The higher price of raw materials and the well-recognized shortcomings of gelatin capsules

such as animal-derived ingredients

lower soft temperature and the instability of moisture in gelatin

have led to attempts to develop replacement substances

such as various vegetable gums

hydroxypropyl methylcellulose cellulose and modified starch.Although there are many patents and publications on the developing various substances for capsules

only a few non-gelatin capsule products have recently entered the market.The reasons for the lower commercial success include the higher price of these new products due to requirements for new processing facilities

and/or more complex processing conditions.This paper discusses the development of capsules made from various natural plant polymers

including both fundamental science such as microstructure

phase transition and rheology

as well as processing techniques and formulations.As one of the most popular food ingredients and has good film-forming behavior

starch has shown great potential.The achievements in this area have increased our knowledge of polymer science

in particular that of natural polymers.Application of extrusion technique in capsule manufacture is a significant achievement.