Scale-up and optimization of an evaporative drying process applied to aqueous dispersions of solid lipid nanoparticles

Emilio Marengo, Roberta Cavalli, Giorgio Rovero, Maria Rosa Gasco

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

An apparatus to dry aqueous dispersions of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) was designed. Optimal running conditions were evaluated to obtain minimum process time and produce dried SLNs characterized by small size variation. To achieve process optimization, SLN average diameter, SLNs polydispersity index, and drying time were related to three operative variables: process temperature, SLN concentration in the original aqueous dispersions, and nitrogen flow rate as the physical means of the drying process. An experimental design procedure and a multicriteria optimization method, targeting desirability functions, enabled us to obtain the optimal conditions for all responses. Drying time, average diameter, and polydispersity index of dried SLN batches were more favorable than those obtained by freeze-drying identical SLN aqueous dispersions with the same initial nanoparticle concentration.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)299-309
Number of pages11
JournalPharmaceutical Development and Technology
Volume8
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2003

Keywords

  • Evaporative drying
  • Evaporative-drying intensification
  • Scale-up
  • Solid lipid nanoparticle dispersion

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