CHEWABLE TABLET FORMULATION DEVELOPMENT
Balancing Mouthfeel and Manufacturability in Chewable Tablet Development
How four rapid prototype-and-tasting cycles solved tablet capping without sacrificing a premium chewing experience.
This representative technical development story combines lessons from related Vici Health Sciences projects. Certain client, ingredient, formulation, and timeline details have been modified, generalized, combined, or omitted to protect confidentiality.
Executive Summary
A consumer health company needed a premium chewable tablet that could move into production. Early prototypes capped during compression. Increasing microcrystalline cellulose improved compactability, but it also made the tablet taste slightly chalky and created a subtle sensation of chewing on paper.
Vici Health Sciences addressed the problem through four rapid development cycles, generally completed one to two weeks apart. Before each cycle, the formulation development team shared the proposed formula with the client. Vici then prepared and shipped selected prototypes so the client could taste them and provide rapid feedback before the next experiment.
This iterative process reduced miscommunication, accelerated decision-making, and produced a client-approved formulation that advanced into production.
Project Snapshot
Client Profile
Confidential consumer health company
Dosage Form
Premium chewable tablet
Primary Challenges
Capping, chalky mouthfeel, tooth sticking, tooling compatibility, and shipping durability
Development Model
Four rapid prototype-and-feedback cycles, generally one to two weeks apart
Vici's Scope
Formulation optimization, sensory development, tablet geometry, strength optimization, and packaged-product evaluation
Outcome
Client-approved formulation that advanced into production
The Development Challenge
A successful chewable tablet must do more than run well on a tablet press. It must also taste and feel pleasant in the mouth, resist sticking to the teeth, survive shipping, and remain compatible with practical commercial manufacturing equipment to achieve target COGs.
The client’s initial formulation experienced tablet capping, in which the top or bottom portion separates from the main tablet body during compression, ejection, or handling.
Adding more microcrystalline cellulose, or MCC, improved compression. However, the higher MCC level made the tablet taste slightly chalky and gave it a subtle feeling of chewing on paper. Vici therefore needed to correct the manufacturing problem without sacrificing the premium chewing experience.
A Rapid, Iterative Development Process
The formulation development team divided the project into four focused cycles rather than completing a long laboratory program before requesting client input. During each cycle, Vici prepared a small number of targeted prototypes, evaluated their compression and physical properties, and shipped the most informative options to the client for tasting.
01
Review
Each proposed formulation was shared with the client, and alignment was confirmed before preparing prototypes.
02
Prototype
A small number of targeted prototypes were prepared and evaluated for compression and physical properties.
03
Taste
The most informative options were shipped to the client for tasting and sensory feedback.
04
Adjust
Feedback on mouthfeel, sweetness, tooth sticking, and overall acceptability guided the next cycle.
Midway through the project, the team expanded the formulation options beyond the ingredients identified in the client’s original request. Because the client had not identified dextrose-based excipients as materials to avoid, Vici proposed adding one to the experimental plan. Before preparing the next prototypes, the team shared the revised formulation with the client and confirmed alignment. The client then tasted each iteration and provided feedback on mouthfeel, sweetness, tooth sticking, and overall acceptability. This review-prototype-taste-adjust cycle reduced the potential for miscommunication and allowed both teams to make decisions quickly.
With only one to two weeks between iterations, the client saw tangible progress throughout the program rather than waiting for a single final formulation.
Vici's Formulation Development Approach
Vici ran a quick two-factor Design of Experiments, or DOE, with MCC and a directly compressible dextrose-based excipient as the primary variables. The study allowed the team to evaluate how changes in both ingredients affected compactability and the chewing experience.
The selected combination maintained the compression performance needed for production while minimizing the chalky, paper-like sensation associated with higher MCC levels. It also reduced the tablet’s tendency to cling to the teeth.
The formulation development team optimized tablet geometry at the same time. Vici selected the largest practical tablet size that remained compatible with standard B tooling, a widely used tooling format that allowed for cheaper, quicker manufacturing without requiring specialized tooling.
Vici also balanced tablet hardness against chewability. The tablet needed enough strength to withstand processing, packaging, normal handling, and shipping, but not become unpleasantly hard to bite, creating a harsh fracture or ‘snapping’ experience in the mouth.
The formulation development team evaluated packaged units through practical internal drop and shipping exercises, including shipment between Vici and the client. The evaluated tablets remained intact without observed chipping or breakage.
For taste, the team balanced flavor, sweetness, acidity, and bitterness suppression rather than simply increasing the amount of flavor.
Key Technical Decisions
Tablet Capping
Ran a two-factor DOE using MCC and a directly compressible dextrose-based excipient.
Why it mattered: Improved compression while considering sensory performance at the same time.
Chalky, Paper-Like Mouthfeel
Minimized MCC while maintaining sufficient compactability.
Why it mattered: Preserved manufacturability without sacrificing the chewing experience.
Tooth Sticking
Refined the excipient balance using feedback from client-tasted prototypes.
Why it mattered: Addressed an issue that standard physical tablet tests may not reveal.
Tablet Geometry
Maximized practical tablet size while staying within standard B tooling.
Why it mattered: Supported the ingredient load while enabling cheaper, quicker manufacturing (compared to D tooling).
Hardness & Durability
Balanced bite comfort against the strength needed for handling and shipping.
Why it mattered: Reduced the risk of tablets being too hard to chew or too fragile to distribute.
Development Speed
Shared each proposed formulation before producing and shipping prototypes.
Why it mattered: Reduced miscommunication and kept each experiment aligned with client expectations.
Outcome
The final formulation compressed successfully without excessive reliance on MCC. It delivered better mouthfeel, reduced tooth sticking, remained compatible with standard B tooling, and achieved the strength needed for handling and shipping. By reviewing the formulation before each experiment and tasting prototypes after each cycle, the client and Vici stayed aligned as the formulation evolved.
The client approved the formulation, and the product advanced into production.
Key Takeaways
- Manufacturability and sensory performance must be developed together.
- A focused DOE can evaluate formulation tradeoffs faster than changing ingredients one at a time.
- Sharing formulations before each experiment reduces avoidable misunderstandings.
- Rapid prototype-and-tasting cycles turn subjective feedback into targeted formulation decisions.
- Tooling and distribution requirements should influence development before scale-up begins.
Facing a Similar Formulation Challenge?
Talk to an expert about your chewable tablet or oral solid dose program.
Vici Health Sciences | Technical Development Story