Vol. 5, Issue 12 (2016)

Mucin powders was extracted from the African giant snails and the intestines of cow and pigs by the wet rendering process and differential precipitation with chilled acetone. The precipitates were air-dried and pulverized into powder. The powders were subjected to different organoleptic and physicochemical evaluations including solubility profiles, pH, moisture content and particle size. Their powder flow properties such as bulk and tapped densities, true density, angle of repose, flow rate, Hausner’s ratio and Carr’s compressibility index were also evaluated.

The mucin powders showed comparable organoleptic properties, solubility profiles, melting points and pH. The powders were positive to tests for carbohydrates and proteins with traces of fixed oil. Microscopic examination of their particles reveals particle size and size distribution from 60 - 88 µm. There were slight variations in the bulk properties of the powders which exhibited good to fair flowability with the following parameters; Hausner’s ratio (1.11 - 1.30), Carr’s index (9.99 - 18.44%), angles of repose (38.26 - 40.02°) and flow rate (2.68 - 3.25 g/sec). Their moisture content ranged from 10 - 16%.

Results of the study has shown that the snail, bovine and porcine mucin powders are comparable in quality and thus may be considered equivalent when being used as an adjuvant in mucoadhesive drug delivery systems.