A review on the polymers for vegetarian soft gel capsule films

Soft capsules are a single piece, unit dosage forms containing hermetically sealed soft gelatin shell encapsulating a fill material which is mainly a solution, suspension or semisolid. Soft gel capsules are effective in the delivery of low dose drugs and easily degradable drugs due to the presence of a protective gelatin shell. However the use of gelatin as the shell material has certain demerits like it leads to the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, Mad Cow disease) and is not preferred by people belonging to certain religious groups or those who have dietary restrictions. In this context, this review article details the various polymers obtained from vegetarian sources that can act as alternatives for the gelatin and succeed in dealing with the disadvantages of gelatin.