Efficacy of Yam and Sweet Potato Starch Powder as a Replacement for Synthetic Tablet Binders

Abstract

This study investigates the efficacy of yam and sweet potato starches as alternative, natural binders in paracetamol tablet formulations, compared to synthetic binders. The granules and resulting tablets (Sample A: Yam, Sample B: Potato) were evaluated for key physicochemical properties using standard procedure. Analysis revealed that potato starch granules exhibited superior flow properties (Carr's Index: 11.31%, Hausner's Ratio: 1.06, Angle of Repose: 34.61°) compared to yam starch. Tablets formulated with potato starch (Sample B) demonstrated higher hardness (2.53 Kg/cm²) and lower friability (0.84%). While yam-based tablets disintegrated faster (14.41 min vs. 16.56 min), the potato starch-based tablets showed a significantly faster initial drug release, with 58.2% of the drug released within 5 minutes compared to 43.8% from the yam-based tablets. The results conclude that potato starch is a more effective excipient, producing tablets with excellent flow for manufacturing, good mechanical strength, and a superior dissolution profile that promises a faster onset of therapeutic action, making it a highly suitable natural alternative to synthetic binders for paracetamol tablets.