Table of Contents
COLORING AGENTS
Colorants or coloring agents are mainly used to improve the distinctive appearance of pharmaceutical dosages form, which are helps in the identification during manufacturing and increase the patient acceptance towards the pharmaceutical dosages form.
In pediatric and geriatrics coloring agents play a major role and attract the consumer by providing the aesthetic appearance to dosages form.
Classification of Coloring Agents
- On the basis their origin it is divided into two parts-
- Synthetic-Tartrazine, Azorubine, brilliant blue, erythrosine.
- Natural- Animal-carmine, tyrian purple. Plants-Annatto, caramel, lycopene Mineral- malachite , cinnabar, aragonite.
- On the basis of their solubility it is divided into two categories-
- Colorant dyes (soluble in the medium) -Indigo carmine, brilliant blue, caramel.
- Pigments (insoluble in the medium) – Cadmium pigment, chromium pigment, cobalt pigment.
Advantages of Coloring Agents
- They provide grace and better eye-appealing character to the product.
- Different colors of the medicines can also help the doctor in identifying the drugs given to the patient during previous treatment.
- For the effective treatment of poisoning in the early stage, colors play an important role in the fast recognition of the medicine.
Disadvantages of Coloring Agents
- The coloring property was not much elegant.
- The stability of coloring agents can vary. Some may break down over time or under certain conditions, potentially affecting the drug itself.
Uses/Applications of coloring agents
- Coloring agent provide the suitable color to formulation and helps in the identification.
- Increase the consumer acceptance.
- To Give Warning.
- To product Standard Preparation.