Physicochemical and Excipient Characteristics of a Polymer Isolated from the Seeds of Watermelon(Citrullus Lanatus)

This study was aimed at isolating, characterizing and evaluating the excipient functionalities of a polymer from watermelon seeds. After oil extraction, the marc was dispersed in water, agitated, filtered, the polymer harvested as the sediment in the filtrate and purified. The polymer was characterized; used as excipient in tablet formulation; and tablets' qualities were assessed using standard protocols. Physicochemical tests revealed polymer as non-polysaccharide, amorphous biomaterial with melting point: 230.7oC, particle density: 1.70 g/ml, pH: 6.66, swelling

index: 51% and toxic metals contents below official limits. Properties of granules and tablets formulated with polymer as binder were similar to those formulated with corn starch as binder. Corn starch was a significantly better (p<0.05) disintegrant with PVP as a binder at concentrations greater than 2% w/w. This difference notwithstanding, the dissolution profiles of the tablets were similar. The polymer was a protein, swelled better than corn starch and functionally compared well as tablet excipient.

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Physicochemical and Excipient Characteristics of a Polymer Isolated from the Seeds of Watermelon(Citrullus Lanatus)
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