目的：考察纽甜对苦味中药的掩味效果。方法：以盐酸小檗碱水溶液和黄芩、黄柏、黄连、龙胆、穿心莲5种代表性苦味中药的水煎液为苦味药物研究载体，以苦度降低值为指标，运用经典人群口尝评价法比较纽甜的掩味效果，并选取不同的浓度，考察加入掩味剂后溶液的苦度变化。结果：纽甜在其浓度为0.012 5‰—0.4‰的范围内，其掩味效果随着浓度的增加随之增强。加入0.4‰的纽甜后，属于苦类的黄芩和黄柏药液的苦度降低值（ΔI）分别为1.22和1.77，均降至几乎没有苦味的范围，掩盖了原液70.11%和71.88%的苦味；属于极苦类的黄连、龙胆和穿心莲的苦度降低值（ΔI）分别为1.78、2.02和1.43，均降至略有苦味的范围，掩盖了原液49.12%、50.87%和38.39%的苦味。结论：纽甜对5种不同类型不同苦度的中药均有掩味效果。

This study was aimed to observe the taste-masking effects of Neotame on bitter Chinese herbal ingredients. Five kinds of herbal ingredients, which include Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, Cortex Phellodendri chinensis, Coptis chinensis Franch, Gentiana scabra Bunge, Andrographis paniculata, were selected to measure the bitterness degree of decoctions with berberine solution as the benchmark. The decreasing of bitterness degree was used as index. Healthy volunteers were recruited to taste and compare the changes of bitterness of decoctions with the taste-masking effects of Neotame. Different concentrations of Neotame were selected in the determination of the influence on changes of bitterness. The results showed that when the concentration of Neotame was at 0.012 5‰-0.4‰, taste-masking effects of Neotame on selected herbal decoctions were in a concentration-dependent fashion. When the concentration of Neotame was 0.4‰, the reduced bitterness of S. baicalensis Georgi and Cortex P. chinensis decoctions were 1.22 and 1.77, by 70.11% and 71.88%, respectively. Three highly-bitter herbal ingredients C. chinensis Franch, G. scabra Bunge and A. paniculata were also reduced in bitter taste by 49.12%, 50.87% and 38.39%, with the bitter reduced value (ΔI) of 1.78, 2.02 and 1.43, respectively. It was concluded that Neotame exerted taste masking potential on bitter herbal ingredients with different bitter degrees.

国家自然科学基金委青年基金项目（81001646）：基于味觉指纹技术的中药汤剂苦味抑制剂掩味规律研究，负责人：刘瑞新。