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 kg f ) and low disintegration times (