title: Evaluation of the performance of a new continuous spheronizer.
abstract: This study aims to evaluate the performance of a new continuous spheronizer with multiple concentric chambers. The characteristics of the pellets produced in the different chambers (moisture content, mechanical strength, density, sphericity, size, release of a drug) were compared by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), when different times of spheronization and chambers were considered. The statistical analysis has shown that both the diameter of the chambers and the time of spheronization affected the properties of the pellets, and, thus, they must be considered when the spheronizer is used. To minimize these effects all the forming pellets should be processed in all chambers for a defined period of time.
authors.affiliation: Dep. Tecnologia Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, P-1649-003, Lisboa, Portugal. jfpinto@ff.ul.pt
authors.forename: João F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Cristina N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Abreu
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D005079:Excipients / Q000737:chemistry*; D007785:Lactose / Q000737:chemistry*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010316:Particle Size; D011208:Powders / Q000737:chemistry; D011433:Propranolol / Q000737:chemistry*; D012995:Solubility; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D005079:Excipients; D011208:Powders; D014867:Water; D002482:Cellulose; D011433:Propranolol; D007785:Lactose; C109691:microcrystalline cellulose