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DRUG CLASS AND MECHANISM: Ibuprofen belongs to a class of drugs called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Other members of this class include naproxen (Aleve), indomethacin (Indocin), nabumetone (Relafen) and several others. These drugs are used for the management of mild to moderate pain, fever, and inflammation. Prostaglandins are chemicals that are made by the body and are responsible for causing pain, fever and inflammation. Ibuprofen blocks the enzyme that makes prostaglandins (cyclooxygenase), resulting in lower levels of prostaglandins. As a consequence, inflammation, pain and fever are reduced. The FDA approved ibuprofen in 1974.

The ingredients in a product that are specifically designed to achieve the product performance objectives.

For example, an antacids active ingredient is calcium carbonate. Antacids may also contain: corn starch, talc, artificial colors etc...that do not help with acid reduction.

Emulsifier

Mixed glycerol of acetic acid and fatty acids of food fats. Contains mono- and diesters of fatty acids with glycerol which is itself partially acetylated; may also contain free glycerol and free fatty acids.



Source: apps3.fao.org

A thick, jellylike substance obtained from SEAWEED. Alginic acid is used as a stabilizer and thickener in a wide variety of commercially processed foods such as ice creams, puddings, flavored milk drinks, pie fillings, soups and syrups.

alginic acid or one of its esters or salts, esp. the gelatinous solution obtained as a by-product in the extraction of iodine from seaweed, used in mucilages and for thickening jellies.





source: allrecipes.com

Carnauba wax is the coating on the surface of the leaf, i.e., cuticle. Leaves of this fan palm are removed individually from the tree, cut and shredded, and then dried, so that wax flakes off. A pound of carnauba wax is obtained from about 20 leaves. This powder is melted, strained, and then molded into blocks, to be shipped to manufacturing countries.



There are a thousand and one uses for carnauba wax, but you are most likely to hear about it as the principal ingredient in fine car polishes, even applied as a spray at the car wash. Carnauba is also important for the best furniture polishes, as for hardwood floors, but can be found as coating on dental floss, disposible cups and plates, even lipstick.

Croscarmellose sodium is a cross linked polymer of carboxymethyl cellulose sodium. Cross linking makes it an insoluble, hydrophilic, highly absorbent material, resulting in excellent swelling properties and its unique fibrous nature gives it excellent water wicking capabilities. Croscarmellose sodium provides superior drug dissolution and disintegration characteristics, thus improving bioavailability of formulations.



APPLICATIONS :

Croscarmellose sodium is used in oral pharmaceutical formulations as a disintegrant for Capsules, Tablets and Granules.

or iron, iron sulfate, Used in the food industry as a carrier for iron.



Iron in the body works with proteins that release energy in metabolism such as hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood stream. Also involved in the making of ammino acids, hormones, and neurotransmitters.

Iron can be found in meats, poultry, and fish and many fortified foods. Fruits, vegetables and juices also provide some iron.

Iron deficiency symptoms include; anemia, inability to concentrate, weakness, fatigue, pallor, being out of breath after small exertion, cold hands and feet. Some people may develop a smooth round tongue, and have difficulty swallowing.



Symptoms of overload include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, shock and even death.



***Parents should be warned that iron supplements and multivitamins containing iron are the second most common cause of poisoning in young children in the U.S. (Aspirin is the first) The lethal dose of ferrous sulfate for a 2-year-old is only 3g.***



Source: Harvard Medical School - Health Publications Group, Vitamins and Minerals

Lecithin: Used to stabilize emulsions;

Lecithin is present in all living cells and is a significant constituent of nerve and brain cells.



Commercial lecithin, most of which comes from soya bean oil, which may be Genetically Modified, contains a mixture of phosphoglycerides containing principally lecithin, cephalin and phosphatidyl inositol. Other sources are egg yolk, from where it was originally obtained, and leguminous seeds, including peanuts and maize, which also may be Genetically Modified. Vegetarians should be aware that it can also be obtained from animal fat.

The parabens are esters of para-hydroxibenzoic acid. The two most common esters are methyl and propyl parabens, which are approved for food use in the United States under the GRAS classification. The maximum concentration allowed is 0.1 %. They are most active against yeasts and molds.



Parabens are white powders with faint odor and fair solubility in water at room temperature. The solubility is greatly increased by heating the water to 160°F-180°F. Methyl paraben is more soluble in water but less effective against molds than propyl paraben. To balance these differences, mixtures of 2 to 3 parts of methyl paraben with 1 part propyl paraben are normally used.



Important advantages of parabens are their effectiveness at higher pH values, from 3 up to 8, and stability to high and low temperatures, even to steam sterilization. Despite these properties, parabens are not as widely used as other antimicrobial agents, probably due to higher cost and flavor objections. Applications include bakery products (formulated without yeast), beverages, flavor extracts, food colors, fruit products, jams, jellies, preserves (artificially sweetened), gelatin, marinated and smoked fish, pickles, salad dressings, syrups, wine and olives.



If preservatives are used in a food, they must be declared in the list of ingredients, along with a short explanation of intended use, such as "preservative", "mold inhibitor", "to retard spoilage".

As the name implies, Microcrystalline Cellulose is cellulose derived from high quality wood pulp. It is a naturally occurring substance that is proven stable, safe and physiologically inert

Pharmaceutical glaze is an alcohol based solution of various types of food grade shellac.[1] When used in food and confections, it is also known as confectioner's glaze, resinous glaze, pure food glaze and natural glaze.[2][3] It is also known colloquially in the manufacturing world as beetle juice due to shellac's derivation from the lac insect Kerria lacca (which is not a beetle, but a scale insect).



Pharmaceutical glaze may contain denatured alcoholic solution of 20-51% shellac[1], waxes and titanium dioxide as an opacifying agent.



Pharmaceutical glaze is used by the drug and nutritional supplement industry as a coating material for tablets and capsules. It serves to improve the product's appearance, extend shelf life and protect it from moisture, as well as provide a solid finishing film for pre-print coatings. It also serves to mask unpleasant odors and aid in the swallowing of the tablet.



The shellac coating is insoluble in stomach acid and may make the tablet difficult for the body to break down or assimilate. For this reason it can also be used as an ingredient in time-released, sustained or delayed action pills. The product is listed on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's inactive ingredient list and has been accepted as safe. It is generally regarded as an acceptable ingredient to a pharmaceutical-grade tablet, and is used in quality manufactured products in a Good Manufacturing Practice environment.



A competitive non-animal-based product is zein, a corn protein

Silicon Dioxide is primarily used to prevent caking. Add less than 2% by weight. considered safe



A mineral that keeps salt and seasoning blends from clotting, clumping or foaming

Sodium Benzoate

Used as a food preservative or antiseptic, sodium benzoate is a white crystalline powder chemically known as C7H5O2Na or E211. Although it is classified by the Federal Drug Administration as safe, sodium benzoate is a controversial additive. Sodium benzoate was previously used for centuries as a preservative to prevent the growth of microbial organisms in the food. In presence of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) such as in jams, sodium benzoate can form the chemical benzene. Benzene is known to damage DNA, genetic material, which can lead to leukemia and other cancers. Since sodium benzoate works best in acidic environments, the consumption of sodium benzoate is a rising issue.

"Sodium Benzoate Food Preservative - Research Paper - Misselleanor." Free Term Papers, Research Papers, Essays, Book Reports | OPPapers.com. Web. 16 May 2011. .

"Food Additives ~ CSPI’s Food Safety." Center for Science in the Public Interest. Web. 16 May 2011. .

Starch, the major component of flour, potatoes, and corn, is used in many foods as a thickening agent. However, starch does not dissolve in cold water. Chemists have solved this problem by reacting starch with various chemicals to create MODIFIED STARCHES

Sucrose, ordinary table sugar, is probably the single most abundant pure organic chemical in the world and the one most widely known to nonchemists. Whether from sugar cane (20% by weight) or sugar beets (15% by weight), and whether raw or refined, common sugar is still sucrose.

Sucrose is a disaccharide that yields 1 equiv of glucose and 1 equiv of fructose on acidic hydrolysis. This 1:1 mixture of glucose and fructose is often referred to as invert sugar, since the sign of optical rotation changes (inverts) during the hydrolysis from sucrose to a glucose fructose mixture.

We get our energy from the nutrients in food. The main sources of energy are carbohydrates (starches and sugars), fats and proteins. The body can be compared to an engine that converts the energy in food into the energy we need to live. Sugars and starches are forms of carbohydrate. Nutritionists recommend that about half of our energy should be supplied by carbohydrates. The majority of this should be from starchy foods like cereals, rice, potatoes, pasta or bread, with the remainder coming from sugars. During digestion (the process by which we break down food substances ready for absorption and use by the body) complex starchy foods are broken down into sugars.

White in colour, Titanium dioxide is extracted from the naturally occurring mineral Ilmenite, (named after the Ilmen Mountains in Russia), an iron-black, heavy, metallic oxide mineral, composed of iron and titanium oxide.



Thought not to be easily absorbed, although detectable amounts can be found in the blood, brain and glands with the highest concentrations being in the lymph nodes and lungs, it is excreted from the body with urine.



Can be found in tablets and capsules, cottage and Mozzarella cheeses, horseradish cream and sauces, lemon curd, toothpaste, and white paint, also in sweets where it is often used to provide a barrier between different colours. Used to increase opacity in some sauces.



Banned in Germany.

No adverse effects are known.

Pollutes waterways.

This inexpensive detergent is commonly used in cosmetic cleansers, hair shampoos, bath and shower gels, bubble baths, etc. - It is probably the most dangerous ingredient used in skin and hair-care products. In the cleaning industry SLS is used in garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers, car-wash soaps, etc. It is very corrosive and readily attacks greasy surfaces.



Sodium lauryl sulfate is used throughout the world for clinical testing as a primary skin irritant. Laboratories use it to irritate skin on test animals and humans so that they may then test healing agents to see how effective they are on the irritated skin.



A recent study at the University of Georgia Medical College, indicated that SLS penetrated Into the eyes as well as brain, heart, liver, etc., and showed long-term retention in the tissues. The study also indicated that SLS penetrated young children's eyes from developing properly and caused cataracts to develop In adults.

Stearic Acid from vegetable fats is used helps bind and thicken lotions and creams, is also useful in making harder soap and candles. Usage at 5% is enough for most applications

Propyl paraben is a preservative that is derived from PABA and is extensively used in cosmetics, and helps to prevent the formation of yeast and mould in products.

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is a water-soluble polymer made from the monomer N-vinylpyrrolidone,



The monomer is extremely toxic to aquatic life. However, the polymer PVP was used as a blood plasma expander for trauma victims after the first half of the 20th century.[clarification needed]



It is used as a binder in many pharmaceutical tablets; it simply passes through the body when taken orally. However, autopsies have found that crospovidone does contribute to pulmonary vascular injury in substance abusers who have injected pharmaceutical tablets intended for oral consumption.[1] The long-term effects of crospovidone within the lung are unknown. PVP added to Iodine forms a complex called (Povidone-iodine[2]) that possesses disinfectant properties. This complex is used in various products like solutions, ointment, pessaries, liquid soaps and surgical scrubs. It is known for instance under the trade name Betadine.



PVP binds to polar molecules exceptionally well, owing to its polarity. This has led to its application in coatings for photo-quality ink-jet papers and transparencies, as well as in inks for inkjet printers.



PVP is also used in personal care products, such as shampoos and toothpastes, in paints, and adhesives that must be moistened, such as old-style postage stamps and envelopes. It has also been used in contact lens solutions and in steel-quenching solutions. PVP is the basis of the early formulas for hair sprays and hair gels, and still continues to be a component of some.



As a food additive, PVP is a stabilizer and has E number E1201. PVPP is E1202. It is also used in the wine industry as a fining agent for white wine. Other references state that as polyvinyl pyrrolidone and its derivatives are fully from mineral synthetic[3] origin. Therefore, its use in the production should not be a problem for vegans.



In molecular biology, PVP can be used as a blocking agent during Southern blot analysis as a component of Denhardt's buffer. It is also exceptionally good at adsorbing polyphenols during DNA purification. Polyphenols are common in many plant tissues and can deactivate proteins if not removed and therefore inhibit many downstream reactions like PCR.



PVP is also used in many technical applications:



as adhesive in glue stick and hot melts

as special additive for batteries, ceramics, fiberglass, inks, inkjet paper and in the chemical-mechanical planarization process

as emulsifier and disintegrant for solution polymerization

as photoresist for cathode ray tubes (CRT)

use in aqueous metal quenching

for production of membranes, such as dialysis and water purification filters

as binder and complexation agent in agro applications such as crop protection, seed treatment and coating

as a thickening agent in tooth whitening gels[4]

as an aid for increasing the solubility of drugs in liquid and semi-liquid dosage forms (syrups, soft gelatine capsules) and as an inhibitor of recrystallisation

as an additive to Doro's RNA extraction buffer

Simethicone is an oral anti-foaming agent used to reduce bloating, discomfort and pain caused by excess gas in the stomach or intestinal tract. It is a mixture of polydimethylsiloxane and silica gel.



Simethicone is an anti-foaming agent that decreases the surface tension of gas bubbles, causing them to combine into larger bubbles in the stomach that can be passed more easily by burping. Simethicone does not reduce the quantity of gas in the digestive tract, it only increases the rate at which it exits the body, but does not prevent gas formation in the intestine[1]. However, simethicone can relieve pain caused by gas in the intestines by decreasing foaming which then allows for passing of flatus. Simethicone is not absorbed by the body into the bloodstream, and is therefore considered relatively safe, with sources reporting the worst side effects as bloating, constipation, diarrhea, gas and heartburn. Simethicone solutions of differing concentration also have industrial applications for reducing foaming in certain chemical processes.

Inactive ingredients are also called excipients -- these are ingredients that are found in the dosage form being consumed that are not considered active ingredients