Microcrystalline Cellulose Pellets are pharmaceutical excipient pellets manufactured from microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). MCC is purified, partially depolymerized cellulose and is widely used as a pharmaceutical excipient. It is particularly suitable for pelletization because of its water-retention, plasticity and spheronization properties. The International Pharmacopoeia identifies MCC as CAS 9004-34-6 and describes it as practically insoluble in water and most organic solvents.
Commercial MCC starter pellets are available as highly spherical, controlled-size cores. One established commercial range provides sizes from 100–200 µm through 1000–1400 µm, demonstrating the range of pellet fractions used for coating, layering and multiparticulate formulation development.
Microcrystalline Cellulose Pellets can be used as starter cores for further coating or active-ingredient layering and are suitable for pharmaceutical multiparticulate formulation development. Commercial MCC starter pellets are specifically designed for coating and layering processes.
Microcrystalline Cellulose Pellets can be considered for:
MCC pellets are particularly useful where spherical geometry, controlled particle size and mechanical integrity are required for subsequent coating or layering. Commercial MCC starter pellets are supplied in multiple defined size fractions, including 100–200, 150–300, 200–355, 350–500, 500–710, 700–1000 and 1000–1400 µm.
The exact pellet size, moisture, bulk density and friability should be specified according to the particular SDP grade rather than treating one commercial grade as a universal specification.
Microcrystalline Cellulose Pellets can be supplied for pharmaceutical formulation development and bulk manufacturing requirements. Pellet size, particle-size distribution, moisture, packaging configuration and finished-product specifications should be confirmed against the applicable product specification and COA.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | white to off-white crystalline powder |
| Identification | IR & HPLC compliant |
| Assay (HPLC) | 100.0% |
| Loss on Drying | NMT 7.0% |
| Residue on Ignition | NMT 0.2% |
| pH (1% Solution) | 5.0–7.5 |
| Water Content | NMT 7.0% |