Sensory characterization of bowel cleansing solutions

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology and Nutrition Science
• Sensory Science and Food Technology

Background:

• Bowel cleansing preparations are crucial for endoscopic procedures.
• Patient compliance is often hindered by the unpleasant sensory characteristics of these preparations.
• Optimizing the sensory profile can significantly improve adherence and procedural success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To objectively evaluate and compare the sensory characteristics of four leading commercial bowel cleansing preparations.
• To assess the acceptability and identify specific sensory attributes influencing patient preference.
• To provide insights for manufacturers to improve the palatability and compliance of these solutions.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive sensory analysis (n=14) using a 15-cm line scale and Compusense at-hand software.
• Acceptability testing (n=80) employing a 9-point hedonic scale.
• Just-About-Right (JAR) scale analysis for basic tastes (sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness) to assess intensity compatibility.

Main Results:

• Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed across preparations for most sensory attributes, excluding sweetness.
• Sodium picosulfate (SPS) excelled in turbidity, viscosity, orange flavor/odor; PEG-Asc in citrus notes; OSS in bitterness, astringency, and mouthfeel.
• SPS achieved superior overall acceptability, taste, odor, and mouthfeel ratings; however, JAR analysis indicated issues with saltiness, sweetness, sourness, and bitterness intensity across products.

Conclusions:

• Commercial bowel cleansing preparations exhibit distinct sensory profiles, with SPS showing higher overall acceptability.
• Despite improvements, specific taste and mouthfeel attributes require further refinement to enhance patient compliance.
• Future product development should focus on optimizing sensory characteristics to improve patient adherence to bowel preparation protocols.