World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

APPROACHES TO TASTE MASKING IN BITTER TASTING PHARMACEUTICALS: ACONCISE REVIEW

Ganesh Prasad Patel*, Dheeraj Lonkar, Hritika Kannouje, Pooja Tilak

ABSTRACT

Taste is a sensory perception arising from the stimulation of taste buds on the surface of the tongue. Humans can distinguish five basic tastes: sourness, saltiness, sweetness, bitterness, and umami (savory). Among these, bitterness poses the greatest challenge in the oral administration of pharmaceuticals. Since dosage forms such as orodispersible tablets, melt-in-mouth tablets, buccal tablets, and oral liquids directly contact taste buds, palatability becomes a critical factor influencing patient compliance. Bitter and unpalatable drugs often lead to poor adherence, particularly in pediatric and geriatric populations, thereby reducing therapeutic effectiveness. Consequently, taste masking of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) has become a rapidly evolving field, with the introduction of novel technologies and excipients. Two main strategies are typically employed: (i) reducing drug solubility in saliva, and (ii) altering or blocking drug–taste receptor interactions. Multiple techniques have been developed to achieve this, including particle coating, inclusion complex formation, molecular complexation, solid dispersions, melting methods, microencapsulation, prodrug design, mass extrusion, and ion-exchange resins. This focuses on the diverse taste masking approaches, their mechanisms, and evaluation methods, highlighting their importance in developing more palatable, patient-friendly formulations that ultimately enhance compliance and therapeutic success.

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