Tablets & Capsules

TC0919

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24 September 2019 Tablets & Capsules I N D U S T R Y a p p l i c a t i o n Cannabis manufacturer upgrades tableting equipment to improve product quality Dixie Brands, Denver, CO, manu- factures and distributes products infused with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Founded in 2009, the company broke into the cannabis industry with its THC-infused soda, the Dixie Elixir. "When we started man- ufacturing the elixir, the only space we had for our business was a small kitchen in Colorado," said Ari Cohen, vice president of operations at Dixie. "Now, we are operating in five US states and expect to double our manufacturing and distribution capabilities this year as well as estab- lish an international presence in Canada and Latin America." The company's offerings now include more than 100 products across 15 different product categories including edibles, tinctures, topicals, extractions, CBD-infused wellness products, and pet dietary supple- ments. While their flagship liquid product remains popular, Dixie's THC- and CBD-based mint tablets are gaining ground in the solid oral dosage product segment. "The tablet is a convenient and familiar dosage form," said Cohen. "Our mints pro- vide a low, consistent dose and can be discreetly stored in a pocket or purse, making them an ideal cannabis product for many consumers." able products, the tablets require 5 to 6 kilograms of compaction pres- sure to both maintain structural integrity and remain soft enough for consumers to chew. The machinery that Dixie had been using to manu- facture the mints could not provide consistent tablet weight or hardness across product batches, resulting in overly soft, poor-quality tablets. "Our primary concerns for our tablets are maintaining homogeneity across the entire batch so that we pass our potency lab testing and maintain- ing the appropriate tablet hardness, both of which have been challenges for us in the past," said Cohen. Luckily, a Dixie technician had previously worked with Rosario Cipolla, the western region senior sales executive at tableting equipment supplier Elizabeth, McKeesport, PA, and suggested that Cohen reach out to him for assistance. "When we first met with Dixie in March 2017 to troubleshoot the tablet manufacturing issues, we noticed right away that they were using an old, non-GMP Stokes B2 model press that was not capable of producing the quality microdose tablets required for these particular formulations," said Cipolla. To meet Dixie's manufacturing needs, he suggested they purchase the Eli- In 2017, Dixie began manufactur- ing two solid oral dosage product lines with its recreational Orange Awakening mints (Photo 1), which contain 5 milligrams of THC, and medicinal Synergy Mixed Berry mints, which contain 5 milligrams of CBD and 5 milligrams of THC, pro- viding both the medicinal effects of the CBD, such as pain relief, with the psychoactive effects of THC. Challenges and solutions Both lines of cannabis mints are considered microdose tablets and pose several manufacturing chal- lenges for the company because of their small size. The Orange Awak- ening and Synergy mints have a tar- g e t w e i g h t o f 0 . 3 5 g r a m , a n d because they are marketed as chew- Photo 1: Dixie's Orange Awakening product requires a consistent tablet weight and hardness for dose uniformity and chewability, which necessitates a tablet press that can provide accurate weight control.

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