Chewable gel tablets with natural extracts: Technology and texture parameters

Introduction. Chewable gel tablets are pharmaceutical dosage forms containing sugar, water, and gelling agents. The main problem with these gel tablets is that they contain a high concentration of sugar, which has a negative effect on the human body. A healthier alternative to sugar can be honey [1]. Honey contains vitamins that increase the body's resistance to various infections, minerals, and enzymes. In addition to its trace elements, honey imparts a pleasant odor, taste, and color to gel tablets. In this way, honey can enhance the product's nutritional and sensory properties [2]. Over the past several years, there has been an increased interest in products that are as natural as possible and low in sugar, enriched with medicinal plant extracts, fruit-based components and probiotics [3]. In addition to honey, gel tablets can also be supplemented with plant extracts to enhance their beneficial effects. The use of Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L.) extract for gel tablets is an excellent choice. In a similar way to honey, Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L.) has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune-boosting properties. Chewable gel tablets that contain this plant extract are an excellent opportunity to create a healthpromoting pharmaceutical product [4]. Therefore, we decided to study the properties of chewable gel tablets that contain honey and Purple coneflower extract. Materials and methods. The main ingredients used in the production of chewable gel tablets were gelatin (Carl Roth GmbH + Co. KG, Karlsruhe, Germany), distilled water (LUHS laboratory, Kaunas, Lithuania), glycerol (99+% vegetable origin; Chem-Lab, Zedelgem, Belgium), honey (from Brolių medus, Lithuania), echinacea purpurea extract („Vonjpoletja―, Kojsko, Slovenia), citric acid (Carl Roth GmbH + Co. KG, Karlsruhe, Germany). Chewable gel tablets base was made from gelatin, water and glycerol. The amount of base was melted and honey was added. After all of this, Purple coneflower extract and a citric acid solution (2%) as a preservative were included. Gel tablets were prepared by using silicones forms. After preparation of chewable gel tablets, texture properties such as hardness and stickiness were evaluated by texture analyzer TA.XT.plus. Measuring were repeated 3 times and an average with a standard deviation is presented. Graphical representation of all research is on Fig. 1. Main results. Chewable gel tablets‘ hardness was 545.1±17.22 g and stickiness was 43.54±33.73 g. During our latest studies, we produced gel tablets containing only honey as the active ingredient. In comparison with our previous studies, gel tablets containing Echinacea purpurea L. extract are less hard than gel tablets without this extract. The hardness of gel tablets with Purple coneflower extract was 2.45 times lower after production than the hardness of gel tablets without the extract (p<0,05). Conclusions. The inclusion of Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L.) in the composition of gel tablets reduces hardness. A subsequent study will evaluate the effect of other extracts on physical properties and the effect of storage conditions.