6. What is Granulation?

● Granulation is a process of aggregating powdered raw materials into uniform particles through physical or chemical action. It aims to improve material fluidity, prevent component segregation, increase dissolution rate or adapt to subsequent tableting/packaging processes. It is a core link in the production of solid beverages, compressed candies, medicines, etc.

Granulation method classification and characteristics

Wet granulation

Principle: Add binder (water/ethanol/hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, etc.) to the powder, stir and shear to form wet granules, and then dry and screen

Applicable: Granules that require high mechanical strength (such as tablet candy base)

Advantages: Uniform and dense granules, improve ingredient mixing; Disadvantages: High energy consumption, easy inactivation of heat-sensitive ingredients
Dry granulation

Principle: Use high-pressure roller pressing to make the powder dense into flakes, and then crush the whole granules without adding liquid

Applicable: Ingredients that are sensitive to moisture (such as vitamin C, probiotic powder)

Advantages: Avoid heat damage, simple process; Disadvantages: Low granule hardness, high fine powder rate
Fluidized bed granulation

Principle: Spraying adhesive in air suspension to make powder aggregate into porous particles layer by layer

Applicable: instant solid beverages, Chinese medicine granules

Advantages: loose and soluble particles, coating is completed simultaneously; Disadvantages: large equipment investment

Applicable scenarios

● Ingredient characteristics: thermosensitivity, hygroscopicity, solubility

● Product requirements: particle strength, dissolution rate, appearance

● Production scale: continuous production is suitable for fluidized bed/spray granulation, small batch trial production mostly uses wet/dry method

Risun is equipped with a full range of wet/dry/fluidized bed granulation equipment, and can customize the process plan according to the characteristics of the raw materials to ensure that the particle repose angle is ≤30° and the bulk density deviation is ≤5%, helping to improve product quality and production efficiency!