A recent gathering in Cologne explored the challenges and opportunities when manufacturing nutraceuticals
The demand for nutraceuticals – a whole food that is repackaged and concentrated in a non-food format – is growing exponentially. A boom in sales of beets, spinach and garlic capsules in recent years demonstrates that these products have struck a cord with consumers struggling to fit the full range of nutrients into their diet.
Despite this growing demand there are well documented issues with the manufacture of such products. A recent gathering of around 20 guests from six European countries aimed to examine these from a variety of perspectives. The event was hosted by packaging specialist Romaco Kilian in collaboration with coating specialist Biogrund, AI tablet design company TaBlitz and the Romaco sister companies Innojet and Tecpharm.
Company involvement
Nutraceutical production presents an array of challenges. In most cases, only a limited choice of ingredients is available for the formulation, as chemical additives need to be avoided as far as possible. Moreover, the authorised natural ingredients are often very complex to process: plant-based raw materials, for instance, tend to be sticky and poorly flowing, making them difficult to compress. They also have a reputation for high chemical and physical instability. Minerals, on the other hand, exhibit highly abrasive properties and attack the tooling.
Production challenges
As such, the event looked at potential solutions for granulating, tableting and coating nutraceuticals via seven expert lectures. Novel concepts for lubricant usage and an AI supported platform for tablet design were likewise featured in this context. A hands-on session at the KiTech tableting laboratory concluded the event. Here, participants carried out compression tests using the KTP 1X compaction simulator from Romaco Kilian. In addition, granulation of a placebo mixture was demonstrated on the Ventilus Lab fluid bed processor from Romaco Innojet.
Gallmann, sales director at Romaco Kilian said: “Our objective was to share practical know-how and provide a clear picture of the diverse ways we can support the industry – from machines and tools to ingredients and data-analysis techniques.”
The lectures
The Romaco Innojet lecture dealt with the production of free flowing granulates with a precisely defined particle size as well as hot melt coatings to mask the taste of bitter plant extracts. Romaco Kilian summed up the requirements a tablet press must meet in order to reliably process sticky and poorly flowing powders. The host company outlined the numerous possibilities for digital data analysis and evaluation using a smart compaction simulator for tablet development. Biogrund gave a rundown of the individual lubricants and how they work, then went on to talk about alternatives for magnesium stearate. Finally, the specialist for solid oral dosage forms offered detailed insights into tablet disintegration behavior and described the effects that can be realised with selected excipients.
New AI platform
With this in mind, TaBlitz introduced its new AI platform, which simplifies feasibility studies for optimised tablet design as well as digital testing of tablet tooling. In addition, the AI checks whether tablets are shaped to be easy to swallow and coat. The Romaco Tecpharm presentation focused on the extensive options for coating nutraceuticals, examining the widespread use of film coatings as well as the application of sugar coatings in a drum coater. Dr. Carola Hanl, KiTech laboratory manager at Romaco Kilian said: Our industry meet-up demonstrated very impressively the importance of sharing ideas, it also demonstrated what can be achieved through industry cooperation.”
For more information visit: www.romaco.com
