**5. Conclusions**

Microcrystalline cellulose is a pure partially depolymerized cellulose synthesized from α-cellulose precursor with hydrolysis by mineral acids, usually in forms of a pulp from a fibrous plant. In the presence of water and acid, hydrolysis process breaks cellulose polymers into smaller chain polymers or microcrystals. Other celluloses, to which more soluble, such as beta and gamma celluloses, hemicelluloses and lignin are dissolved with acid and water, are separated out during washing. MCC is commonly dried from the slurry by spray-drying method. By varying spray-drying conditions, the degree of agglomeration and moisture content can be manipulated, in order to obtain particular particle sizes.

Mostly, a raw material for MMC is a cellulose pulp from fibrous plant such as conifer wood. Another source is from cotton either its linters, stalks, rags, fabric waste, or wool. Another study reported a potential source for MCC such as soybean, corn cob, water hyacinth, coconut shells, oil palm biomass residue, oil palm fronds, rice husk, sugar cane bagasse, jute, ramie, fibers and straw of flax, wheat straw, sorghum stalks, sisal fibers, mangosteen, alfa grass fibers, soybean

hulls, orange mesocarp, Indian bamboo, roselle fiber, and alfa fiber. Seed flosses from milkweed pods, shrubs, and kapok (*Ceiba pentandra*) trees are also known as sources of cellulose.

A different manufacture will produce variability in properties of MCC due to the kinds of pulp used as raw materials and applied process parameters. This can be characterized from the physicochemical properties of product including moisture content, particle size, particle morphology, crystallinity, bulk density, and degree of polymerization.

Microcrystalline cellulose, according to many publications, is an excipient most widely used for direct compression. Besides, it also serves as a strong dry binder, tablet disintegrant, absorbent, filler or diluent, a lubricant, and anti-adherent.
