Taste Masking and Taste Assessment Services and Technologies Market Report 2025

The taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $87.44 billion in 2024 to $94.63 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to pharmaceutical advancements, consumer preferences, rise in nutraceuticals, patient adherence and compliance, regulatory compliance.

The taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $127.39 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.7%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to pediatric medication demand, pediatric medication demand, rising chronic disease treatments, consumer-centric approach, drug delivery innovations. Major trends in the forecast period include globalization of taste preferences, sensory evaluation advances, consumer demand for palatable supplements, personalized taste-masking solutions, natural flavor enhancement.

The expanding interest in combination therapy is poised to drive the growth of the taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market in the foreseeable future. Combination therapy involves the concurrent or sequential use of two or more treatments or drugs to achieve superior therapeutic outcomes compared to individual treatments. In this context, taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies play a pivotal role, particularly in improving patient compliance and acceptance for combination therapies. By effectively masking the bitter or unpleasant taste of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) or drugs, these services and technologies enhance patient adherence to treatment regimens. Notably, as of May 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved 35 immunotherapy-based combination therapies, underscoring the escalating interest in combination therapy as a driver for the taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market.

The increasing level of patient compliance attributed to taste masking is a significant factor contributing to the growth of the taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market. Patient compliance refers to the extent to which individuals adhere to prescribed treatment plans, medications, or lifestyle changes as directed by their healthcare providers. Taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies play a vital role in ensuring patient acceptability and compliance, particularly overcoming challenges associated with the oral administration of bitter or unpleasant-tasting medications, especially in patient groups such as paediatrics and geriatrics. A report from HPCi Media Limited in 2022 revealed that 90 percent of paediatricians identified a drug's taste and palatability as the most substantial barriers to treatment completion. The utilization of taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies addresses these challenges and is expected to further drive the taste masking market by enhancing patient adherence to prescribed treatments.

Technological advancements stand out as a prominent trend gaining traction in the taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market. Major companies within this market segment are directing their efforts toward the development of novel methods and technologies aimed at effectively masking the bitter taste of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). An illustrative example is SPI Pharma, a US-based pharmaceutical company, which introduced Actimask in October 2022. Actimask is a cutting-edge taste masking technology that involves producing a thin, micron-sized, uniform hydrogel coating to encapsulate API particles. Leveraging gelatin as a hydrophilic polymer in the aqueous coacervation process, Actimask creates a thin coating over API particles, providing a pleasant mouthfeel without compromising API release or therapeutic effects. This technology not only facilitates easy formulation and processing but also ensures a satisfying patient experience through its slick and smooth hydrogel layer.

Major players in the taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market are also actively engaged in developing innovative technologies, such as e-tongue testing, to enhance customer offerings. Electronic tongue (e-tongue) testing is a technology designed to replicate human taste perception. A case in point is Medallion Labs, a US-based analytical testing service provider, which introduced e-tongue testing in June 2022 for evaluating flavor characteristics. This emerging technology provides a more objective and comprehensive assessment of a food product's flavor characteristics compared to traditional testing methods. By categorizing selective compounds based on human tongue sensory and biological membrane permeability, e-tongue testing converts molecular information into visual taste data, representing a noteworthy advancement in taste assessment. This innovative approach offers a more precise and thorough evaluation of flavor characteristics and taste perceptions across various food products.

In March 2024, Roquette Frères, a France-based manufacturer of food products, acquired IFF Pharma Solutions for an undisclosed sum. This acquisition allows Roquette to bolster its presence in the pharmaceutical sector by integrating IFF Pharma Solutions, thereby expanding its range of excipients and enhancing its formulation capabilities to provide innovative drug delivery solutions. IFF Pharma Solutions is a US-based company specializing in taste-making and taste assessment services.

Major companies operating in the taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market include Roquette Frères SA, Gattefose SAS, DuPont de Nemours Inc., SPI Pharma Inc., Adare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Asahi Kasei Corporation, Glatt Pharmaceutical Services Corp., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., FONA International, Senomyx Inc., Firmenich SA, Givaudan SA, International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., Kerry Group plc, Mane SA, Symrise AG, Takasago International Corporation, Sensient Technologies Corporation, Ashland Global Holdings Inc., BASF SE, Evonik Industries AG, Lonza Group AG, Merck KGaA, Catalent Inc., Fertin Pharma A/S, NextPharma Technologies Holding Limited, Patheon N.V., Quotient Sciences.

North America was the largest region in the taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market in 2024. The regions covered in the taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

Taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies encompass a range of methods aimed at overcoming the bitter or unpleasant taste of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) or drugs to enhance patient acceptability and compliance. These techniques are employed to modify formulations that were initially poorly tolerated by volunteers, creating more palatable pediatric formulations that allow for easier dosage adjustment.

The primary formulations utilized in taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies include solid formulations and liquid formulations. Solid formulations involve compact tablets formed by compressing medication powder. Various techniques such as coating, microencapsulation, organoleptic methods, hot melt extrusion, inclusion complexation, spray drying, among others, are used to develop these formulations. They find applications in preclinical or clinical operations as well as commercial activities, catering to several end-users including the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical sectors, along with contract manufacturing organizations.

The taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market statistics, including taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market share, detailed taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies industry. This taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

The taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market consists of revenues earned by entities by including taste masking by polymer coating, conventional granulation, and spray congealing with lipids. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The taste masking and taste assessment services and technologies market consists of sales of taste masking products such as artificial flavours and sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame). Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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