Method of manufacture of a strength-containing mould, homogenised strength-containing mass and device for the manufacture of a soft capsule

摘要

In the preparation of a starch-containing shaped article by (a) converting a mixture of starch, water and organic plasticizer into a homogeneous thermoplastic melt, by melting and kneading, (b) optionally preparing a storable intermediate product by cooling, then melting this product, (c) preparing at least one strand of the obtained material, (d) shaping into the article and (e) optionally drying, steps (a)-(c) are carried out such that the mass forming the strand in step (d) has a Staudinger index value of at least 40. Preparation of a starch-containing shaped article involves: (a) converting a mixture of starch (preferably at 45-80 wt. %), water and organic plasticizer(s) (I) into a homogeneous thermoplastic melt, by melting and kneading in a first apparatus, (b) optionally preparing a storable intermediate product (especially a granulate) by cooling, then melting this product in a second apparatus; (c) preparing at least one strand of material (preferably an extruded film) at the outlet of the first or second apparatus; (d) shaping the strand into an article in a continuous or intermittent forming process; and (e) optionally drying. The novel feature is that steps (a)-(c) are carried out such that the mass forming the strand in step (d) has a Staudinger index value of at least 40 (especially at least 60). Independent claims are included for: (i) a homogenized mass containing (preferably at least 45 wt. % of) amorphous starch having an amylopectin content of at least 50 wt. % (based on anhydrous starch) and at least 12 wt. % (based on anhydrous starch) of (I), having a Staudinger index value as above; (ii) a shaped article formed by the above process and/or from a mass as in (i); and (iii) apparatus for preparing a soft capsule from a mass as in (i) by the above process, where at least two film sheets are formed into a unitary capsule shell and provided with the capsule contents at a forming and filling station, the sheets being formed by an extruder located at this station and converted directly into the capsule.