Question

Enteric coating is done with the following material

• A. Sodium starch glycolate
• B. Cellulose acetate phthalate
• C. Starch
• D. PEG-400

Hint:

Enteric coatings are usually made from materials like cellulose acetate phthalate that are stable in acidic conditions but dissolve in the intestines.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

An enteric coat needs to resist stomach acid and dissolve in the intestine, so we can check which option has that property.

1. Sodium starch glycolate: A disintegrant, not a coating material.
2. Cellulose acetate phthalate: Correct - it resists gastric acid and dissolves at intestinal pH, making it a classic enteric coating polymer.
3. Starch: A binder/disintegrant, no pH-dependent solubility.
4. PEG-400: A plasticizer/solvent, not a coating polymer with acid resistance.

So the correct answer is Cellulose acetate phthalate.

Answer 2

Another way to approach this is to first sort each option into its usual excipient category in tablet formulation, since enteric coating agents form their own distinct category separate from binders, disintegrants, and plasticizers.

1. Sodium starch glycolate: Falls under the disintegrant category of excipients, used to help tablets break apart, unrelated to coating polymers.
2. Starch: Falls under the binder/diluent/disintegrant category depending on use, again not a coating polymer.
3. PEG-400: Falls under the plasticizer/solvent category, often used alongside coating polymers to make the coat flexible, but is not itself the coating agent.
4. Cellulose acetate phthalate: This is the one option that actually falls under the dedicated enteric coating polymer category, the group specifically designed for pH-triggered release.

Sorting by excipient function isolates the same material.

Hence, the correct answer is Cellulose acetate phthalate.