Types Of Microcrystalline Cellulose Research Articles

Preparation and Characterization of Microcrystalline Cellulose/Polylactic Acid Biocomposite Films and Its Application in Lanzhou Lily (Lilium davidii var. unicolor) Bulbs Preservation

Green biodegradable bio-based films have gained interest in replacing petroleum-derived plastic packaging materials as a new preservation strategy for fruits and vegetables to alleviate environmental pressures. In this study, we aimed to develop novel biodegradable composite films based on microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) reinforced polylactic acid (PLA). Our results demonstrated that the addition of 3% MCC to PLA could improve its tensile strength. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that MCC dispersed well in PLA at lower content while agglomerated at higher content. It was discovered that all four types of MCC/PLA biocomposite films could retard the color change of Lanzhou lily bulbs, accompanied by maintaining favorable total soluble solid, total sugar, total polyphenols, and flavonoid content, inhibiting the activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and the content of malondialdehyde during storage. Moreover, the preservation effect of MCC/PLA biocomposite films on Lanzhou lily bulbs was evaluated using a membership function, and the SSS MCC/PLA biocomposite film demonstrated a favorable fresh-keeping effect. In conclusion, four types of MCC from different biomass materials added to PLA-based products can be beneficial in improving the attractive properties of biocomposite films. These films are expected to replace petroleum-derived plastics as a new packaging material for preserving Lanzhou lily bulbs.

Evaluation of Fully Biodegradable PLA/PHB Blend Filled with Microcrystalline Celluloses

In this work, biodegradable biocomposites were developed using PLA/PHB blend as matrix and two types of microcrystalline cellulose as filler at three different contents. The biocomposites were evaluated regarding their thermal and morphological characteristics and molecular dynamic behavior. It was seen that cellulose addition did not promote significant changes in the Tm, Tc and Tcc in the matrix. On the other hand, XRD and TGA revealed that the addition of the highest content (7 wt%) of cellulose fillers resulted in a more significant decrease in crystallinity and thermal stability of the PLA/PHB matrix, suggesting a formation of filler aggregates. This indication was confirmed by TD-NMR, whose results pointed to a greater heterogeneity molecular in the samples containing higher cellulose contents. Therefore, this technique proved to be a relevant and complementary tool for the characterization of composites materials, contributing to determinate the most appropriate filler content introduced in a polymer matrix.

Effect of empty fruit bunches microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) on the thermal, mechanical and morphological properties of biodegradable poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) composites

Nowadays, awareness of the environment is rising among society. Thus, more researches on the utilization of biodegradable polymer as an alternative to non-biodegradable polymers have been published. Among various biopolymers, Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) have received a lot of attention because they can be processed using most of the conventional polymer processing methods. PLA is high in strength and modulus, but it is brittle while PBAT is flexible and tough. Thus, PBAT is a good candidate for the toughing of PLA. But when the PLA is blending with PBAT, a certain strength of PLA may be affected. Hence, the reinforcement material is required to improve weakened strength. In this study, PLA was blended with PBAT at various ratios (PLA: PBAT = 90: 10, 80: 20, 70: 30) with a melt‐blending method. The PLA/PBAT blends at a blend ratio of 80: 20, exhibited optimum mechanical performance. Then, PLA/PBAT blends at a blend ratio of 80: 20 was reinforced with different content of EFB-MCC (1 wt%, 3 wt% and 5 wt%) using an internal mixer. The PLA/PBAT blends reinforced with EFB-MCC composites were produced using the compression moulding method. The mechanical, thermal and morphology properties of the composites were investigated. The impact strength of PLA/PBAT blend after addition of both C-MCC and EFB-MCC up to 5 wt% was reduced. The morphological observations from SEM proved the occurrence of the MCC agglomeration in PLA/PBAT blend. DSC results showed trivial changes between the Tg and Tm of PLA/PBAT blend with PLA/PBAT blend reinforced with both types of MCC. TGA results demonstrated that the PLA/PBAT blend reinforced with EFB-MCC has better thermal stability compared to C-MCC. However, further research is needed to improve the interfacial properties of the immiscible PLA/PBAT by compatibilization and enhance the properties of the MCC reinforced PLA/PBAT blend composites.

Effect of the type and concentration of cellulose and temperature on metabolite formation by a fermentative thermophilic consortium

In this study, we hypothesized that anaerobic biodegradation of cellulose is influenced by cellulose type and concentration, temperature, and their interactions. Cellulose biodegradation by an anaerobic consortium was tested in thermophilic batch experiments that combined cellulase action, hydrolysis, and fermentation. Initially, the main constituents in the inocula were Thermoanaerobacter, Clostridium, and Acetivibrio spp. Four types of cellulose and a range of concentrations were used as feedstock with pathways involving hydrolysis and glycolysis to produce H2, CO2, acetate, and ethanol. Long fibrous cellulose, two types of microcrystalline cellulose, and filter paper squares were tested at several concentrations between 2 and 20 g/l as substrates. The yields ranged between 0.1 and 2.9 mmol H2 and 0.7–2.6 mmol ethanol per g cellulose. The rates ranged between 0.01 and 0.2 mmol H2, 0.03–0.2 mmol CO2, and 0.01–0.05 mmol ethanol per g cellulose·h. Statistical analyses indicated that the rates and yields of metabolite production were influenced by two-way interactions between the temperature, type, and concentration of cellulose. The results suggest that two-way interactions between experimental variables may impact the outcomes in cellulose bioconversion studies.

Influence of concentration and type of microcrystalline cellulose on the physical properties of tablets containing Cornelian cherry fruits.

The aim of this study was to find the optimal tablet composition with maximum content of dried fruits (Cornus mas L.). The effect of three different concentrations (12.5, 25 and 50 %) of two types of microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel® PH 101 and Avicel® PH 200) and three different compression pressures (20, 60 and 100 MPa) on the physical properties of tablet blends and tablets was studied. Tablets containing 50 % Avicel® PH 101 compressed under 100 MPa were found to have the best physical properties. This combination of composition and compression pressure resulted in stable tablets even after storage under accelerated stability conditions (6 months, 40 °C and 75 % RH).

Classification of microcrystalline celluloses via structures of individual particles measured by synchrotron radiation X-ray micro-computed tomography

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is one of the most important excipients due to its outstanding binding and tableting properties. Owing to the absence of high resolution characterization techniques at the single particle scale, 3D (three dimension) microstructure of MCC and its effects on formulation performance remain unexamined. The aim of this work was to establish a methodology for single particles of MCC type 102 based on synchrotron radiation X-ray micro computed tomography (SR-μCT), principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLSDA). Scanning electron microscopy, SR-μCT, powders properties together with tensile strength (TS), disintegration time (DT), Kawakita plots and force/displacement profiles of tablets were measured. PCA-PLSDA was applied to evaluate the structural classification of MCC particles on the basis of 2D and 3D SR-μCT derived images. The studied MCCs were found to differ in the TS, DT, Kawakita plot and force/displacement, while box ratio and Feret ratio had major influence on the principal components, but the angle of repose, bulk and tapped density did not exhibit significantly. These findings verified that different samples of MCCs from alternative suppliers have morphological diversity when assessed at the individual particle level, which could result into variation in powder properties and tableting performance.

Preparation and Evaluation of Tabletting properties of Microcrystalline Cellulose from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch

ABSTRACT The microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was prepared from oil palm biomass, empty fruit bunch (EFB) for increasing the usability of EFB. The morphological, physical and chemical properties of MCC made from EFB were evaluated by comparing with those of the com-mercial MCC obtained from AVICEL. The EFB-MCC had the wider distribution in particle size and there were many small par-ticles around 10 μm. There were no significant differences in the cellulose crytallinity and the chemical composition between EFB-MCC and AVICEL-MCC. The properties of tablet samples made by the common direct compression process were evaluated depending on the types of MCC and the compression pressure during tablet making process. The tablet made of EFB MCC showed the higher compressed structure, which resulted in the less dis-integration by the water soaking treatment than those made of Avicel-MCC. The results of this study showed that the EFB-MCC could be utilized as one of the commercial MCC.Keywords: White waste paper, fluorescent whitening agent, fluorescence index, surfac-tant, disintegration

Evaluation of drug-carrier interactions in quaternary powder mixtures containing perindopril tert-butylamine and indapamide

Interactions occurring between components in the quaternary powder mixtures consisting of perindopril tert-butylamine, indapamide (active pharmaceutical ingredients), carrier substance and hydrophobic colloidal silica were examined. Two grades of lactose monohydrate: Spherolac® 100 and Granulac® 200 and two types of microcrystalline cellulose: M101D+ and Vivapur® 102 were used as carriers. We determined the size distribution (laser diffraction method), morphology (scanning electron microscopy) and a specific surface area of the powder particles (by nitrogen adsorption-desorption). For the determination of the surface energy of powder mixtures the method of inverse gas chromatography was applied. Investigated mixtures were characterized by surface parameters (dispersive component of surface energy, specific interactions parameters, specific surface area), work of adhesion and cohesion as well as Flory-Huggins parameter χ23'. Results obtained for all quaternary powder mixtures indicate existence of interactions between components. The strongest interactions occur for both blends with different types of microcrystalline cellulose (PM-1 and PM-4) while much weaker ones for powder mixtures with various types of lactose (PM-2 and PM-3).

Critical Evaluation of Root Causes of the Reduced Compactability after Roll Compaction/Dry Granulation

The influence of lubrication and particle size on the reduced compactability after dry granulation was investigated. Powder cellulose, lactose, magnesium carbonate, and two types of microcrystalline cellulose were roll compacted, granulated, and sieved into particle fractions. Particle fractions were compressed into tablets using internal and external lubrication. Internal lubrication resulted in an overlubrication of the granule material compared with the powder material. This resulted in extraordinary high reduction of compactability after dry granulation for lubricant-sensitive materials. The granule size can cause differences in strength, whereby the degree of this effect was material dependent. The loss in strength with increasing compaction force was comparable for different particles sizes of one material, suggesting a change in material properties independently of the size. Granule hardening could be one reason as for higher compaction forces the integrity of the granule structure survived the compression step. The results demonstrated that granule lubrication mainly influence the degree of the reduced compactability after dry granulation and must be considered for the evaluation of mechanism for this phenomenon. Hardening of the material as well as size enlargement will cause the loss in strength after recompression, but the influence of both depends strongly on the material.

Contrasting the crospovidones functionality as excipients for direct compression

Specific values of technological properties of excipients allow the establishment of numerical parameters to define and compare their functionality. This study investigates the functionality of Polyplasdones XL and XL10. Parameters studied included tablet disintegration profiles, compactibility profiles and powder flow. The results allowed the establishment of quantitative surrogate functionalities of technological performance, such as absolute number, and as a value relative to the known microcrystalline cellulose type 102. Moreover, the establishment of an explicit functionality to improve the technological performance of two diluents and a model drug was investigated, as was setting up of these functionalities, as quantitative values, to determine the input variables of each material and its probable functionality in a drug product. Disintegration times of pure Polyplasdone XL and its admixtures were around half that of Polyplasdone XL10. The improvement in tablet compactibility was 25-50% greater for Polyplasdone XL10 than Polyplasdone XL. Crospovidones proportions of up to 10% have little effect on the flow properties of other powders, although pure Polyplasdone XL10 and its admixtures display compressibility indexes about 20% greater than Polyplasdone XL. The observed results are in line with a smaller particle size of Polyplasdone XL10 compared to Polyplasdone XL.

Impact of microcrystalline cellulose material attributes: A case study on continuous twin screw granulation

The International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) states in its Q8 ‘Pharmaceutical Development’ guideline that the manufacturer of pharmaceuticals should have an enhanced knowledge of the product performance over a range of material attributes, manufacturing process options and process parameters. The present case study evaluates the effect of unspecified variability of raw material properties upon the quality attributes of granules; produced using a continuous from-powder-to-tablet wet granulation line (ConsiGma™ 25). The impact of different material attributes of six samples of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was investigated. During a blind study the different samples of MCC were used separately and the resulting granules were evaluated in order to identify the differences between the six samples. Variation in size distribution due to varying water binding capacity of the MCC samples was observed. The cause of this different water binding capacity was investigated and was caused by a different degree of crystallinity. Afterwards, an experimental design was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of both product and process variability upon the granule size distribution. This model was used in order to calculate the required process parameters to obtain a preset granule size distribution regardless of the type of MCC used. The difference in water binding capacity and its effect on granular properties was still present when combining the MCC grades with different binders.

The Effect of Different Methods to Pretreat Reed Pulp on the Crystallinity of Microcrystalline Cellulose

Reed Pulp was Raw Material that Pretreated by Four Methods {ultrasonic, Microwave, N, N-Dimethyl Acetamide (DMAc) and Tetrahydrofuran (THF)}. Reed Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) was Prepared by the Dilute Hydrochloric Acid Hydrolysis from Pretreated Reed Pulp. the Influences of Pretreatment Methods on Crystalline Type, Crystallinity and Crystallite Size of MCC were Investigated by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). the Results Showed that the Crystallinity of MCC with Four Pretreatment Methods was 68.45%, 62.28%, 63.21% and 69.56%, Respectively. the Average Crystallite Size of MCC Prepared by Hydrolysis after Pretreated by Dmac was the Largest. whereas, the Crystal Type of MCC was Not Changed, it was still the Cellulose Type I. Comprehensive Analysis Indicated that the Effects of MCC Prepared by Hydrolysis after Pretreated by Ultrasonic were the Best.

Evaluation of lubrication methods: How to generate a comparable lubrication for dry granules and powder material for tableting processes

Lubrication can strongly influence tablet characteristics like strength, disintegration and dissolution and thus should be performed appropriately taking properties of the materials into account. As magnesium stearate coats the particles, determination of the specific external surface area could be an approach to find the optimal lubricant amount to prevent sticking, to obtain a minimal reduction in strength and to generate a comparable lubrication between different dry granules and the starting powdered material. Therefore, in this study a surface proportional lubrication was investigated in comparison to a mass related internal and an external lubrication for five different materials (two types of microcrystalline cellulose, powder cellulose, magnesium carbonate and lactose). The specific external surface areas of different dry granules as well as of the starting powdered materials were determined. Prior to tableting an amount of magnesium stearate proportional to the specific external surface area (2.5μg/cm2) was added. For each material specific external surface area of the granules was smaller than that of the raw material. Hence, the amount of magnesium stearate added to the granules was much lower (0.1–0.25 (w/w) %) compared to the raw material (0.76–2 (w/w) %). Compaction curves for the granules showed a decrease in tensile strength of the corresponding tablets with increasing specific compaction force during roll compaction. Based on this work-hardening phenomenon, compression of the raw material should lead to the strongest tablets. In contrast to this, compactibility of direct compressed microcrystalline cellulose and powder cellulose was much lower compared to the granules. As both materials are lubricant sensitive, the added amount of magnesium stearate was too high and prevented particle bonding. For magnesium carbonate, compactibility of the raw material was still higher compared to the granules in spite of the tenfold lubricant quantity. Further experiments with equal amounts of magnesium stearate for powder and granules of magnesium carbonate were problematic, indicating an insufficient lubrication of the powdered magnesium carbonate in this case.External lubrication was practicable for all materials, brittle or plastically deforming, and resulted in the highest tablet tensile strength. As lubrication was in the same magnitude for different materials and lubrication proportional to the specific external surface area was not practicable for plastically deforming materials, external lubrication should be the method of choice.

Influence of different types of commercially available microcrystalline cellulose on degradation of perindopril erbumine and enalapril maleate in binary mixtures / Vpliv različnih tipov komercialno dostopne mikrokristalne celuloze na razpad erbuminijevega perindoprilata in enalaprilijevega maleata v binarnih zmeseh

Influence of some commercially available types of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) on the stability of certain active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), when in contact, has been investigated. Two structurally similar APIs, perindopril erbumine (PER) and enalapril maleate (EM), both well-known angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors were used. The main properties of an MCC that could determine the stability for each API were measured and correlated to the stability of these two APIs in binary mixtures. The stability of these APIs differed when in contact with different types of MCC. The dominant properties of MCC from one manufacturer were surface features that influenced the stability of PER and acidity that influenced the stability of EM. In the case of MCC from other manufacturers, unbound water was stability determining for both substances.

Method to study the effect of blend flowability on the homogeneity of acetaminophen

Context: Excipient selection is key to product development because it affects their processability and physical properties, which ultimately affect the quality attributes of the pharmaceutical product.Objective: To study how the flowability of lubricated formulations affects acetaminophen (APAP) homogeneity.Materials and methods: The formulations studied here contain one of two types of cellulose (Avicel 102 or Ceollus KG-802), one of three grades of Mallinckrodt APAP (fine, semi-fine, or micronized), lactose (Fast-Flo) and magnesium stearate. These components are mixed in a 300-liter bin blender. Blend flowability is assessed with the Gravitational Displacement Rheometer. APAP homogeneity is assessed with off-line NIR.Results: Excluding blends dominated by segregation, there is a trend between APAP homogeneity and blend flow index. Blend flowability is affected by the type of microcrystalline cellulose and by the APAP grade.Conclusion: The preliminary results suggest that the methodology used in this paper is adequate to study of the effect of blend flow index on APAP homogeneity.

Compression Behavior Evaluation of Directly Compressible Excipients

This work proposes to study the compression behavior of the directly compressible excipients microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). Many factors play a significant role in the compression behavior, such as the particle size and particle size distribute, flowability, particle density, porosity and so on, thus making it necessary to understand the dominant contribution of each factor. We studied the compression behavior of different types of MCC from three aspects: the physicmechanical properties, compression process and tablet mechanic characteristics of the excipients. As expected from the elastic recovery measurements, the MCC gave coherent tablets that could be handled under the chosen experimental conditions.

Effect of Microcrystalline Cellulose from Banana Stem Fiber on Mechanical Properties and Crystallinity of PLA Composite Films

This work focused on the preparation of the biocomposite films of polylactic acid (PLA) reinforced with microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) prepared from agricultural waste, banana stem fiber, and commercial microcrystalline cellulose, Avicel PH 101. Banana stem microcrystalline cellulose (BS MCC) was prepared by three steps, delignification, bleaching, and acid hydrolysis. PLA and two types of MCC were processed using twin screw extruder and fabricated into film by a compression molding. The mechanical and crystalline behaviors of the biocomopsite films were investigated as a function of type and amount of MCC. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus of PLA composites were increased when concentration of MCC increased. Particularly, banana stem (BS MCC) can enhance tensile strength and Young’s modulus of PLA composites than the commercial MCC (Avicel PH 101) because BS MCC had better dispersion in PLA matrix than Avicel PH 101. This result was confirmed by SEM image of fractured surface of PLA composites. In addition, XRD patterns of BS MCC/PLA composites exhibited higher crystalline peak than that of Avicel PH 101/PLA composites

Thermal compatibility studies of nitroimidazoles and excipients

Nitroimidazoles are heterocycle imidazoles with a nitrogen group incorporated in its structure. The objective of this study was to develop a model to characterize possible interactions between active substances and excipients using: Thermogravimetry, Differential Thermal Analysis, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, and DSC coupled to photovisual system. It was used three nitroimidazoles (metronidazole, secnidazole, and tinidazole) and two types of microcrystalline cellulose with different particle size (Microcel and Avicel). The binary mixtures were prepared in proportion (w/w) 1:1 (nitroimidazole:excipient). Thermogravimetric data demonstrated that the tinidazole was the nitroimidazole with better uniformity. The nitroimidazoles obeyed the zero order kinetic reaction, evidencing its vaporization processes. Differential thermal analysis data showed nitroimidazoles compatibility with the different microcrystalline celluloses studied, showing that microcrystalline celluloses stabilized the active substances. Calorimetric data of secnidazole showed two melting points, characteristic of the polymorphs presented in raw material. The vaporization constants values of nitroimidazoles studied were secnidazole > metronidazole > tinidazole and for the binary mixtures these values followed the order tinidazole > metronidazole ≥ secnidazole.

The Rheological Properties of Modified Microcrystalline Cellulose Containing High Levels of Model Drugs

The rheological properties of different types of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) mixed with model drugs and water have been evaluated to identify the influence of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (SCMC) added to the cellulose during preparation. A ram extruder was used as a capillary rheometer. The mixtures consisted of 20% spheronizing agent (standard grade MCC or modified types with 6% or 8% of low viscosity grade SCMC) and 80% of ascorbic acid, ibuprofen or lactose monohydrate. The introduction of SCMC changed all rheological parameters assessed. It produced more rigid systems, requiring more stress to induce and maintain flow. Degree of non-Newtonian flow, angle of convergence, extensional viscosity, yield and die land shear stress at zero velocity, and static wall friction were increased, but recoverable shear and compliance were decreased. The presence of SCMC did not remove the influence of the type of drug. The mixture of ibuprofen and standard MCC had the lowest values for shear stress as a function of the rate of shear, extensional viscosity, and angle of convergence, but the highest values for recoverable shear and compliance. The findings indicate that the system has insufficient rigidity to form pellets.

Combined Effects of Wetting, Drying, and Microcrystalline Cellulose Type on the Mechanical Strength and Disintegration of Pellets

Effects of wetting and drying conditions on micromeritic, mechanical and disintegration properties of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) pellets were evaluated. Extrusion/spheronization and three drying methods (fluidized bed, microwaves, and freeze drying) were applied using two wetting liquids (water or water‐isopropanol 60:40 w/w) and three MCC types: (standard, silicified, and modified). Additionally, the effects of drying method were compared on highly porous pellets prepared by the incorporation and extraction of pore former (NaCl). It was found that the drying method has the greatest effect on the pellet size and porosity followed by the wetting liquid. The modification of MCC resulted in reduced water retention ability, implying hornification, increased porosity, reduced resistance to deformation and tensile strength of pellets. The disintegration time also decreased markedly due to the modification but only in the low porosity range <37%. Silicification increased greatly the disintegration time of the low porosity pellets (<14%). Combination of water‐isopropanol, freeze drying and modified MCC gave the greatest increase in pellet size and porosity. The increase in pellet porosity caused exponential reduction in the resistance to deformation, tensile strength and disintegration time, as expected. Compared to fluidized bed, the freeze drying resulted in 20–30% higher porosity for pellets prepared without pore former and 6% for those with pore former, indicating the possibility of preparing highly porous pellets by employing freeze drying. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 98:676–689, 2009