title: Packing properties of starch-based powders under mild mechanical stress.
abstract: This study reports the ability to settle of commercial pharmaceutical grade starch samples, both native and pregelatinized. The experiments were carried out under different relative humidity (RH%) conditions and the packing properties were evaluated using both official pharmacopoeial monograph conditions and also modified conditions in order to give a deeper knowledge of tapping under mild mechanical stress. The technique adopted, simulating common pharmaceutical operating practices, appears to be useful to estimate some technologically relevant features of diluent powder materials. Moreover, a general mathematical function has been applied to the experimental data; this could be appropriate for adequately describing material settling patterns and offers practical parameters for characterizing starch powders within the context of a pharmaceutical quality system.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Farmaco Chimico Tecnologico, Università degli Studi di Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zanardi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gabbrielli
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Travagli
mesh_terms: D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D005079:Excipients / Q000737:chemistry*; D006813:Humidity; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011208:Powders; D013213:Starch / Q000737:chemistry*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
chemical_list: D005079:Excipients; D011208:Powders; D013213:Starch