared suspension concentrates were further analyzed using three analytical techniques, Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The study suggests that the melt suspension technique can be an alternative to the normal milling process for preparing stable suspension concentrate, particularly for low melting point compounds.