Microcrystalline Cellulose Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019

Microcrystalline Cellulose Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019

Microcrystalline cellulose is refined and partially de-polymerized wood pulp and is commonly found in the form of a white, freely flowing powder. Microcrystalline cellulose is inert in nature and chemically non-reactive with body fluids. It does not degrade during digestion and has a low absorption quotient. Microcrystalline cellulose is majorly used in foodstuffs to impart dietary bulk and can also be used as a natural laxative. It is prepared by treating alpha-cellulose and is obtained in the form of pulp from fibrous plant material. Microcrystalline cellulose finds major applications in the pharmaceutical industry in the form of an excipient. Good compressibility properties exhibited by the substance make it the ideal solution for use in tablets and capsules. Moreover, this substance can be used to manufacture hard tablets that dissolve quickly to release the drug components into the human body. Microcrystalline cellulose performs the same functions as cellulose and at the same time has been approved by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) as a safe substance. Microcrystalline cellulose is majorly used in the form of an excipient and has therefore found a variety of applications in the medical and healthcare sector. Pharmaceuticals have been the largest end-user segment for microcrystalline cellulose in the past few years. The growing medical and healthcare segment and increased revenues from rising demand for pharmaceuticals have been the most important driving factors for this market in the past. Regulatory associations such as the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention have deemed this substance a safe excipient and this has further helped to boost the market for microcrystalline cellulose globally. Microcrystalline is also used as a bulking agent, disintegrant, binder, lubricant, and glidant besides being a stability enhancer and a secondary...