Rebuilding the Past: How We Replicated a Sugar-Coated Tablet
When a Formula Gets Lost — But Demand Remains
Sometimes innovation means building something new. Other times, it means resurrecting something nearly forgotten. This was the challenge presented to our R&D team when a client approached us with a request: replicate two legacy sugar-coated tablets — without formulas, tooling specs, or manufacturing documentation.
The tablets were no longer being produced anywhere in the region. Sugar coating, once common in pharmaceuticals, has been almost entirely replaced by film coatings and modern polymers. We were stepping into a niche, highly manual, and underdocumented process — with no map.
This is the story of how we made it happen.
Sometimes innovation means building something new. Other times, it means resurrecting something nearly forgotten. This was the challenge presented to our R&D team when a client approached us with a request: replicate two legacy sugar-coated tablets — without formulas, tooling specs, or manufacturing documentation.
The tablets were no longer being produced anywhere in the region. Sugar coating, once common in pharmaceuticals, has been almost entirely replaced by film coatings and modern polymers. We were stepping into a niche, highly manual, and underdocumented process — with no map.
This is the story of how we made it happen.
Task: "You need to replicate this"
So we need to replicate these tablets
The Challenge: No Data, No Specs, No Industry Standard
Sugar coating, once widespread, is now so rare that few factories even have the equipment or staff to handle it. It’s considered a “lost art” — a separate universe from modern high-speed coating lines.
The project began with a nearly blank page:
- No original excipient composition
- No known tablet press force
- No confirmed diameter or thickness
- No sugar-coating formula
- No press tooling size — we debated between 8mm, 9mm, and 10mm
Step One: Reverse-Engineering the Core Tablets
Our first step was to develop new placebo cores that matched the original tablets in weight, texture, and press profile. Without press force records or excipient specs, this meant:
Our first step was to develop new placebo cores that matched the original tablets in weight, texture, and press profile. Without press force records or excipient specs, this meant:
- Experimental batches using multiple filler/binder systems
- Dozens of press tests using different compression forces
- Testing both flat and biconvex profiles
- Measuring friability, hardness, and disintegration to ensure base quality
Starting point, we know the shape and ammount of coating
Finding a Sugar-Coating Partner Took Over 6 Months
Sugar coating isn't something you outsource casually. It's:
- Labor-intensive
- Multi-step (seal coat, subcoat, smoothing, color, polish)
- Highly dependent on humidity, skill, and batch control
It took over six months to find a partner factory still performing traditional sugar coating — with teams skilled in:
- Layer-by-layer application
- Color matching using legacy pigments
- Hand-finished polishing
R&D Visit and Coating Round One: Failure to Match Color
We visited the selected facility to supervise coating trials and align our development targets. The first trial was technically successful (smooth coating, proper adherence), but the color was off.
The tablets looked too dull and brownish, missing the client's memory of the bright sugar gloss.
The tablets looked too dull and brownish, missing the client's memory of the bright sugar gloss.
This led to:
- Colorant system reformulation
- New pigment trials
- Surface finish adjustments
- First trials of green coating
- Placebo vs original tablet
- First trial of brown coating, to shiny
R&D Round Two: Success Through Persistence
In the second round, we:
- Re-optimized the placebo tablet hardness and surface finish
- Adjusted the layering steps and drying curves
- Finalized a new color coating system
- Matching color and gloss
- Proper taste masking
- Reproducible coating quality
- End result of color of brown coating
- Brown sugar-coating tablet cut in half
- Green colour coating , final color
Final Result: A Technology Recovered
The sugar-coated tablets are now back in production — delivering:
This project wasn’t just technical — it was cultural. Sugar coating isn’t scalable or trendy, but for some products, it’s the only way to meet consumer expectations.
Real R&D isn’t always about what's next — sometimes it’s about bringing the past forward with precision.
At BF‑EssE, we don’t shy away from lost formulas, dead processes, or legacy systems. We rebuild them.
- Product consistency
- Client satisfaction
- A niche differentiator that few brands can replicate
This project wasn’t just technical — it was cultural. Sugar coating isn’t scalable or trendy, but for some products, it’s the only way to meet consumer expectations.
Real R&D isn’t always about what's next — sometimes it’s about bringing the past forward with precision.
At BF‑EssE, we don’t shy away from lost formulas, dead processes, or legacy systems. We rebuild them.
Partner with BF‑Esse for high-quality capsules, sachets, or liquid drops.
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