Taste masking by spray-drying technique.

The purpose of this research was to develop the taste-masked microspheres of intensely bitter drug ondansetron hydrochloride (OSH) by spray-drying technique. The bitter taste threshold value of OSH was determined. Three different polymers viz. Chitosan, Methocel E15 LV, and Eudragit E100 were used for microsphere formation, and the effect of different polymers and drug-polymer ratios on the taste masking and release properties of microspheres was investigated. The microspheres were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Drug loading, in vitro bitter taste evaluation, and drug-release properties. The taste masking was absent in methocel microspheres at all the drug-polymer ratios. The Eudragit microspheres depicted taste masking at 1:2 drug-polymer ratio whereas with Chitosan microspheres the taste masking was achieved at 1:1 drug-polymer ratio. The drug release was about 96.85% for eudragit microspheres and 40.07% for Chitosan microspheres in 15 min.