Assessment of the effect of spray-drying on the powder and tableting properties of microcrystalline cellulose II

Abstract

The preparation of cellulose II powder by spray drying using a randomized two-factor fractional factorial design (FFD) and a 2³ Box Behnken design (BBD) and its tableting properties, in comparison with those of the non-spray-dried cellulose II powder (NSDCII) was investigated. Feed concentration, feed spraying rate and inlet air temperature were found to be the most effective independent factors influencing the particle size and yield of the spray-dried cellulose II powder (SDCII). Compared to NSDCII, SDCII showed superior flow. SDCII was less compressible than NSDCII, but showed comparable compactibility. SDCII and NSDCII offer potential as direct compression excipients.