Toothpaste

Benefits from the Unique Rheology and Stability Provided by Viscarin^® TP Binders

Benefits of Viscarin® TP binders

·         Produce rheological properties ranging from a firm gel to soft paste

·         Long term stability over a wide temperature range

·         Viscarin® products are stable in the presence of cellulase enzymes

·         Smooth, non-stringy toothpastes

·         Improve toothpaste manufacturing process efficiency

·         Formulation flexibility for cost effectiveness

·         Excellent sheen and clarity to Silica systems

·         Boasts foam and flavor release

·         Highly compatible with other toothpaste ingredients

Viscarin® TP Product Range

FMC BioPolymer manufactures several grades of Viscarin® TP binders for toothpaste applications.  The choice of Viscarin® binder will depend on the formulation and the desired textural properties.  Please contact an FMC BioPolymer representative or an appointed distributor for assistance with grade selection.  The following table summarizes the properties of two products that provide good starting points for most toothpaste applications.

Processing

a. Typical Process

1. Disperse Viscarin® binder into glycerin with high speed stirring for 5 minutes.

2. Add sorbitol and stir for 5 minutes.

3. Add water (hot or ambient) and continue stirring for 15 more minutes.

4. Dry blend Sodium Saccharin, Sodium Benzoate and Sodium monofluoro phosphate

   and other salts.

    Disperse into the Viscarin® dispersion and stir for 10 minutes.

5. Transfer the gel (elixir) to Ross® mixer.

6. Add the abrasive.  Mix for 15 minutes under vacuum (at least 720 mm Hg).

7. Add flavor. Mix for 10 minutes under full vacuum.

8. Add Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and mix for 15 minutes under 15 minutes.

9. Test the toothpaste batch for typical characteristics e.g. taste, consistency and pack.

b.  Additional processing tips

1. The procedure above is applicable to both hot and ambient temperature processes.

2. In hot process the de ionized water is heated to 65 – 70 deg C and added as in step 3. Alternately, if the Sorbitol level is high as in case of Silica systems, it is heated to 65 – 70 deg C. 

3. Depending on the type of equipment used the timings for mixing at each stage need to be optimized.

4. It is important to follow the order of addition to get the full benefit from Viscarin® products.

5. Viscarin® can be dispersed directly in Sorbitol if Glycerine is not being used in the      formulation.

6. Avoid Viscarin® loss due to dusting during addition into polyols.

Typical Formulations

Three typical toothpaste formulations are

·         Chalk Toothpaste

·         Silica Toothpaste

·         DiCalcium Toothpaste

Toothpaste formulations are generally characterized by the abrasive base of the formulation. The abrasive base has influence on the pH, Specific gravity and selection of some minor ingredients used in the formulation.

MULTIPLE FORMULATIONS / BINDERS ARE SUGGESTED IN APPLICATION BULLETIN

To suit various cost structures, availability of raw materials, local preferences etc. multiple formulations are recommended.

To allow for variations in quality of different raw materials in different parts of the globe, particularly, Sorbitol, Chalk, Flavour types etc. two Viscarin® binders are recommended.

Viscarin® TP 329 is more robust to deal with raw material variations. Hence, it is suggested to first evaluate this product in customer formulations. Once Viscarin® TP 329 works well in formulations, further optimization can be achieved with Viscarin® TP 399.

In Silica formulations variations in raw material quality are not so prominent due to inert nature of Silica abrasive. Here formula variations are suggested to get Transparent, Translucent or Opaque products.

In DiCalcium Phosphate based toothpaste, Glycerin containing formulations are always better for humectancy, micro control, flavour delivery etc. compared to Sorbitol.

1. Chalk toothpastes

Of the three prominent abrasives used in toothpaste (Chalk, Dicalcium phosphate and Silica), Chalk has the advantage of being the least expensive. Following table gives some typical Chalk formulations with variations in humectant system and the binder used.

Formulations

2.  Silica toothpastes

Silica based toothpastes are also referred to as Gel Toothpastes. Silica toothpaste is characterized by it’s low specific gravity, generally high humectants and low abrasive content.  Due to the inert nature of silica, these formulations are considered ideal, particularly for toothpastes with active ingredients.  Silica toothpastes can be formulated to be highly transparent, translucent, or opaque.  Transparency can be accomplished by matching the refractive indices of liquid and solid phases.  Some typical formulations are:

3.       Dicalcium phosphate toothpastes

Dibasic DiCalcium phosphate, dihydrate (DCP) is the abrasive of choice in many countries. It is widely used because of its desirable aesthetic and flavour release characteristics. It is very important to select the proper grade of DCP for optimum stability.  If the DCP is not specifically stabilized for toothpaste application, it may result in hydrolysis to give hydroxyapatite and phosphoric acid. This causes hardening and destabilization of the toothpaste system.