[Key techniques for granulation and flavor masking of innovative Chinese medicinal preparations for children: a review].

There are many kinds of pharmaceutical preparations for children in China, which are generally divided into oral solid preparations and oral liquid preparations. Solid preparations, such as microtablets, pellets, dispersible tablets, and fine granules, have become the development trend of pediatric drugs. Liquid preparations mainly include syrup, suspension, oral solution, and drops. The poor taste and the treatment of drugs in children of different ages are the key factors affecting the efficacy, safety, and compliance of pediatric drugs. To reduce the risk caused by the fluctuation of blood concentration and improve the oral compliance of pediatric drugs, it is urgent to develop new techniques for granulation and flavor maskingto improve the poor taste of solid preparations. For liquid pre-parations with poor taste, the flavor correction technique should be used. This paper summarized the new pharmaceutical techniques for granulation and flavor masking, and it was found that sustained/controlled-releasegranules, fine granules, and chewing solid mini-tablets became the mainstream of oral solid preparations for children. Generally, multiparticle preparation, coating, microencapsulation, and other granulating techniques were involved in these preparations. Granulation and flavor masking are closely related and synergetic. Flavor masking techniques mask the bitter taste of Chinese medicine from four aspects, including confusing the brain taste, changing the compounds, reducing the exposure of bitter molecules to bitter receptors in the mouth, and numbing the taste cells to increase the threshold of bitter perception. At present, the main drugs for children on the market mainly inhibit the oral release of bitter drugs.