2004 Volume 52 Issue 4 Pages 490-493
An improved formulation of the enteral nutrient Aminoleban® EN (Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan), has been commercially available since Spring 2004. Like the previous formulation, the improved product contains branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) L-isoleucine (L-Ile), L-leucine (L-Leu), and L-valine (L-Val), but the average particle size of these amino acids has been increased to 180 to 250 μm in the improved formulation, compared with 40 to 90 μm in the old product. The improved formulation has a significantly lower bitterness intensity score than the older formulation, as evaluated both in human gustatory tests and using the artificial taste sensor. We propose that this improved taste masking is due to the larger particle size of the BCAA crystals, due to which their release rates are reduced. The addition of improved flavours has also helped to reduce the bitterness of the improved Aminoleban® EN formulation significantly. Analysis of the taste sensor data suggests that the sourness and sweetness of the added flavours were critical in diminishing the bitterness of Aminoleban® EN.