Containers tablet strips

Storage in the same primary container as will be used on the market, e.g., blister strips for tablets or ovules, tubes for creams, or vials and ampules for injectables. 

The maximum surface temperature that may occur under total incident radiation can be measured by use of a black standard thermometer. Alternatively, a white standard thermometer can be used to predict the surface temperature of a reflecting surface, e.g., white tablets. In our laboratory, we have found the use of a temperature level strip (Thermax, Thermographic Measurements Ltd., South Wirral, U.K.) quite convenient to predict the temperature of the exposed sample. The strip can be placed on the exposed surface (e.g., surface of an infusion bag) or inside a container (e.g., inside a petri dish). A color change indicates that the rating quoted on the indicator has been reached. The maximum temperature reached during the exposure is thereby registered with good accuracy ( 1%). 

Ascorbic acid is reasonably stable in a dry state with a shelf life of about 1-3 yr (23). However, it rapidly oxidizes in solution. A 1% solution may remain at approx 80% potency after 10 d. A 0.02% solution will degrade to 0% within 3 d. Ascorbic acid is also currently available in tablet form for dechlorination applications. Release of ascorbic acid-containing waters under some conditions may reduce the pH of the receiving streams. Use of vitamin C is reported to have other potential benefits as it is an essential vitamin for healthy fish (23). Also, it can easily strip manganese oxide stains from reservoir surfaces and thereby promote better disinfection (once the vitamin C is exhausted). Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is NSF certified, allowing it to be used in drinking water treatment to remove or reduce chlorine levels. 

Ketostix is a modification of the nitroprusside test in which a reagent strip is used instead of a tablet. The Ketostix test gives a positive reaction within 15 seconds with a specimen containing at least 50 mg of acetoacetate per L. The accompanying color chart gives readings for ketone concentrations of 50,150, 400, 800, and 1600 mg/L. Acetone also reacts, but the test is less sensitive to it. 

A strip pack using an aluminium foil/low density polyethylene laminate was used for a tablet containing volatile oil constituents. Delamination between foil and film subsequently occurred as the volatile constituents passed through the polyethylene and softened the adhesive bond. It was not known that the bond was an adhesive at the time, and subsequently an extrusion-coated laminate provided a satisfactory answer. 

A blister pack or strip is a container with a foil that is shaped so that it can contain separate dosages [26]. An aluminium lidding foil closes the form foil. Blisters are mostly used to package tablets or capsules. For blister packs a form foil of PVC or laminate of PVC/PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride) is used. The form foil is warmed in a blister machine and a mold station makes round or capsule-Uke pockets with compressed air. PVC is permeable to water vapour and therefore not suitable for tablets or capsules that are moisture sensitive. To package such products the PVC form foil should include an outside layer of PVDC. PVDC permeates less water vapour. Dependent on product sensitivity to moisture, different PVDC-thicknesses can be chosen. When complete resistance to water vapour is necessary a form foil that consists of a formable aluminium laminate (consisting of polyamide, soft aluminium and PVC) has to be used. 

Opening a package in the right way may require explanation (e.g. eye drop bottles, suppository strips, orally disintegrating tablets). Sometimes a user may prefer a specific container, for instance a jar instead of a tube for ointments. 

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