Powder and capsule filling properties of lubricated granulated cellulose powder

Granulated powdered cellulose was studied in terms of powder bulk properties and capsule filling performance on a tamp-filling machine with and without the addition of various concentrations of magnesium stearate. Carr's compressibility reached its minimum value at 0.4% magnesium stearate suggesting an improvement of powder flow compared to the unlubricated material. However, shear cell measurements and the use of a powder rheometer indicated that the addition of 0.2% magnesium stearate and more impairs powder flow and does not reduce interparticulate friction. When capsules were filled into hard gelatine capsules at a zero-compression setting, the fill weight and plug density could be predicted from Carr's compressibility index and from the maximum bulk density. The decrease in one and simultaneous increase in the other bulk property with increasing magnesium stearate concentration caused both fill weight and plug density to go through a minimum at a lubricant concentration of 0.4%. When the capsules were filled at maximum compression, however, the addition of lubricant increased the coefficient of fill weight variation significantly, and the plug density remained constant for any added concentration of magnesium stearate. These findings were in agreement with the shear cell and powder rheometer results. However, the optimum lubricant concentration in terms of ease of machine function, which was identified from tamping pressure measurements, was found to be 0.8% magnesium stearate, which was not an optimal concentration for the powder bulk properties.