How to Make Softgels

Drugs, vitamins and supplements have always been available as powders, liquids or pills. New manufacturing capabilities make softgels available for the packaging of many products. The delivery system of the softgels aid in the faster introduction of the products into the bloodstream of a consumer, thus shortening the time required to benefit from their effectiveness. Softgel packaging consists of a soft gelatin capsule that dissolves in water, acids and alkali environments. The production of softgels involves a number of process steps which include capsule formation, filling and drying.

Things You'll Need

• Granular gelatin
• Glycerine
• Water
• Coloring agents
• Gelatin melter
• High torque mixer
• Heated tanks
• Clean room
• Encapsulation machine
• Homogenous fill mixture
• Drying drums

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Instructions

• 1

  Place granular gelatin, glycerine and water into a gelatin mixer. The gelatin that forms the outer shell of softgel forms in the mixer. Add any other ingredients to the mixer before generating the gelatin. Other ingredients may include coloring agents or sweeteners. A number of substances used as ingredients in the mixture serve as plasticizers but do not affect the drug.

• 2

  Close the gelatin mixer and lower into a heated jacket that will heat the mixture as it combines. A high-torque mixer stirs the mixture while the environment of the mixer is under vacuum.

• 3

  Mix for approximately three hours to produce a molten liquid mass. Once the liquid gelatin mass is ready for encapsulation, transfer the contents of the mixer into heated tanks.

• 4

  Move the heated tanks into a clean room with the encapsulation machine. Keep the gelatin mixture warm during the entire process of making the softgels to keep it from solidifying.

• 5

  Place the homogeneous mixture that will fill the softgels in the hopper of the encapsulation machine. The homogeneity of mixture will determine the uniformity of the dosage in each softgel.

• 6

  Turn on the encapsulation machine. The encapsulation machine forms two sheets of gelatin to form the outer shell of the softgel. As the sheets of gelatin are brought together, measured doses of the homogeneous mixture are injected into each softgel. Chilled drums in the machine seal the softgels and cut them from the sheets of gelatin.

• 7

  Transfer the softgels to drying drums to remove excess water and dry the outer layer of the softgels. A reduction in water content occurs to bring the content to approximately 20 percent. The softgels are then packaged and stored at between 20 and 24 degrees Centigrade and 35-percent humidity.