The Process of Sugar-Coating

The Process of Sugar-Coating

The process of sugar-coating includes the progressive deposition of watery sugar solution on the tablet cores as they are rotated and tumbled in a rotating dish by splashing sugar solutions or suspensions into a skillet and drying off the solvent.

Benefits Of Sugar Coating

  • Sugar-coating should be possible in a regular coating dish.
  • Sugar and water utilised are savvy.
  • Sugar-coated tablets look more alluring.

Dis-Advantages

  • Sugar coating requires a more skilled administrator.
  • Sugar-coating is a multi-stage process, which makes it a long cycle.
  • Because of long handling hours, the cost of the activity might increase.
  • Sugar-coating brings about an increase in tablet size and weight, which makes it challenging to swallow.
  • Round-shaped tablets are utilised for sugar-coating.
  • Embossing or logo of the core tablet is completely covered by the coating layer, so embossing on the core tablets isn’t finished.

The process of sugar-coating isn’t acted in a solitary step, and the means engaged with the entire process include the following;

Sealing

This process is also known as waterproofing, as it is the stage used against dampness infiltration. In the Manual coating or pan pouring method or pan ladling method, there are chances of limited over-wetting because of the water present in the sucrose solution. Over-wetting might bring about softening of the tablet or may harm the tablet surface. To forestall this harmful impact, a layer of sealing material in the form of an organic solvent is applied. On applying heat, the solvent vanishes, abandoning a layer of sealing material over the core tablet. So the utilisation of seal coat is subject to the detailing and equipment utilised.

The following are commonly used sealing materials:

  1. Shellac
  2. Zein
  3. HPC (Hydroxypropyl Cellulose)
  4. CAP (Cellulose Acetate Phthalate)

Sub Coating

For the application of sub-Coat following two methods are used;

  1. Lamination Method – this method may likewise be known as the dusting technique on the grounds because in this technique, powder materials like a combination of powdered sugar and starch or powder and acacia are used, in which a layer of binder solution is applied over hot tablets in a pivoting dish. Then, at that point, dusting is finished with powder materials and permitted to pivot in the dish to consistently spread the powder. After uniform conveyance, heat is applied to dissipate the water. This process is repeated until the desired weight or thickness of the tablet is accomplished.
  2. Suspension Method – In the suspension strategy fluid sub-coating solution is utilized in the type of suspension. The suspension might contain gum solution and fillers like calcium carbonate, talc, and sucrose. Fillers are included to form a suspension and are afterwards applied over the moving bed of the tablet.

Sub-Coating is the primary genuine step of sugar-coating. This process uses lesser concentrated sucrose syrup. This stage is what makes the edges of the tablet round. In addition, this stage brings about weight gain for the tablet, and normally, 50-100 per cent put on in weight can be gained.

Smoothing

Smoothing is otherwise called grossing or final rounding. Tablets after the second phase of sub-covering are not smooth, so to make them smooth, this stage is used to fill irregularities in tablet surfaces. For this stage, 70% of the concentrated sucrose solution is utilised. Also, an enormous volume of solution isn’t applied. Only about 9 to 10 coats are sufficient to make the tablet surface smooth.

Coloring

In this stage, a layer of explicit colour is applied over the tablets. It is applied by blending it in a sucrose solution. One of the main necessities in sugar coating is colour uniformity, so this stage requires extraordinary attention.

Polishing

The following are utilised as cleaning materials;

  • Carnauba wax
  • Honey bees’ wax
  • Candelila Wax
  • Hard Paraffin Wax

Polishing is utilised to give a sparkling gloss to the tablets. Cleaning might be finished in a material-lined covering container or a traditional coating dish. For polishing, carnauba wax is poured as a fine powder, and tablets are turned to accomplish the ideal degree of sparkle, or carnauba wax in natural dissolvable is splashed over tablets.

Imprinting

This step is subject to the prerequisite, and in the event that it is required, tablets can be passed through an engraving machine to print a code or recognisable proof on every tablet by a printer utilising palatable ink.