This document discusses capsules, including their definition, advantages, disadvantages, types, and manufacturing process. Capsules are solid dosage forms that enclose a drug substance within a soluble shell. There are two main types: hard gelatin capsules, which contain solid medications and are available in different standardized sizes, and soft gelatin capsules, which contain liquid medications and are hermetically sealed. The manufacturing process involves mixing ingredients, filling capsules using specialized machines, and testing quality parameters like weight, content uniformity, and dissolution. Capsules provide benefits like easy administration and storage, but some drugs are not suitable due to stability issues.

1. Processing of Capsule
Mr. G.A.Shete

2. • CAPSULE
Definition : Capsules are solid dosage forms in which the drug
substance is enclosed in a water soluble shell or an envelope.
ADVANTAGES OF CAPSULES
• Capsules can be easily administered & easily swallowed.
• They are easy to handle and carry.
• They are made up of gelatin so they are therapeutically inert.
• There are attractive in appearance.
• They are economical.
• The drugs having un-pleasant odor and taste are enclosed in a
tasteless shell.
• They can be filled quickly and conveniently.
• Micro-capsulation provides the sustained release dosage form.

3. • DISADVANTAGE:
• Hygroscopic drugs can not be filled into capsules, because they absorb
water present in capsule shell which makes shell very brittle and
ultimately lead to breaks down into pieces.
• The concentrated solutions which require previous dilution are
unsuitable for capsules because if administered as such lead to
irritation in stomach
TYPES OF CAPSULES:
Hard Gelatin Capsules
Soft Gelatin Capsules

4. • HARD GELATIN CAPSULES:
• Solid medicaments are administered by using Hard Gelatin
Capsules
• It is prepared from Gelatin, Color & Titanium Dioxide to make it
opaque.
• It has 2 parts i.e. Body & Cap
• These are cylindrical in shape & available in various size.
Capsule no Approx
Capacity(mg)
Capsule no Approx
Capacity(mg)
000 950 2 250
00 650 3 200
0 450 4 150
1 300 5 100

5. • EXPIENTS USED IN FILLING THE CAPSULES:
• Diluents: these are added to bring the medicament up to the desired
size. i.e. Lactose, Mannitol, Sorbitol & Starch etc.
• Absorbents: i.e. Carbonates & oxides of Magnesium & Calcium,
Kaolin.
• Glidants: these are added to regulate flow of powder i.e. Magnesium
sterate, Calcium stearate & Talc.
• Antidusting Compounds: Inert edible Oils.

6. • CAPSULE FILLING MACHINE (HAND OPERATED )
• Bed having 200-300 holes.
• Loading tray having 200-300 holes.
• Powder tray.
• Pin Plate having 200-300 pins.
• Sealing plate having rubber top.
• Lever
• Cam handle

7. • Capsules are filled in the loading tray& placed over the filling
bed.
• Cam handle is operated to separate the capsule caps from their
bodies.
• The powder tray is placed on the filling tray to prevent the
material from being lost,
• The powder to be filled in the capsules is placed in powder trays
and spread with the help of a powder spreader, to fill the bodies
of the capsules uniformly.
• The pin plate is lowered so as to press the powder into the
bodies
• After pressing, the pin plate is raised and the excess powder is
filled into the bodies of the capsules.

8. • The cap-holding tray is again placed in position. The sealing plate
with rubber top is lowered and the lever is operated forcing the
bodies into the caps,
• The well-filled capsules are then cleaned by wiping with clean
cloth. This gives good shine to the capsules.

9. • SOFT GELATIN CAPSULES:
• These are used for administered of liquid medicaments.
• They are prepare by using Gelatin (Gelatin is plasticized by addition of
glycerin) and sorbitol.
• They are round, oval or tube like in structure.
• METHOD OF FILLING OF SOFT GELATIN CAPSULES
• In this machine the soft gelatin capsules are prepared & then filled
immediately with liquid medicaments it is having two hoppers & two
rotating dies
• Liquid mixture is placed in one hopper & the liquid medicament in
other Hooper.
• The two rotating dies rotate in opposite directions when the fluid
gelatin mixture enters the machine from the hopper it produces two
continuous ribbons .

11. • These half shell of the capsule is formed.
• At this stage the measured quantity of the medicament is filled
in to it with the stroke of a pump with the subsequent movement
of the dies the other half capsule is formed.
• The two halves' of the capsules are sealed together by
• the heat & pressure of the rotating dies.
• As the die rolls rotate, the convergence of the matching
• die pockets seals and cuts out the filled capsules

12. HARD GELATIN CAPSULE SOFT GELATIN CAPSULE
1 Two piece (large body & short
cap)
One piece & hermetically
sealed.
2 Cylindrical shape. Available in round , oval &
tube like shapes.
3 Solid medicaments are administered by
using hard gelatin capsule
Liquid medicaments are administered by
using soft gelatin capsule
4 8 different type of sizes are
available
No specific sizes are available.
5 These are prepared from Gelatin, Titanium
Dioxide & coloring agent
These are prepared from gelatin & preservatives

13. • EVALUATION PARAMETERS OF CAPSULES
• Uniformity of weight
• Content of active ingredient in the capsules
• Disintegration test
• Dissolution test