Publications

Today, tablets are one of the most widely used pharmaceutical dosage forms. Both activepharmaceutical ingredients (API) and inactive ingredients such as disintegrants are found inpharmaceutical dosage forms. Disintegrants are essential for dissolving the tablet into smallparticles and increasing the surface area of the API when it is exposed to gastrointestinalfluids. As a result, choosing the right type and concentration of disintegrant is often the mostimportant aspect in determining tablet quality. Effect of Musa acuminata starchconcentration on the disintegrant activity of paracetamol tablets was now researched on.Starch from unripe banana fruits was extracted with distilled water and 0.05M sodiumhydroxide. Banana starch powder at concentrations of 5, 10 and 15% w/w were used toformulate paracetamol tablets by direct compression. Starch powder and tablet propertieswere evaluated. Increase in concentration of banana starch powder from 5-15% w/w led to adecrease in disintegration time, weight variation, and an increase in friability. The tabletsformulated from banana starch at all concentration were comparable to tablet properties inthe standard BP 2009. The starch powder pH, true density, bulk density, tapped density,angle of repose, Hausner’s ratio and Carr’s index were 6.57, 1.51g/ ml, 0.55g/ml, 0.61g/ml,32.3o, 1.11 and 9.90, respectively. The tablets exhibited disintegration time, weight variation,thickness, and friability values ranging from 0.55-0.44min, 1.66-0.59%, 4-3.39mm, 0.13-0.55%, respectively. The tablets met acceptable Pharmacopoeia requirements at starchconcentration studied. Results revealed that banana starch could be used as a disintegrantin paracetamol tablet formulation due its comparable properties with the standard BP 2009specifications. Musa acuminata starch when used at concentration of 15% gives optimumdisintegrant activity.