Modification and characterization of gellan gum

The authors modified gellan gum using microwave technology and a 3^sup 2^ randomized full-factorial design. The independent variables were the amount of distilled water and the exposure time in the microwave. The depended variables were the swelling ratio in distilled water, HCl buffer (pH 1.2), and phosphate buffer (pH 6.8). Results showed that modified gellan gum exhibits better swelling capacity, flow property, and compressibility than pure gellan gum. No chemical changes were observed, only the physical modification of pure gellan gum. On the basis of the results, the authors conclude that modified gellan gum can be used as an excipient in tablet formulation. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]