Preparation and Study of Flow Characteristics of Co-processed Acacia gum and Maize Starch

Poor die filling as a result of poor flow characteristic have been one of the challenges in direct compression tableting. The aim of the work was to prepare and study of the flow characteristics of co-processed acacia gum and maize starch. Acacia gum was co-processed with maize starch at varying ratios 0.25:49.75, 0.5:49.5, 1:49 and 1.25:48:75 using pre-gelatinization method. The flow characteristics of the natives, co-processed excipients, and cellactose were evaluated using standard techniques. Acacia gum co-processed with maize starch at ratio 1:49 (Batch C) gave the best results with bulk and tapped density of 0.54 and 0.63g/cm3 respectively, angle of repose of 31.79o, Hausner ratio of 1.17, and Carr’s index of 15.14%. Cellactose which was used as a standard for comparison reflected a bulk and tapped density of 0.49 and 0.57g/cm3 respectively, angle of repose of 28.38o, Hausner ratio of 1.12, and Carr’s index of 13.80%. The study confirmed that co-processing acacia gum with maize starch improved the flow properties of its natives and compared well with the standard co-processed excipient.