The Strength of Microgranulation

The microgranulation technique combines the active ingredient of the product with the carrier in one granule, ensuring a final product with an optimal particle size distribution and a very uniform presence of the active ingredient in the different particle sizes. To demonstrate the advantages of microgranulation over classical mixing of active compounds with carriers, sieving tests were performed which highlighted the benefit of the microgranulated products Coxiril® and Coxidin® in comparison to non-granulated generic diclazuril and monensin products.

The products were passed through sieves with different mesh sizes. The technique is used to evaluate particle size distribution and allows the percentage of a certain particle size range to be expressed in comparison to the total product. An optimal spread of particle size is crucial to prevent feed segregation. Furthermore, the dust fraction should be kept low to guarantee safe handling of the product in the feed mill and safe use of the product on farm.

Figure 1. Sieve test results for Coxiril® 0.2% microgranulate

Figure 2. Sieve test results for Coxidin® microgranulate 200

The sieving test confirmed the optimal particle size spread of the Coxiril® and Coxidin® products (Figures 1 and 2). For the generic products, an unequal distribution was found. The generic diclazuril showed high dust fractions (<100 µm; Figure 3), while the generic monensin product showed a high fraction of large particle sizes (>800 µm; Figure 4).

Figure 3. Sieve test results for generic diclazuril 0.5% product

Figure 4. Sieve test results for generic monensin product

Within each particle size fraction, the content of the active ingredient (diclazuril or monensin) was determined. For the granulated Coxiril® and Coxidin® products, an equal distribution of diclazuril and monensin, respectively, was measured in the different particle size fractions due to the microgranulation method used during product manufacture. This contrasted with the generic products where an inconsistent spread of the active compounds was measured. Uniform distribution of the active compound(s) within the product guarantees precise dosing and delivery of the product to the animals resulting in better product performance.

The sieving tests confirmed the quality of the Huvepharma microgranulated products and demonstrated once again the importance of microgranulation to guarantee safety, uniform mixing and precise dosing of the active ingredients.