Publication Details
Abstract
Objective: A hard candy remains in contact with the oral cavity for several minutes, so volatile retention, botanical taste and matrix stability all affect the finished product. We evaluated a sugar-free NVTIA hard candy containing monk fruit, Platycodon grandiflorus, lily bulb and low-glycyrrhizic-acid licorice extracts together with microencapsulated eucalyptus oil and menthol. Method: The optimized 2.50-g candy used an isomalt-maltitol-erythritol matrix. Botanical extracts were added at 108°C, followed by eucalyptus oil microcapsules and menthol at 92°C. The finished candy contained 2.35% moisture and had a mean unit mass of 2.50 g. In the 10-member experienced sensory panel, eight panelists rated eucalyptus-flavor uniformity as excellent, seven rated herbal bitterness as excellent (indicating slight bitterness), and eight rated overall acceptability as excellent. Results: Relative retention of 1,8-cineole was 82.1%. Replacing the microcapsule with liquid eucalyptus oil reduced 1,8-cineole retention to 64.5% and produced less uniform flavor. Removing lily preserved cineole retention but worsened bitterness and acceptability. Randomized human studies have reported reduced postoperative throat discomfort with topical licorice in several settings, including a licorice-lozenge study. Trials of a licorice-Platycodon combination for acute upper-respiratory-tract-infection sore throat found similar short-term improvement in active and placebo groups. Novelty: The formulation results define the sensory and volatile-retention performance of the complete candy and identify direct symptom and sensory endpoints for formulation-specific pharyngeal-comfort studies.