Tribological Characterization of Pharmaceutical Formulations

Abstract

Oral sensory perception has been extensively studied in the food and pharmaceutical industry. With the growing importance of pediatric formulations, there has been much interest in the texture of medications to increase patient acceptance. Texture is one of the first interactions during ingestion and key to our psychological impression of a product. Mouthfeel of medications is a major component for patient compliance as much as taste and aesthetics. We aim to develop the classical tribological method to understand the dynamics of our testing formulations consisting of viscosity and grittiness. Rheology and tribology are used to understand the texture of oral medications and their interaction with surfaces. The presence of particles greatly influenced the outcome of viscosity and coefficient of friction. Particles increased friction between surfaces at slower sliding speeds, but may also contribute to reduce rough surfaces and increase lubrication and coating during higher sliding speeds in the hydrodynamic regime.