Breath strips are made through a process of formulating and casting a thin film that quickly dissolves in the mouth, delivering a refreshing flavor.
Here's a breakdown of the typical process:
Key Ingredients in Breath Strips
The formulation of breath strips usually involves several key ingredients, each serving a specific purpose:
- Strip-forming Polymers: These provide the structural framework for the strip. Common examples include pullulan, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), and other film-forming polymers.
- Plasticizers: These add flexibility and pliability to the film, preventing it from becoming brittle. Examples include glycerol and propylene glycol.
- Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) / Flavoring Agents: In the case of breath strips, the "active" ingredient is primarily the flavoring agent, typically mint or other refreshing flavors. This provides the desired breath-freshening effect.
- Sweetening Agents: These enhance the palatability of the strip. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose, or natural sweeteners like xylitol, are commonly used.
- Saliva Stimulating Agent (Optional): Some formulations include ingredients like citric acid to stimulate saliva production, which aids in the rapid dissolution of the strip.
- Coloring Agents: These provide the strip with its characteristic color.
- Stabilizing and Thickening Agents: These help maintain the uniformity and stability of the formulation.
- Permeation Enhancers (Optional): Although not typically needed for breath strips, these can improve the rate at which the flavoring agents are released.
- Superdisintegrants (Optional): These facilitate the rapid breakdown of the strip in the mouth.
Manufacturing Process
The manufacturing process generally involves these steps:
- Mixing: All the ingredients are carefully weighed and mixed in a specific order to create a homogeneous solution. This step is critical to ensure uniform distribution of all components, especially the flavoring agents.
- De-aeration: Air bubbles are removed from the mixture to prevent imperfections in the final product. This can be done through vacuum or other methods.
- Casting: The mixture is then cast onto a moving web or belt. This can be achieved using various techniques, such as solvent casting or hot-melt extrusion. Solvent casting involves spreading the liquid formulation onto the belt and then evaporating the solvent. Hot-melt extrusion involves melting the ingredients and extruding them onto the belt.
- Drying: The cast film is dried using controlled temperature and humidity to remove any remaining solvent or moisture. This step is crucial for achieving the desired film thickness and mechanical properties.
- Slitting and Cutting: The dried film is then slit into the desired width and cut into individual strips.
- Packaging: Finally, the individual breath strips are packaged in airtight containers to protect them from moisture and maintain their freshness.
Quality Control
Throughout the manufacturing process, rigorous quality control measures are implemented to ensure that the breath strips meet the required standards for thickness, weight, disintegration time, and flavor.
In summary, breath strips are manufactured by carefully formulating a mixture of polymers, plasticizers, flavoring agents, and other additives, casting the mixture into a thin film, drying the film, and then cutting and packaging the strips. The process requires precise control over the ingredients and manufacturing conditions to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the final product.
