Student research poster
Edible Films for Masking the Aversive Taste of an Oral Nutritional Supplement
Melanie Molina, Olivia LePosa, Christopher Baldasano, Gregory Smutzer
Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122 USA
Presented: Temple University College of Science and Technology Research Scholars Program poster session, November 6, 2026.
Temple University is the authors' affiliation; this page is hosted by Redox Education and is not an official Temple University page.
Overview
This study prepared rapidly dissolving pullulan oral films containing retinyl palmitate, a fat-soluble form of vitamin A. Three formulations were compared by film thickness, one formulation's initial drying mass loss was measured, and FT-IR and UV-visible spectroscopy were used to check whether heating the retinyl-palmitate wax changed its spectra.
Submitted abstract
Abstract
New delivery methods for water-insoluble oral nutritional supplements bridge an important gap for dysphagic or gel-averse patients. This study will develop a novel oral delivery method using vitamin A as a model nutritional supplement. Vitamin A is an important supplement that is a water-insoluble oil. Oral supplements such as vitamin A have both an aversive tactile response and an aversive bitter taste. These aversive properties may decrease compliance. Rapidly dissolving oral films are a novel delivery approach that minimizes choking hazards. Finally, these films allow sublingual delivery of nutritional supplements. However, edible films are limited by the amount of hydrophobic supplement that can be loaded within these films. Bioavailability is increased by complexing this supplement with myristyl alcohol, followed by sonication. This study will include taste studies that aim to increase the hedonic scores of vitamin A films and will examine the physical properties of these films. This novel delivery system is predicted to decrease choking hazards and will include excipients that mask the aversive taste of vitamin A.
Poster
Methods
Preparation
Retinyl palmitate in medium-chain triglyceride coconut oil was gently heated with myristyl alcohol and magnesium stearate. After cooling and pulverization, the solid was added to a 3.25% pullulan solution containing κ-carrageenan, xanthan gum, PEG 400 and 50% glycerol. The mixture was horn-sonicated eight times for 15 seconds each, cast, cooled at 4 °C for 10 minutes, dried overnight, and cut into approximately six 1 × 1-inch pieces per preparation.
Formulations
| Formulation | Composition |
|---|---|
| I | No retinyl palmitate: 0.300 g myristyl alcohol, 0.005 g magnesium(II) stearate, 6 mL 3.25% pullulan solution, 0.01 g xanthan gum, 0.005 g κ-carrageenan, 40 µL PEG 400, 10 µL 50% glycerol, 20 µL coconut oil (added so the film releases from the weigh boat) |
| II | 138 µL retinyl palmitate, 0.300 g myristyl alcohol, 0.005 g magnesium(II) stearate, 6 mL 3.25% pullulan solution, 0.01 g xanthan gum, 0.005 g κ-carrageenan, 40 µL PEG 400, 10 µL 50% glycerol |
| III | 138 µL retinyl palmitate, 0.300 g myristyl alcohol, 0.005 g magnesium(II) stearate, 6 mL 3.25% pullulan solution, 0.01 g xanthan gum, 0.005 g κ-carrageenan, 40 µL PEG 400, 10 µL 50% glycerol, 0.01 g sucralose |
Quantities are per preparation, as reported by the research team. Magnesium stearate was included in every formulation.
Analysis
- FT-IR
- Thermo Scientific Nicolet iS5, 4000–525 cm⁻¹, 32 scans per sample, room temperature.
- UV-visible
- Pharmacia Ultraspec 2000.
- Thickness
- Lufkin micrometer at five locations per formulation.
- Initial drying mass loss
- 100 − (mass after ÷ mass before × 100), Formulation II only.
Results
Film thickness
Mean film thickness by formulation (µm, ±SE)
| Formulation | Mean thickness (µm) | SD | SE |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | 128.02 | 16.50 | 7.38 |
| II | 119.38 | 15.13 | 6.77 |
| III | 146.81 | 7.70 | 3.45 |
Spectroscopy
FT-IR and UV-visible spectra of the heated retinyl-palmitate wax were comparable to those of the unheated physical mixture. No detectable spectral change was observed after heating under the tested conditions.
Spectra images will be posted here once finalized.
Initial drying mass loss
Formulation II showed 2.7% mass loss in the initial drying measurement (one preparation).
Limitations
- Spectra compared heated vs unheated wax only, not after sonication or in finished films.
- Thickness was measured at 5 locations within one film per formulation.
- Drying loss comes from one preparation of Formulation II.
- Taste/palatability, bioavailability, dose uniformity, dissolution, mechanical strength, storage stability and swallowing safety were not tested in this study.
Planned, not completed
Future work
- Taste and hedonic studies of the three formulations.
- Elasticity and dissolution.
- Independent batches and dose uniformity.
- Storage/photostability.
- First-pass metabolism and safety studies.
References
- Smutzer G, Elamin O. A novel method for encapsulating nutritional supplements within edible films. J Pharm Sci. 2025;114(4):103706. doi:10.1016/j.xphs.2025.103706 (opens in a new tab)
- Smutzer G, Elamin O, Lacerda FP, Karanam SP, Lin P. The development of rapidly dissolving oral films that contain a hydrophobic nutritional supplement. Food Res Int Rep. 2026;1:100015. doi:10.1016/j.frinr.2026.100015 (opens in a new tab)
Acknowledgements
Poster printing and web hosting courtesy of Redox Education.
Additional acknowledgements will be added as confirmed by the authors.
Financial disclosures
No research funding was received for this study. Redox Education paid for poster printing and hosts this page. Christopher Baldasano, a co-author, is the founder of Redox Educators LLC (Redox Education).
Contact
Questions about this project: use the Redox Education contact page.