STUDY OF INDIGENOUS PLANT DERIVED (TAMARIND SEED AND KONJAC GUM) GELLING AGENT AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO GELATIN

Namha Akhter, Sujeet Pal, Syed Dilnawaz Hasan, Syed Mohammad Abdullah*

ABSTRACT

Gelatin is derived from collagen which is a protein in nature found in connective tissue of animal (such as cow, pig, fish etc.). Soft gels or soft capsules are the second most used dosage form for pharmaceutical and nutraceuticals product after tablets. In recent days natural polysaccharides have gained significant attention in gelling film development for their non-toxicity, renewability, and excellent film-forming properties. Tamarind seed gum, natural polysaccharide from seeds of Tamarindus indica, has properties such as high viscosity, biocompatibility and strong mucoadhesive nature. The polysaccharide can also result in smooth, stable films with favorable gelling properties. In addition, konjac gum, which is obtained from the tubers of Amorphophallus konjac, is also a popular hydrophilic polymer for its superior gel forming ability, elasticity, and moisture retention capacity. The combination of tamarind seed gum and konjac gum may have synergistic benefits in improving mechanical strength, flexibility and gelling properties of the prepared films. However, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), a semi-synthetic cellulose derivative, is commonly preferred as a standard film-forming polymer due to its outstanding transparency, uniformity and stability. In the present study, HPMC is regarded as an alternative or comparative polymer against which the performances of natural gum-based gelling films were measured. Therefore, substituting expensive semi-synthetic cellulose by the combination of polysaccharides derived from indigenous plant such as tamarind seed gum and konjac gum could be proven a cost-cutting and sustainable alternative while producing desired film characteristics against gelatin and HPMC.

Keywords: Tamarind seed gum, Konjac gum, Gelling agents, Polysaccharides and Biodegradable polymers.