Direct compressible dextrose improves tablet quality.

Tate & Lyle has launched Meritab, a direct compressible dextrose. Meritab is designed for use in confectionery products, including candy tablets, mints and energy tablets. It can also find use in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications, such as vitamin-enriched tablets.

Meritab brings significant functional benefits to the tabletting industry. Tablets are generally produced using either traditional wet granulation or direct compression techniques. Wet granulation is a multi-stage process that's cost- intensive, time-consuming and requires a large investment in capital equipment. Meritab compressible dextrose enables tablet manufacturers to avoid using wet granulation processes and instead use a simplified production process.

Meritab enables manufacturers to produce tablets that have a smooth surface and less chance for breakage. It has excellent flow properties, ensuring regular machine feeding and little variation in tablet weight. Compared to standard tabletting ingredients, Meritab requires less machine pressure to yield similar tablet hardness. This reduces press downtime and increases equipment longevity, helping to further optimize the manufacturing process.

Tate & Lyle researchers applied in-house tabletting technology to evaluate Meritab powder functionality against other tablet ingredients. Their findings showed that Meritab provided harder and more consistent tablets in comparison to other ingredients used for direct compression.

Suitable for use in chewable and hard confectionery products, Meritab compressible dextrose has improved mixing properties that allow easy and uniform blending with colors, flavors or other ingredients. Meritab has a clean and cooling taste and can help to mask bitter notes of other ingredients.

Tate & Lyle also recently introduced two improved sieved dextrose grades, Meritose 220 (medium) and Meritose 300 (coarse). These have been launched in response to demand for coarser grades of dextrose with less fines. Sieved dextrose is being increasingly preferred, as it is easier to handle and performs better in many applications. Sieved dextrose does not tend to lump and has reduced dusting, better dispersion and less demixing.

Meritose is used as a sweetening agent or in food applications requiring fermentable sugars, such as bakery mixes and meat seasoning blends. Applications include confectionery, fondants, spices and seasoning, tabletting, bakery mixes, sports drinks and baby foods.

Further information. Ruben Vermeersch, Tate & Lyle PLC, 10 Burchtstraat, Aalst 9300, Belgium; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; email: [e-mail].