ABSTRACT Capsules, as oral drug carriers, can effectively shield against gastric irritation. However, traditional gelatin capsules face the challenge of rising raw material costs. This study used hydroxypropyl starch (HPS) to replace part of the gelatin (Ge) in a predetermined ratio to prepare hard capsules. By using a compound system, the cost of raw materials was reduced while maintaining the necessary mechanical and disintegration properties of the hard capsules. The rheological behavior of compound solutions with different HPS/Ge ratios and the performance of their capsules were compared. Rheological tests showed that as the HPS ratio increased, the viscosity of the composite gel solution decreased, maintaining processing characteristics suitable for molding hard capsules. Mechanical property analysis showed that the tensile strength of HPS 5 /Ge 5 hard capsules reached 28.37 MPa, which was significantly improved by about 38% compared with HPS 10 /Ge 0 , confirming that the composite system of gelatin and HPS effectively formed a network structure. No significant differences were observed between FT‐IR and XRD. All composite hard capsules have a water contact angle greater than 100°, exhibiting a certain degree of hydrophobicity. In simulated gastric fluid, the disintegration time of hard capsules was less than 5 min, which meets the standards of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. This study verified the feasibility of partially replacing gelatin with HPS in the preparation of hard capsules, providing new ideas and experimental evidence for the development of low‐cost, green, and safe hard capsules.
Yuan et al. (Sat,) studied this question.
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