Study of the Compaction Mechanisms of Lactose-based Direct Compression Excipients using Indentation Hardness and Heckel Plots

Abstract

Abstract Indentation hardness of tablet surfaces has been used to determine the consolidation mechanisms of the lactose-based excipients Fast Flo Lactose, Ludipress, Cellactose and Tablettose. The Leuenberger equation has been modified to obtain values of compressibility and compactability by using a value of compactability obtained from a tablet at maximum applied force and by substituting deformation resistance by relative deformation resistance. Also, parameters obtained from plots of the Heckel tablet-indie and ejected-tablet methods were calculated in order to establish the comparative consolidation mechanisms in the lactose-based excipients under study. The possibility of using the absolute value of the difference between upper and lower surface hardnesses of the tablets made on an eccentric press is suggested as an alternative method to determine the comparative consolidation mechanisms of different substances.