Co-processing has been identified as a tool for enhancing the functionality of excipients. The aim of this research was to extract starch from sweet potato, modify the starch by coprocessing with colloidal silicon dioxide and characterize. Sweet potato starch was extracted from the fresh tubers of Ipomoea batatas collected from Custom market, Maiduguri. Coprocessing with colloidal silicon dioxide at varying ratios of 95:5 and 90:10 using the co-fusion method was carried out. The co-processed mixture was dehydrated with ethanol (99 %), spread on a tray to air dry, passed through a 50 mm sieve and the drying was completed in an oven at 40 °C for 2 hours. Pharmacopoeial and physicochemical characteristics of the starches were assessed. The results obtained showed a significant improvement in the physicochemical properties (swelling and moisture sorption capacities) of the
co-processed starches when compared with the native sweet potato starch. The modification of sweet potato starch by coprocessing with colloidal silicon dioxide yielded a starch-based excipient that had better physicochemical properties than the native starch. Thus, it has potential for use as a direct compression excipient.
Key words: Excipients, Colloidal silicon dioxide, Coprocessing, Sweet potato starch
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