ORGANOLEPTIC AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL EVALUATION OF BRANDS OF LIQUID MULTIVITAMIN PRODUCTS IN EDO STATE, NIGERIA

ORGANOLEPTIC AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL EVALUATION OF BRANDS OF LIQUID MULTIVITAMIN PRODUCTS IN EDO STATE, NIGERIA

 
ITUA ESTHER OLEIYE 1, ERAGA SYLVESTER OKHUELEGBE2,*, ARHEWOH MATTHEW IKHUORIA2

 
  1. National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). Benin Regional Office, FederalGovernment Secretariat, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.
  2. Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.

Afr. J Pharm Res Dev; Volume 12(3): 342-349 (2020)

ABSTRACT

Multivitamins accounts for a high percentage of prescribed medicines in tertiary health institution and over the counter (OTC) drugs in pharmacies in Benin City, Edo State. The aim of this study was to determine the organoleptic and physicochemical qualities of some liquid multivitamin products available in Edo State, Nigeria. Fifteen different brands of liquid multivitamin products were purchased from pharmacies across Edo State. The brands were code labelled ML1 to ML15. The organoleptic and physicochemical properties of the products were assessed according to British Pharmacopoeia (BP) and unofficial standards, while the chemical properties of some of the marker vitamins (B1, B2, B6 and folic acid) and the dietary mineral (iron) were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The presence of lead and manganese as contaminants was also assessed. All the drug samples were within their shelf life at the time of sampling and analyses and were duly assigned registration numbers by National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). Twelve brands were manufactured in Nigeria while the remaining three in India. The samples had pleasant odour and taste except ML8 that had an unpleasant odour, while ML3 had a bitter-sweet taste. They exhibited no particular standard in pH (4.20 – 6.60) and specific gravity (1.37 – 1.81 g/ml). Content assay showed some discrepancies between labelled claims and actual contents of samples, with variable amounts of the different marker vitamins and dietary minerals. In conclusion, all samples tested except two (ML3 and ML8) had satisfactory organoleptic and physicochemical properties. None of the samples met all official compendial specifications for content in all marker vitamins and dietary mineral assessed.

Email of correspondence: eragaso@uniben.edu.ng;

KEYWORDS: Multivitamins; Liquid preparations; Pharmaceutical quality; Contaminants.