EFFECT OF STARCH PASTE PREPARATION TEMPERATURE IN FLUIDIZED-BED GRANULATION ON RESULTANT TABLET PROPERTIES

An Onlator(R), a heat exchanger, was utilized as a continuous starch p aste supplier for a fluidized-bed granulator. Ascorbic acid was used a s a model drug substance and cornstarch as the binder. To control the temperature of cooking starch paste, modes of proportional control (P control) and proportional integral deviation (PID control) were used t o distinguish their respective effects on the tablet properties. It wa s shown that the PID control caused less variation in the temperature of cooking starch paste and, in accordance with this, that variation i n disintegration time for the resultant tablets was less. There was, h owever, little difference in tablet hardness between these two modes o f control.