OPTIMIZATION OF SODIUM BICARBONATE-BASED EFFERVESCENT TABLETS USING NATURAL POLYMERS USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY

The present study aimed to optimize sodium bicarbonate-based effervescent tablets using natural binders through a systematic Design of Experiments (DoE) approach. A Box–Behnken design was employed to evaluate the influence of sodium alginate, sodium bicarbonate, and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) on formulation parameters. Seven initial formulations (F1–F7) were prepared using different natural binders including fenugreek mucilage, fenugreek powder, acacia, tragacanth, sodium alginate, and guar gum. Based on pre-compression evaluation, sodium alginate (F6) demonstrated superior flowability and compressibility. Further DoE-based optimization using 17 formulations revealed that sodium bicarbonate concentration significantly reduced effervescence time, while sodium alginate enhanced tablet hardness and MCC improved flow characteristics. The optimized formulation (0.10 g sodium alginate, 0.20 g sodium bicarbonate, 1.75 g MCC) exhibited rapid effervescence (10–25 s), acceptable pH (2.88–3.92), adequate hardness (5.35 kg/cm²), and excellent flow properties (Carr’s index 22.5%). ANOVA confirmed model significance (R² > 0.93), supporting the efficacy of natural binders as eco-friendly, safe alternatives to synthetic excipients in effervescent tablet formulations.