Developing a solid oral dosage form with antioxidant properties from plantain peel

Background: Plantain is used extensively for food in Nigeria due to its numerous nutritional values, which has resulted in the outer peel becoming a significant source of waste, contributing to environmental pollution. This study aimed at converting plantain peel into an oral anti-oxidant solid dosage form. Methods: First, we subjected the aqueous plantain peel extract (APPE) and the ethanolic plantain peel extract (EPPE) to phytochemical screening to test for the presence of bioactive compounds of interest. After which, we evaluated the DPPH scavenging radical activity to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of the extracts. Ethanolic extract came out stronger, hence it was considered for further studies. Using three different binders, plantain peel extract (PPE) was dispersed in a binary mixture of microcrystalline cellulose and aerosil as carrier and coating agent respectively. Results: Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) returned no major interaction between the excipients used and the PPE. Flow properties exhibited by all batches were found to be near excellent concerning indices such as angle of repose, bulk and tapped densities, car's index, and Hausner values. Low yield pressure value was recorded for batch containing tragacanth gum as binder based on Heckel investigation, while the absolute walker coefficient value for the formulations was in the order PVP>tragacanth>gelatin. As compressional pressure increases, values for tensile strength increase and percentage friability decreases for batches containing tragacanth as binder, while a dominating linear segment was as well noticeable for the plot of specific crushing strength against compressional pressure. Tablet weight uniformity, diameter thickness, and disintegration test across all batches met compendial specifications. While no clear pattern was observed for the plot of the disintegration efficiency ratio, the batch containing PVP did show the least value. In conclusion, tragacanth as a gum demonstrated superior binding ability in developing an oral tablet from the ethanolic extract of plantain peel.