Influence of starch steeping period on dimensionless disintegration values of a paracetamol tablet formulation.

: In this study, tapioca starches obtained after different steeping periods, i.e. TS 24, TS 48 and TS 72, were used as disintegrants with corn starch BP as the standard disintegrant in a paracetamol tablet formulation. Two dimensionless disintegration quantities, T(N) and T(C) were used in the determination of the influence that steeping period of starch disintegrant would have on the crushing strength friability-disintegration time ratio (CSFR/DT). These quantities were used to assess the influence of steeping period, relative density and disintegrant concentration on CSFR/DT as well as to compare disintegrant efficiency. The results suggest that the CSFR/DT is more dependent on the disintegrant concentration than on steeping period and relative density. The study further showed that TS 72 is a more reliable disintegrant because its activity would not be influenced by changes in relative density of tablets. This work concludes that the T(N) would be more useful for quantitative assessment while T(C) is more relevant for qualitative assessment.