Taste masking analysis in pharmaceutical formulation development using an electronic tongue

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Technology
• Sensory Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Taste masking is crucial for improving patient compliance with bitter medications.
• Traditional methods for taste evaluation can be subjective and time-consuming.
• Objective and efficient methods are needed for assessing taste profiles in drug development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of a multichannel taste sensor system (e-Tongue) for taste masking and taste intensity comparison.
• To assess the e-Tongue's ability to detect bitterness inhibition by sweeteners and excipients.
• To compare the bitterness intensity of various bitter drug substances using the e-Tongue.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a multichannel taste sensor system (e-Tongue) with cross-selective sensors for five basic tastes.
• Evaluated taste-masking efficiency using quinine (bitter model) and acesulfame K (sweetener).
• Compared bitterness intensity of drug substances like prednisolone, quinine, and caffeine based on e-Tongue output (group distance).

Main Results:

• The e-Tongue successfully detected bitterness inhibition by increasing concentrations of acesulfame K.
• Various taste-masking excipients (e.g., sodium acetate, NaCl) demonstrated bitterness inhibition detectable by the e-Tongue.
• The e-Tongue ranked the relative bitterness intensity of drug substances, aligning with expected sensory perceptions (e.g., prednisolone and quinine are more bitter than caffeine).

Conclusions:

• The multichannel taste sensor (e-Tongue) is a feasible tool for evaluating taste-masking efficiency in solution formulations.
• The e-Tongue can aid in optimizing sweetener levels and selecting appropriate taste-masking excipients.
• This technology facilitates the comparison of bitterness intensity for formulations and drug substances during pharmaceutical product development.