Evaluation studies on glass containers

1. Hydrolytic resistance test

i. Glass Grains test – used to distinguish Type I glass from Type II and Type III glass

ii. Surface Glass Test – used to distinguish Type I and Type II glass containers from Type III glass container. It is based on hydrolytic resistance of the inner surfaces of glass containers.

iii. Surface Etching Test/Comparison of Glass Grains Test and Surface Glass Test data – this is to determine whether high hydrolytic resistance of Type I or Type II glass containers are due to inner surface treatment or due to the chemical composition of the glass containers

1. Light/spectral transmission for coloured glass containers

2. Arsenic release – used to detect the presence of arsenic in aqueous parenteral preparations

Factors that influence the choice of a glass container

There are various factors that influence selection process of glass containers as primary packages. These factors include:

· Limit of alkalinity and hydrolytic resistance of the glass container

· Thermal expansion properties of the glass container (freeze-drying)

· Sensitivity of the glass container to barium or calcium ions

GBPI offers Laboratory Glass Package Tester for Ampoule, injection bottle, infusion bottle, oral medicine bottle. Thickness testing, Burst, testing, Pressure Resistance testing, and Thermal Testing for Medical/Pharma Packages. 20+ Years Test Experience.

Bottle Wall Thickness Gauge

Cap Torque Tester

Glass Container Thermal Shock Resistance and Thermal shock instrument

Glass Bottle Internal Pressure Resistance Tester

121℃- Test Device for Hydrolytic resistance of glass grains at 121 °C

Digital Display Polarized Stess Gauge, Electron Vertical Axis Deviation Tester

Advantages glass containers

· Glass containers are mainly used in packaging liquid preparations due to  their  rigidity and their  superior  protective  qualities

· Its high transparency allows easy inspection of its contents.

· It offers better protection because it is relatively impermeable to air and moisture.

· It is chemically resistance to most  medicinal  products.

· Coloured glass (amber glass and red coloured glass) can protect its content from ultraviolet rays and certain wavelengths.

· Glass containers can be easily sterilized using heat.

Disadvantages glass containers

· Glass containers are expensive to manufacture

· They are fragile and relatively heavy

· During heat sterilization, some types of glass containers have the tendency of shedding some part of the silica into the formulation.