Development of suspending agent from sodium carboxymethyl mungbean starches

Three sodium carboxymethyl mungbean starches (SCMMSs) were selected, based on the physicochemical profiles and evaluated as potential pharmaceutical suspending agent in comparison with a sodium carboxymethyl tapioca starch and other five commercial suspending agents. Ibuprofen suspension was employed as a model formulation with 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% w/v of suspending agents. Evaluation parameters included the determination of sedimentation volume ratio, redispersibility, viscosity and rheological properties and content uniformity studies. The results revealed that a high-viscosity modified mungbean starch, MMS-M-04, possessed suitable properties as a suspending agent and, at 1% concentration, was as effective as sodium carboxymethylcellulose and xanthan gum, two most-commonly used suspending agents. This modified starch could be further developed and employed as a new commercial suspending agent in the pharmaceutical industry.