Der Pharmacia Lettre
Abstract
Author(s): Mayank Patel, Sheetal Malke, Supriya Shidhaye, Vilasrao Kadam
Many active pharmaceutical ingredients usually associated with bitterness, can impart an
unpleasant taste or odor. To produce a desirable oral drug product, especially if destined for
pediatric use, development efforts focus on masking the unpleasant taste or odor, often by adding
flavoring or sweetening agents to the formulation. The formulations organoleptic properties
taste, odor, mouth-feel and appearance are of considerable importance in differentiating
products in the market and can ultimately determine the success of a product. Organoleptic
analysis of such prototype products is commonly performed by human taste panels. However, in
an effort to eliminate human testing due to the safety risks and since it is time-consuming and
expensive, alternative analytical means are being sought. The electronic tongue or electronic
nose is such a system for automatic analysis and recognition of liquids or gases, including
arrays of non-specific sensors, data collectors and data analysis tools. Electronic tongues are
used for liquid samples analysis, whereas electronic noses for gases. The result can be the
identification of the sample, an estimation of its concentration or its characteristic properties.
The novel electronic tongue technology is being utilized by the food/beverage and
pharmaceutical industries to evaluate product taste characteristics. The electronic-nose device
may provide testing of odors and also provide physicians with a quicker and more accurate
diagnostic tool for a number of diseases. Also it can be used for detection and identification of
certain chemical compounds in exhaled air and excreted urine or body fluids related to specific
metabolic conditions, certain skin diseases, or bacterial infections.
