Improve Compliance by Optimizing the Taste of Active Compounds
Dietary supplements for athletes and balanced additives for all age groups must, above all, possess one property: they have to taste good. Consumer acceptance is essential for long-term use and thus for the desired, positive effect on performance and health. However, many active substances do not taste nice. Their tastes range from sulphurous to fishy to astringent and bitter. Alpha-lipoic acid, caffeine or resveratrol are just a few examples of such unpalatable substances.
The dosage form matters: the coating of a tablet can mask an unfavourable taste completely. However, this common form of delivering pharmaceuticals finds little acceptance for dietary supplements. Consumers are free to choose their dietary supplements themselves and place a stronger emphasis on convenience, a pleasant taste and a good mouthfeel. Formulations that are available in sachets and can be taken without water or fluids are ideal when traveling and easy to integrate into daily routines. Tablets which start to disintegrate in the mouth are similarly popular. Such formulations consist of powders or fine granules that, if possible, should not be felt on the tongue.
