Evaluating the Taste Masking Ability of Two Novel Dispersible Tablet Platforms Containing Zinc Sulfate and Paracetamol Reconstituted in a Breast Milk Substitute

Abstract

Milk is often used as a dispersion medium for medicines administration in young children but its taste-masking ability is unknown. A human taste panel was conducted to assess the potential of infant formula milk (Aptamil® 1) to mask the taste of two model WHO priority medicines, zinc sulfate and paracetamol, manufactured as dispersible tablets. Simultaneously, the palatability of powder blends of the tablet platforms was assessed. Twenty healthy adult volunteers performed a swirl-and-spit assessment of placebos and API-containing blends in either a lactose-based or a mannitol-based dispersible tablet platform, reconstituted in 10 mL of either water or Aptamil® 1. Eighteen samples were rated for aversion using a 100-mm Visual Analogue Scale, grittiness using a 5-point Likert scale, and “acceptability-as-a-medicine” evaluated as: “Would you find this sample acceptable to swallow as a medicine?” with binary answers of Yes/No. The API-containing formulations were more aversive than the placebos; the paracetamol-containing samples being more aversive than zinc sulfate samples. The platforms themselves were not aversive. Non-gritty samples had four-fold greater odds of being acceptable as a medicine. Aptamil® 1 masked the taste of zinc sulfate in the mannitol-based formulation but did not mask the taste of paracetamol in either platform, suggesting a limited taste-masking ability, which may be API and formulation dependent.

Development of a Mucoadhesive Vehicle Based on Lyophilized Liposomes for Drug Delivery through the Sublingual Mucosa

“…Tf and Tp ramps for three cycles are shown in Figure 5 and were analyzed to select the optimal conditions to produce the lyophilized material used for the mucoadhesive tablets. The DSC results showed a T g value of -5.95 • C for the Lip + L + M + A mixture, and the collapse temperature (Tc) assumed to be 2-3 • C above the T g [39] was −4 • C. Accordingly, up to −4 • C might be safely reached during primary drying for our product. Nevertheless, −8 • C was selected as the target T p for primary drying to ensure the avoidance of product collapse.…”

“…For T g, however, differences between liposomes with and without additives were not found (−5.95 to −5.03 • C range). The DSC results showed a T′g value of -5.95 °C for the Lip + L + M + A mixture, and the collapse temperature (Tc) assumed to be 2-3 °C above the T′g [39] was −4 °C. Accordingly, up to −4 °C might be safely reached during primary drying for our product.…”

“…The DSC results showed a T′g value of –5.95 °C for the Lip + L + M + A mixture, and the collapse temperature (Tc) assumed to be 2–3 °C above the T′g [ 39 ] was −4 °C. Accordingly, up to −4 °C might be safely reached during primary drying for our product.…”

Paediatric Medicinal Formulation Development: Utilising Human Taste Panels and Incorporating Their Data into Machine Learning Training

“…Human taste panels are regarded as the gold standard for the taste evaluation of products designed for humans [ 21 ]. Ideally, human taste panels should be applied as the reference point for evaluating taste at multiple phases of paediatric formulation development, both before and during product creation, and also during the final assessment of the product through clinical trials [ 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Despite their desirability, establishing an appropriate human taste panel for all stages of development for a paediatric medicinal formulation has not been extensively discussed within the pharmaceutical science community.…”

“…Grittiness was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from “not gritty” (1) to “gritty” (5). Additionally, participants indicated whether they found the sample acceptable as a medicine with a simple “yes” or “no.” [ 22 ] Our team used the five-point facial hedonic scale for both children and young adult taste panels, with options ranging from “dislike very much” on the left to “like very much” to the right, and children were further asked to provide a simple “yes” or “no” to indicate whether they would be willing to take the medicine again [ 5 , 6 ]. These scoring systems vary in complexity, measurement scales, and target populations.…”