Monday, September 6, 2010

Excipients
ACACIA GUM
	Function: Tablet Binder & Suspending Agent A dry gummy exudate (sugars and celluloses) obtained from the stems and branches of various tropical trees and shrubs. The bark is incised and the exudate is allowed to dry on the bark. The dried exudate is then collected, cleaned and processed.
CALCIUM SILICATE
	Function: Drying Agent A compound of calcium and silicon dioxide derived from limestone and diatomaceous earth (the silicified skeletons of diatoms, a single celled plankton).
CELLULOSE
	Function: Binder/Disintegrant Obtained as pulp from fibrous plant materials.
CITRIC ACID
	Function: Acidulant Occurs naturally in a number of plant species or may be produced by fermentation of a carbohydrate such as molasses.
FRUCTOSE
	Function: Sweetening Agent (Monosaccharide) Occurs naturally in honey and a large number of fruits. It may be prepared by a number of methods from high fructose corn syrup, cornstarch, sucrose or dextrose. Absorbed more slowly than dextrose it is metabolized more rapidly. Fructose is 1.73% sweeter than sucrose and 2.33% sweeter than glucose. It provides 4 calories per gram
GELATIN
	Function: Coating agent & Film Former (Capsule Shells) Extracted from animal tissues rich in collagen (skin, sinews & bones), gelatin is an incomplete protein because it lacks the amino acid tryptophan.
GLUCOSE
	Function: Sweetener (Monosaccharide) Also known as dextrose, glucose occurs widely in plants and may be manufactured by acid and enzymatic hydrolysis of starch. Not as sweet as fructose or sucrose, it is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Glucose provides 4 calories per gram.
GLYCERIN
	Function: Humectant Also known as glycerol, glycerin is a fatty alcohol obtained from oils and fats but it can be produced synthetically. Not as sweet as sucrose. Glycerin provides 4.32 calories per gram.
GUAR GUM
	Function: Binder Guar gum is extracted from the seed pods of the guar tree (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) native to India and grown in the southwestern United States. It is a complex carbohydrate that swells when it comes into contact with water.
LECITHIN
	Function: Emulsifier Obtained from vegetable oils it is a mixture of phospholipids. Lecithin hydrolyses into phosphoric acid and glycerol and is distributed evenly throughout the body. Lecithin provides 8 calories per gram.
MAGNESIUM SILICATE
	Function: Anti-Caking Agent A compound of magnesium oxide and silicon dioxide, magnesium silicate occurs naturally as a mineral or it can be prepared from sodium silicate & magnesium sulfate.
MAGNESIUM STEARATE
	Function: Lubricant A mixture of solid organic acids prepared by the interaction of magnesium oxide & stearic acid.
MALTODEXTRIN
	Function: Diluent A non-sweet carbohydrate containing D-Glucose units. Maltodextrin is prepared by the partial hydrolysis of cornstarch and provides 4 calories per gram.
MANNITOL
	Function: Sweetening Agent/Granulation Agent A sugar alcohol (2.4 calories per gram) half as sweet as sucrose, mannitol can be extracted from seaweed or the dried sap of manna (exudate from the bark of certain trees). It can also be produced by the reduction of monosaccharides.
OLIGOSACCHARIDES
	Function: Bulking Agent Non-digestible fiber derived from chicory roots. Oligosaccharides can stimulate the growth of beneficial colonic bacteria.
SILICA
	Function: Anti-Caking Agent Silica is a mineral that is prepared synthetically.
SORBITOL
	Function: Humectant/Sweetening Agent A sugar alcohol related to mannose and isomeric with mannitol. It occurs naturally in ripe berries and can be found in powder form. Sorbitol can be prepared by the reduction of corn syrup or glucose. It is half as sweet as sucrose providing 3.6 calories per gram.
STEARIC ACID
	Function: Lubricant Stearic acid is manufactured by the hydrogenation of vegetable oils.
SUCRALOSE
	Function: Sweetener A high intensity sucrose derivative approximately 600 times sweeter than sucrose. It is produced by substituting 3 chlorine atoms for 3 hydroxyl groups in the sucrose molecule. Sucralose is a non-caloric sweetener.