Co-crystallization of zinc sulfate with sucrose: A promissory strategy to render zinc solid dosage forms more palatable

Abstract

The objective of this work was to develop solid dosage forms to improve zinc nutrition in high-risk populations. Powders containing zinc (17 mg/g) were obtained through co-crystallization in sucrose matrix with high encapsulation efficiency (98%). Co-crystallized powders showed water activity (0.6) and moisture content (2.0%) values characteristic of good stability. Moreover, these products showed an infrared spectrum similar to that of sucrose, indicating that no chemical interactions took place between the matrix components. Co-crystallized powders showed excellent compactibility leading to suitably hard compacts at a low compression force (4.9 kN). Besides, tablets were obtained with optimal values of hardness (4.8 kgf) and low disintegration times (<5 min) using blends of co-crystallized powder (80% w/ w), native corn starch (20% w/w) and magnesium stearate (1 g/100 g). The sensory evaluation of the tablets was performed obtaining a mean overall acceptability rating of 5, which corresponds to the neutral point of the hedonic scale used.