On the flavor preference of antacid suspensions

A standard base for a commercial formulation of aluminum and magnesium hydroxides antacid suspension was prepared in five flavors (cinnamon, cherry, apricot, peppermint and spearmint) and tested for organoleptic preference by a group of 65 untrained judges from three different institutions. Correlation analysis between the sums of ranks of the results indicated that cinnamon, spearmint, peppermint, and apricot had a highly significant difference (alpha = 0.01) with cherry, which was the least preferred flavor. There were no significant differences among the other four flavors although the preference was in the order given above. It can be concluded from this study that sensory evaluation techniques can be advantageously applied for the selection of flavors in antacid formulations. This selection could be helpful to optimize compliance of the patient with gastrointestinal conditions with the prescribed therapy and also to the commercial success of this type of OTC medication.