EVALUATION OF COMPRESSION AND COMPACTION CHARACTERISTICS OF PARACETAMOL TABLET USING FORMULATED CO-PROCESSED BINDER EXCPIENTS FROM PLANTAIN STARCH AND TRAGACANTH GUM

Purpose: The research developed a co-processed excipient from primary excipients. The novel excipients obtained from mixture of plantain starch and tragacanth gum were added to paracetamol granulation. This was with a view to enhance production of tablet with higher mechanical integrity without compromising its disintegration in gut or aqueous medium. Method: Unripe but mature plantain fruits were peeled to extract starch, after soaking. The starch was milled, sieved, oven-dried and re-sieved. Starch powder obtained was co-processed with tragacanth gum BP by two methods: (1) Co-grinding technique was achieved by geometric mixing of the starch and the gum in ratios, 1:3, 1:1 and 3:1. (2) Co-fusion was carried out by suspending tragacanth gum powder in a distilled water placed on water bath at temperature 50 °C. It was stirred until a mucilage was formed. Plantain starch was incorporated, when hot, in the above specified mixture ratios. Each co-processed excipient was weighed and added in concentrations, 3, 4 and 5% w/w, to the paracetamol granules as binders. The physical, compaction and mechanical properties of the granules were evaluated, using established procedures. The results were analyzed by a 2-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a p-value < 0.05 considered significant. Results: The results showed improved flow, compaction properties and better mechanical strength on the paracetamol granules, when 3% w/w co-fused (1:3) excipient was incorporated as a binder. It further revealed that binder excipient produced significant effects on the novel excipient functionalities, p< 0.05 considered significant. Conclusion: The study concluded that co-processing native plantain starch with tragacanth gum in ratio1:3, at 3% w/w concentration, when added to paracetamol granules resulted into a novel binder excipient with better pharmaceutical properties than all the excipients used.