MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE: A BIOPOLYMER WITH DIVERSIFORM APPLICATIONS

Abstract

With characteristics, such as white color, tasteless, odorless, neutral, non-reactive, non-toxic, stable, biocompatible, and biodegradable, along with excellent compaction properties, high mechanical strength, and low density, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) stands out as a top excipient for direct compression tablets. As the demand for renewable, eco-friendly, and non-fossil materials becomes increasingly imperative, this most abundant biopolymer on Earth is sought not only in the pharmaceutical industry, but also in the cosmetics, food, construction, and wastewater treatment sectors. This review paper highlights the importance of this substance by describing its various applications across the mentioned industrial sectors, with a focus on direct compression tablets as the most commonly used oral dosage form. Results from numerous experiments have demonstrated the benefits of MCC as a component in a variety of products, including direct compression tablets, coated spheres, topical preparations, ice cream, cocoa, fried beef patties, sausages, cement, foamed concrete, and adsorbents for heavy metals in wastewater treatment.