BonuTab, a completely formulated tableting system, improved the flow of green tea extract and produced directly compressed tablets with a breaking force greater than 300 N, according to a case study from BIOGRUND.
Herbal supplement tablets are hard to compress: the extracts are often fibrous, fluffy, or hygroscopic, many lack binding properties, and some common excipients are preferably avoided when the product is to be labeled natural or clean label. The case study blends green tea extract with the BonuTab premix at 67 percent to 33 percent and compresses it directly. It reports 530 mg tablets with a breaking force greater than 300 N, friability below 0.5 percent, and disintegration under 15 minutes.
The challenge
- Poor flow: Herbal powders are often fibrous, fluffy, or hygroscopic, causing poor flow into the tablet dies and inconsistent tablet weights.
- No binding function: Many herbal extracts lack inherent binding properties.
- Wet granulation often unsuitable: It could improve flow, but many herbal constituents are moisture sensitive, risking microbial growth or degradation, and it may not suit every extract.
- Restricted excipient choice: In certain countries, some cellulosic excipients are not approved for certain product categories, especially those labeled as health functional foods, which include herbal formulations.
- Low potency, high dose: Herbal actives are often low potency and need high doses, so excipients must process efficiently at a low extract to excipient ratio to keep tablets swallowable.
Strategic response
- Use a completely formulated tableting system, developed from BIOGRUND’s expertise and knowledge of synergistic excipient combination.
- Compress directly, which removes the wet granulation step.
- Customize the premix to the dosage and properties of the extract, and to the end product parameters required.
- Modify the formulation where taste masking, color uniformity, lower tablet weight, or stability are needed, including clean label or naturally formulated versions.
The solution
BonuTab is a completely formulated tableting system from BIOGRUND, developed from its expertise in synergistic excipient combination and designed for direct compression, avoiding the need for wet granulation. BIOGRUND states that it can be customized to the dosage and properties of the herbal extract, and to end product parameter requirements, to achieve a reliable and reproducible formulation.
Results
The case study reports improved flow of green tea extract once it is blended with BonuTab, presented as an angle of repose comparison between the extract alone and the green tea mix. The mix was compressed into uncoated tablets on a RoTab T laboratory rotary press.
| Formulation and tableting parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Green tea extract | 67 percent |
| BonuTab | 33 percent |
| Machine type | RoTab T laboratory rotary press |
| Punch | 11 mm convex |
| Production speed | 60 tablets per minute |
| Main compression force | 18.5 kN |
| Tablet property | Value |
|---|---|
| Tablet mass | 530 mg |
| Tablet height | 5.2 mm |
| Breaking force | greater than 300 N |
| Friability | less than 0.5 percent |
| Disintegration time | less than 15 minutes |
Key takeaways
- BonuTab is a completely formulated tableting system BIOGRUND designed for direct compression of herbal actives.
- A blend of 67 percent green tea extract and 33 percent BonuTab gave 530 mg tablets with a breaking force greater than 300 N and friability below 0.5 percent.
- BIOGRUND states that taste masking, core color, lower tablet weight, and stability are addressed by modifying the formulation, which can also be clean label or naturally formulated.
- According to BIOGRUND, the system helps cut down development time and can deliver batch to batch consistency.
See the full case study on BonuTab® Premix for Direct Compression of Herbal Actives here:
BonuTab® Premix for Direct Compression of Herbal Actives
(click the picture to download the document)
Source: BIOGRUND, case study BonuTab® Premix for Direct Compression of Herbal Actives.
Sources
- BIOGRUND, BonuTab® Premix for Direct Compression of Herbal Actives, case study, 2025.
