Optimizing Release Properties of Tablets from Spondias Mombin Spray-Dried Leaves Extract Using Dry and Melt Granulation

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of conventional dry granulation (slugging) and twin-screw melt granulation (TSMG) as downstream processing methods to enhance the technological properties, such as flowability and tabletability, of spray-dried plant extracts (SDE). A hydrophilic (Polyethylene glycol 6000-PEG) and a lipophilic binder (glyceryl dibehenate-GBE) were explored for the melt granulation process. Compression behavior and powder rheological properties of SDE and its granules were investigated. Compression analysis by in-die Heckel analysis explained the SDE's poor mechanical properties resulting in poor compact integrity in addition to the poor flow properties of the SDE. Despite the success of granulation strategies to improve the material's flowability and tabletability, the TSMG granules exhibited better performance than slugged granules. Regarding formulation, the lipophilic binder facilitated greater plastic deformation than the hydrophilic binder, enhancing the release of formulations across different profiles from controlled release, adjusting the granules quantity, to immediate-release tablets containing either brittle or plastic fillers. In conclusion, TSMG combined with a lipophilic melt binder emerged as a promising technology for overcoming the challenges of poor tabletability and modifying the release profile of ellagitannin from SDE.