Stages in spheronisation: Evolution of pellet size and shape during spheronisation of microcrystalline cellulose-based paste extrudates

•Tests with coloured pastes show that fines do not attach preferentially at pellet waist.

•New ‘dumb-bellity’ measure to quantify the formation of dumb-bells

•Spheronisation time increases with mass of charge until overmassing occurs.

•Tests with calcium carbonate as model API exhibit the same behaviour.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S003259101400864X