Pharmaceutical | Pharmaceutical syrups

Syrup preparation

For many pharmaceutical oral solutions, the main ingredients are purified water and sugars. Pharmaceutical manufacturers generally produce their own syrups as this offers greater control of product quality.

One of the first stages in the manufacturing process is the preparation of standardized sugar syrup in a concentrated form, typically at a target concentration of 60 – 75 °Brix. The temperature of the mixing tank is elevated to around 45 °C to reduce the dissolving time. Once the target sugar concentration has been reached, the syrup is sent to the holding tanks.

From the holding tanks, the sugar syrup is blended with the pharmaceutical active ingredients, stabilizers, flavors and colors. Since the end product must be smooth and agglomerate free, the blend is filtered before being transferred to the filling lines.

An integrated, fully-automated concentration measurement ensures the constant °Brix value of the sugar syrup, which is crucial to ensure the quality of the end product. Anton Paar offers continuous measurement of the concentration of sugar solutions up to 100 % and up to 120 °C with the highest accuracy and reliability. During mixing and blending air is introduced into the sugar solution and the arising bubbles can negatively influence the measurement of the syrup concentration. Because a refractive index measurement is unaffected by the presence of bubbles, an inline refractometer is perfectly suited to measure the intermediate or the final product.