TOOTHPATE MANUFACTURING PROCESS
Modern toothpaste was invented to aid in the removal
foreign particles and food substances, as well as cleans the
teeth. When originally marketed to consumers, toothpaste
was packaged in jars. Chalk was commonly used as the
abrasive in the early part of the twentieth century.
Raw Materials
Toothpaste contains the following ingredients:
Binders, abrasives, sudsers, humectants, flavors (unique
additives), sweeteners, fluorides, tooth whiteners, a
preservative, and water.
Binders thicken toothpastes. They prevent separation of the
solid and liquid components, especially during storage. They
also affect the speed and volume of foam production, the
rate of flavor release and product dispersal, and the
rinsibility from the toothbrush. Some binders are karaya
gum, bentonite, sodium alginate, methylcellulose, carrageen
an, and magnesium aluminum silicate.
Abrasives scrub the outside of the teeth to get rid of plaque
and loosen particles on teeth. Abrasives also contribute to
the degree of opacity of the paste or gel. Abrasives may
affect the paste's consistency, cost, and taste.
The most commonly used abrasives are hydrated silica
(softened silica), calcium carbonate (also known as chalk),
and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). Each abrasive also
has slightly different cleaning properties, and a combination
of them might be used in the final product.
Sudsers, also known as foaming agents, are surfactants.
They lower the surface tension of water so that bubbles are
formed. Multiple bubbles together make foam. Sudsers help
in removing particles from teeth. Sudsers are usually a
combination of an organic alcohol or a fatty acid with an
alkali metal. Common sudsers are sodium lauryl sulfate,
sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate,
sulfolaurate, sodium lauryl sarcosinate, sodium stearyl
fumarate, and sodium stearyl lactate.
Humectants retain water to maintain the paste in
toothpaste. Humectants keep the solid and liquid phases of
toothpaste together. They also can add a coolness and/or
sweetness to the toothpaste; this makes toothpaste feel
pleasant in the mouth when used. Most toothpastes use
sorbitol or glycerin as humectants. Propylene glycol can also
be used as a humecant.
Toothpastes have flavors to make them more palatable. Mint
is the most common flavor used because it imparts a feeling
of freshness. This feeling of freshness is the result of long
term conditioning by the toothpaste industry. There may be
a basis for this in fact; mint flavors contain oils that volatize
in the mouth's warm environment. This volatizing action
imparts a cooling sensation in the mouth. The most common
toothpaste flavors are spearmint, peppermint, wintergreen,
and cinnamon. Some of the more exotic toothpaste flavors
include bourbon, rye, anise, clove, caraway, coriander,
eucalyptus, nutmeg, and thyme.
In addition to flavors, toothpastes contain sweeteners to
make it pleasant to the palate because of humecants. The
most commonly used humectants (sorbitol and glycerin)
have a sweetness level about 60% of table sugar. They
require an artificial flavor to make the toothpaste palatable.
Saccharin is the most common sweetener used, though
some toothpaste contains ammoniated diglyzzherizins
and/or aspartame.
Fluorides reduce decay by increasing the strength of teeth.
Sodium fluoride is the most commonly used fluoride. Sodium
perborate is used as a tooth whitening ingredient. Most
toothpaste contains the preservative p-hydrozybenzoate.
Water is also used for dilution purposes.
The Manufacturing Process
Weighing and mixing
• 1. After transporting the raw materials into the factory,
the ingredients are both manually and mechanically
weighed. This ensures accuracy in the ingredients'
proportions. Then the ingredients are mixed together.
Usually, the glycerin-water mixture is done first.
• 2. All the ingredients are mixed together in the mixing
vat. The temperature and humidity of vat are watched
closely. This is important to ensuring that the mix
comes together correctly. A commonly used vat in the
toothpaste industry mixes a batch that is the equivalent
of 10,000 four-ounce (118 ml) tubes.
Filling the tubes
• 3. Before tubes are filled with toothpaste, the tube itself
passes under a blower and a vacuum to ensure
cleanliness. Dust and particles are blown out in this
step. The tube is capped, and the opposite end is
opened so the filling machine can load the paste.
• 4. After the ingredients are mixed together, the tubes
are filled by the filling machine. To make sure the tube
is aligned correctly, an optical device rotates the tube.
Then the tube is filled by a descending pump. After it is
filled, the end is sealed (or crimped) closed. The tube
also gets a code stamped on it indicating where and
when it was manufactured.
Packaging and shipment
• 5. After tubes are filled, they are inserted into open
paperboard boxes. Some companies do this by hand.
• 6. The boxes are cased and shipped to warehouses and
stores.
Quality Control
Each batch of ingredients is tested for quality as it is brought
into the factory. The testing lab also checks samples of final
product.
Prepared by,
Amruta.A