DOI: 10.58920/sciphar0504697 ISSN: 2830-7259

Co-Processed Corn Starch (Zea mays L.) as a Novel Pharmaceutical Excipient: Development and Physicochemical Characterization

Lili Bawan, Muh. Taufiqurrahman, Andrian Fernandes, Nurillahi Leswana, Risny Oklyan, Maria Butar-Butar
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Corn starch (Zea mays L.) is widely used as a pharmaceutical excipient because of its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-toxicity. However, its application is limited by poor flow properties, low water solubility, and a tendency toward retrogradation, which may reduce its effectiveness in solid dosage formulations. Although pregelatinization has been used to improve starch functionality, studies on the combined application of pregelatinization and co-processing with sodium starch glycolate (SSG) remain limited. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and characterize co-processed pregelatinized corn starch as a novel pharmaceutical excipient. Pregelatinized corn starch (PCS) was prepared and co-processed with SSG at ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 (g/g). The resulting powders were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and particle size analysis (PSA). Powder properties, including flow rate, angle of repose, moisture content, and bulk density, were also evaluated. The co-processed formulations exhibited diffraction peaks at approximately 23°, indicating structural modification. DSC analysis showed enhanced thermal stability, with transition temperatures ranging from 63.78 °C to 96.50 °C. FTIR confirmed physical interactions without the formation of new chemical bonds. The flow rate increased from 0.472 g/s in native corn starch to 3.852 g/s in F3, while the angle of repose decreased from 37.38° to 24.1° in F1. Overall, co-processing improved the physicochemical and functional properties of corn starch, demonstrating its potential as a multifunctional pharmaceutical excipient for solid dosage forms.

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