Compressional characteristics of four starches.

Compression data about barley, corn, potato and wheat starches were obtained by two methods: the ejected tablet method and the tablet-in-die-method. These data were analysed using the Heckel and the Cooper-Eaton equations. The Heckel equation appeared to be the more sensitive in distinguishing the various stages during the compression. Die filling and rearrangement processes for the starches were especially dependent on particle size and shape and thus on contact area between particles. Densification of large starch particles (potato starch) owed more to die filling and less to rearrangement. Densification of small particles (corn starch) was the reverse. Starch having a wide particle size distribution (wheat) or an irregular particle shape (barley) underwent a relatively small amount of densification as a result of die filling and a relatively great amount of densification because of rearrangement of particles during tableting. The tendency of the starches to total and pure plastic deformation was dependent on particle size, size distribution and particle shape. Corn starch was the most prone to plastic flow with only little elastic recovery. Potato starch also flowed plastically with ease. Barley and wheat starches were the more elastic.