Taste masking technologies: A review

Abstract

Oral administration of pharmaceuticals is one of the most popular method of drug dilevery. Many orally administered drugs elicit bitter taste. Palatability is an extremly important factor in ensuring the likelihood that the recepient will intake the pharmaceuticals. A constant problem is in treatment of patient is their inability or unwillingness to swallow solid dosage form such as tablets specially in children and the elderly. These dosage form permit perceptible exposure of active drug ingredient to the taste bud. Accordingly, masking of unpleasent taste characterstics of drug is an important factor in formulation of these agents."The worse the taste of the medication, the better the cure" was once the prevailing attitude. Today a change in patient attitude and development of taste masking technique has reversed this opinion. Patients now expect and demand formulations that are pleasently, or atleast tolerably, flavored.1 This article reviews the earlier methodologies and approaches of taste masking of bitterness reduction.