Microencapsulation for Taste Masking and Volatility Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Many medications have a bitter taste that is unpalatable to young children and others, and environmental pesticides and herbicides pose safety concerns due to volatility, toxicity, and environmental persistence, necessitating improved delivery methods and safety profiles.
Innovation Solution
Development of microparticles comprising saturated linear fatty alcohols and therapeutic agents, potentially combined with sweeteners or flavor-masking agents, for use in edible materials like oral strips or candies to mask bitter tastes and encapsulate herbicides/pesticides, enhancing safety and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If medications are administered in capsule or tablet form, then they provide effective drug delivery, but they produce bitter taste that is unpalatable to young children and others
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a coating composition as an intermediary layer between the medication and the patient's taste receptors. This coating comprises a film-forming polymer and a bitter taste masking agent, where the masking agent acts as a mediator to block bitter taste perception while the polymer provides the structural coating. The coating effectively separates the therapeutic agent from direct taste interaction, resolving the contradiction between effective drug delivery and palatability.
2Productivity
If pesticides and herbicides are used to control pests and weeds, then they achieve effective pest control, but they volatilize and cause unintended exposure to humans and environmental harm
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a coating formulation to pesticide and herbicide formulations that forms a protective film or shell around the active ingredients. This coating comprises film-forming polymers and functional additives that reduce volatilization by creating a physical barrier, thereby preventing unintended atmospheric release and environmental exposure while maintaining the pesticidal or herbicidal effectiveness.
3Ease of operation
If a coating is applied to mask bitter taste, then palatability is improved, but the coating must be safe for ingestion and not interfere with drug absorption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent carefully controls the parameters of the coating system, including the molecular weight, glass transition temperature, and composition ratios of the film-forming polymers and masking agents. By optimizing these parameters, the coating achieves the right balance: it is safe for ingestion, provides effective bitter taste masking, and maintains appropriate permeability characteristics that do not interfere with drug absorption. The coating composition is designed to dissolve or degrade at controlled rates that preserve therapeutic efficacy.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to compositions and methods for masking the taste of an agent. In certain aspects, the invention comprises a microsphere and at least one sweetener therein. In another aspect, the invention comprises an edible material comprising at least one microsphere comprising an agent and at least one microsphere comprising a sweetener.