Drying Process of HPMC-Based Hard Capsules: Visual Experiment and Mathematical Modeling

Using plant-based polysaccharide gels to produce hard capsules is a novel application of this technology in the medicinal field, which has garnered significant attention. However, the current manufacturing technology, particularly the drying process, limits its industrialization. The work herein employed an advanced measuring technique and a modified mathematical model to get more insight into the drying process of the capsule. Low field magnetic resonance imaging (LF-MRI) technique is adopted to reveal the distribution of moisture content in the capsule during drying. Furthermore, a modified mathematical model is developed by considering the dynamic variation of the effective moisture diffusivity (D_eff) according to Fick’s second law, which enables accurate prediction of the moisture content of the capsule with a prediction accuracy of ±15%. The predicted D_eff ranges from 3 × 10⁻¹⁰ to 7 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²·s⁻¹, which has an irregular variation with a time extension. Moreover, as temperature increases or relative humidity decreases, there is an increased acceleration of moisture diffusion. The work provides a fundamental understanding of the drying process of the plant-based polysaccharide gel, which is crucial for enhancing the industrial preparation of the HPMC-based hard capsules.