Sucrose Pellets are pharmaceutical excipient-based spherical multiparticulate pellets primarily composed of sucrose and used as starter cores for pharmaceutical pellet formulations. Sucrose is a well-established pharmaceutical excipient with the chemical formula C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁, CAS 57-50-1, and molecular weight 342.30 g/mol.
Sucrose-based starter pellets, also known as sugar spheres, sugar pellets or non-pareil pellets, provide a spherical substrate for subsequent layering and coating processes. Pharmaceutical literature identifies sucrose as one of the established materials used for neutral or inert pellet cores.
Commercial pharmaceutical sugar spheres are available in controlled particle-size fractions and are designed to provide a consistent surface for subsequent coating or layering. Sucrose pellets can therefore be used in multiparticulate formulations, capsule filling, tablet-based multiparticulate systems and further coating processes.
The composition of pharmaceutical sugar spheres can vary. Some pharmacopeial sugar-sphere systems contain sucrose together with starch, while 100% sucrose starter pellets are also commercially available. Therefore, the exact sucrose content of an SDP product should be stated only when supported by the applicable product specification.
Sucrose Pellets can be considered for:
Pharmaceutical literature identifies sugar spheres as established inert starter cores and notes that particle size, shape, surface characteristics, density, moisture and friability are important quality attributes for subsequent layering and coating.
Sucrose Pellets are generally designed as spherical, free-flowing starter cores. Particle-size selection is important because it influences coating uniformity, surface area and downstream processing.
Commercial pharmaceutical sugar spheres are available in multiple size grades. For example, commercial 100% sucrose starter pellets are offered in approximately 355–500 µm, 500–710 µm and 710–850 µm ranges. These are commercial size options and should not automatically be treated as SDP's available sizes.
Sucrose is freely soluble in water, which is an important characteristic when sucrose pellets are used as starter cores for subsequent formulation processing.
Sucrose Pellets can be supplied for pharmaceutical formulation development and bulk manufacturing requirements. Sucrose composition, particle size, moisture, density, friability, packaging configuration and other finished-product parameters should be confirmed against the applicable SDP product specification and COA.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | white to off-white crystalline powder |
| Identification | IR & HPLC compliant |
| Assay (HPLC) | 98.0% – 102.0% |