Mastering challenges in nutraceutical manufacturing process

Romaco Kilian recently teamed up with Biogrund, TaBlitz and the Romaco sister companies Innojet and Tecpharm to host a ‘Nutraceuticals Get-together.’ The two-day event was an opportunity to address key nutraceutical handling challenges and examine the manufacturing process from various perspectives. With around 20 guests from six European countries, this exclusive industry meet-up was fully booked in no time.

Nutraceutical production presents an array of challenges. In most cases, only a limited choice of ingredients is available for the formulation, as chemical additives need to be avoided as far as possible. Moreover, the authorized natural ingredients are often very complex to process: plant-based raw materials, for instance, tend to be sticky and poorly flowing, making them difficult to compress. They also have a reputation for high chemical and physical instability. Minerals, on the other hand, exhibit highly abrasive properties and attack the tooling.

These issues were the starting point for the recent two-day Nutraceuticals Get-together that was jointly hosted by Romaco Kilian with Biogrund, TaBlitz, Romaco Innojet and Romaco Tecpharm. The aim: to enable a diversified group of experts to discuss industry-specific requirements for the manufacturing process. Potential solutions for granulating, tableting and coating nutraceuticals were explored in seven expert lectures. 

Novel concepts for lubricant usage and an AI-supported platform for tablet design were likewise featured in this context. A hands-on session at the KiTech tableting laboratory concluded the event. Here, participants carried out compression tests using the KTP 1X compaction simulator from Romaco Kilian. Granulation of a placebo mixture was additionally demonstrated on the VENTILUS Lab fluid bed processor from Romaco Innojet.

The get-together was specifically targeted at European nutraceutical manufacturers and was a small-scale affair with just 20 participants from Germany, Switzerland, Poland, the Netherlands, Czechia and the UK. “We purposely kept the number of attendees small to encourage lively interaction and allow for meaningful dialogue between participants and speakers,” noted Marcus Gallmann, sales director at Romaco Kilian. “Our objective was to share practical know-how and provide a clear picture of the diverse ways we can support the industry – from machines and tools to ingredients and data analysis techniques.”

Spotlight on the process chain

Various aspects of nutraceutical processing were highlighted in the course of the get-together and considered in the context of the overall manufacturing procedure. Among other things, the Romaco Innojet lecture dealt with the production of free-flowing granulates with a precisely defined particle size as well as hot melt coatings to mask the taste of bitter plant extracts. Romaco Kilian summed up the requirements a tablet press must meet in order to reliably process sticky and poorly flowing powders. The host company subsequently outlined the numerous possibilities for digital data analysis and evaluation using a smart compaction simulator for tablet development. 

Biogrund gave a rundown of the individual lubricants and how they work, then went on to talk about alternatives for magnesium stearate. Finally, the specialist for solid oral dosage forms offered detailed insights into tablet disintegration behavior and described the effects that can be realized with selected excipients.

Not only the right formulation but also the tablet design plays a significant role in nutraceutical development. With this in mind, TaBlitz introduced its new AI platform, which simplifies feasibility studies for optimized tablet design as well as digital testing of tablet tooling. The AI moreover checks whether tablets are shaped in such a way that they are easy to swallow and coat. The Romaco Tecpharm presentation focused on the extensive options for coating nutraceuticals, examining the widespread use of film coatings as well as the application of sugar coatings in a drum coater.

“We’re thoroughly satisfied with the outcome of the Nutraceuticals Get-together,” concluded Carola Hanl, KiTech laboratory manager at Romaco Kilian. “It confirmed once again how specific issues are intertwined and mutually dependent. Keeping an eye on all of these factors and evaluating them accordingly is an essential element of successful development work. Our industry meet-up demonstrated very impressively the importance of sharing ideas and experiences and showed what can be achieved through good cooperation.”