Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceutical (and nutraceutical) products that are ingested, or applied topically to the body, e.g. to the skin, can be assessed for quality, efficacy and customer acceptance through texture analysis.

Medications to be chewed, crushed, broken apart or dissolved are required to break down easily to aid delivery/ingestion or dosage. These tablets, pills and capsule products must also be resilient enough to withstand transport, handling and packaging processes without breakage. The impact of formulation changes to facilitate the desired oral administration characteristics may be evaluated by repeatable testing and analysis methods. Providing preferable sensory qualities is a major benefit in products of this nature, as consumers often have an aversion to taking medication.

Lotions, ointments, creams and powders, which involve skin contact have many similarities to cosmetics, in terms of functional application - flow, spreadability, rate of absorption and ease of delivery. The texture affects finger feel, with smoothness and degree of oiliness influencing customer preference.