Extrusion-spheronisation of microcrystalline cellulose pastes using a non-aqueous liquid binder

An experimental investigation of extrusion-spheronisation (E-S) of a novel microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) formulation, comprising dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the granulating liquid, is reported. The extrusion-spheronisation performance of DMSO/MCC pastes is compared to that of similar water/MCC formulations and their theological behaviours similarly assessed using lubricated squeeze flow. A case study involving water. DMSO and anhydrous ethanol yields important information regarding the physicochemical properties necessary for solvents to be suitable for the extrusion of MCC. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.