Medications that enter the oral cavity, whether orally administered, sublingually administered, or inhaled, should have an acceptable taste. However, most medicines have an unpleasant odor or taste. The use of flavor modifiers to improve the taste and aroma of pharmaceuticals is a common solution to these problems. During pharmaceutical formulation development, flavors are often an important part of the formulation, to mask the bitter taste of the drug or to make the formulation more pleasant. Cardamom, peppermint, honey, lemon oil, orange oil and vanilla are common flavors used in pharmaceutical formulations. It has become a trend to add flavors to pharmaceuticals, but it is important to note that the flavors used in the formulation must be non-toxic, soluble, stable and compatible with the preparation. As a professional supplier of flavors, Alfa Chemistry has the ability to provide customized flavors to different pharmaceutical products.
Benefits of adding flavors to pharmaceutical formulations
The benefits of flavors being added to pharmaceutical formulations are varied, but the main ones are as follows.
- Adding flavor to uninspiring products. Flavors can be mimicking existing natural flavors or can be created to give some desirable flavor experience.
- Make the pharmaceutical product itself has a different flavor characteristic from the basic ingredients.
- Enhances weak intrinsic flavors or replaces flavor notes lost during processing.
- Improve or complement the existing flavor profile.
- Disguises or masks the unpleasant odor and taste of the actual medicine.
- Overcome seasonal variations in natural flavoring materials or ingredients.
- Doctors can customize different flavors for patients according to their wishes, which is also more desirable for children.
Common drugs and preferred flavors
Different pharmaceutical preparations are now available in a variety of flavors that can successfully mask unpleasant tastes without compromising physical and chemical stability. For example, a mint flavor is especially effective in disguising diphenhydramine in an expectorant formulation. Lemon is the preferred flavor modifier for anti-allergy preparations such as cetirizine hydrochloride. Strawberry is well suited to sedative formulations. Some of the flavors that are well suited for certain types of drugs are shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Common drugs and preferred flavors[1]
| Drug | Preferred flavor |
|---|
| Antibiotics | Cherry, maple, pineapple, orange, raspberry, banana-vanilla, butterscotch, coconut-custard, fruit-cinnamon, strawberry, vanilla. |
| Antihistamines | Apricot, cherry, cinnamon, grape, honey, lime, peach-orange, peach-rum, raspberry, wild cherry. |
| Barbiturates | Banana-pineapple, banana-vanilla, cinnamon-peppermint, orange, peach-orange, grenadine-strawberry. |
| Decongestants & Expectorants | Anise, apricot, butterscotch, cherry, coconut-custard, custard-mint- strawberry, grenadine-peach, strawberry-lemon, gooseberry, orange-lemon, coriander, pineapple, raspberry. |
| Electrolyte-solutions geriatrics | Cherry, grape, lemon-lime, raspberry, wild cherry syrup, grenadine-strawberry, lime, port wine, cherry wine, wild-strawberry. |
Our capabilities
Alfa Chemistry has the ability to provide flavors for the following forms of pharmaceuticals. This helps patients become more receptive to drugs that were once difficult to take.
Alfa Chemistry's pharmaceutical flavors are available in liquid or powder form, in a variety of concentrations and sizes. As research and innovative products advance, our businesses spread around the globe. Years of experience have put us at the forefront of the pharmaceutical flavor industry. If you are looking for flavors to be used in the pharmaceutical field, please do not hesitate to contact our team immediately.
Reference:
- Sharma, A. V.; et al. Flavouring agents in pharmaceutical formulations. Ancient Science of Life. 1988, 8(1): 38-40.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
