Passionflower is one of the classic botanicals for relaxation and sleep products. The biggest hurdle in modern formats is not the plant itself but the passionflower taste. The native extract of Passiflora incarnata is bitter, hay-like and slightly astringent. In a capsule, nobody notices. In a gummy, a chewable tablet or a stick taken without water, it is the first thing a consumer tastes.
We wanted to know how much of that barrier OPTISOLV® Technology removes. So we had it tested by people, not only in the lab.
The study: 75 consumers, two sticks, one difference
The study was run by the external testing institute Normec Foodcare GmbH at a central test location in Bonn, Germany. 75 consumers aged 18 to 67 tasted two direct sticks:
- Stick A: 200 mg native passionflower extract
- Stick B: 200 mg passionflower extract as OPTISOLV® Passiflora
Both sticks weighed 1.5 g and used the same base of sorbitol and citric acid. The extract dose was identical, so the only difference was the formulation of the extract.
The test was blind. Participants did not know which stick contained which product, and the order was rotated. They took each stick without water and rated taste, mouthfeel, bitterness, aftertaste and the intensity of the extract’s own taste on 7-point scales, plus how likely they would be to buy the product.
The results at a glance
72 % preferred OPTISOLV® Passiflora. In the direct comparison, 54 of 75 consumers chose the OPTISOLV® stick.
Better on every sensory attribute. OPTISOLV® Passiflora was rated significantly better on all five attributes tested: taste, mouthfeel, bitterness, aftertaste and the intensity of the extract’s own taste.
More consumers would buy it. 4.3 times as many consumers rated a purchase as likely. And that for an unbranded ingredient prototype, taken neat, with no flavour system, no packaging and no price.
Request the full study report. The complete report covers the study design, the results for every attribute, purchase intent and the statistical analysis. Request the report.
Why taste matters for passionflower products
Relaxation and sleep products are moving out of the capsule and into formats people enjoy taking every day: gummies, chewable tablets, melt-in-the-mouth sticks and drink powders stirred into a warm evening drink. In all of these, the extract meets the tongue directly. A bitter, grassy note does not stay hidden, and it quickly decides whether a consumer buys a second pack.
The test sticks already contained sweetener and acid, the usual tools to mask a bitter extract. The measured difference is what OPTISOLV® Passiflora adds on top of that conventional masking, not instead of it.
Taste and absorption in one ingredient
Taste is one gate a passionflower product has to pass. Absorption is the other. In a separate in vitro study on the same extract, OPTISOLV® Passiflora transported 3.7 times more isovitexin, a key flavonoid of passionflower, across a Caco-2 intestinal cell model than the native extract.
Behind both results is the same dual coating. An inner cyclodextrin layer holds the active, an outer phospholipid layer surrounds it. That structure is what changes how the extract behaves, both in the gut and on the tongue. Learn more about OPTISOLV® Technology.
What this means: more product options with passionflower
Until now, the taste of passionflower has quietly decided which products could be made with it. Most passionflower products ended up in capsules, not because consumers asked for capsules, but because the extract was hard to hide in anything else. Formats where the extract is tasted directly needed strong flavour systems, a lower extract load, or were not developed at all.
When the bitter note no longer dominates, that limit moves. For brands, OPTISOLV® Passiflora opens up options that were hard to realise before:
- New formats: gummies, chewable tablets, direct sticks taken without water and drink powders, for example an evening chai latte stick stirred into warm milk.
- The extract on the tongue: in the study, each 1.5 g stick carried 200 mg of passionflower extract and was taken neat, and 72 % still preferred it.
- More freedom in the recipe: the test sticks used only sorbitol and citric acid, without any flavour system. In a finished product, flavours can shape the profile a brand wants instead of covering up the extract.
- A product people look forward to: an evening gummy or a warm drink fits a relaxation routine better than one more capsule, and taste is what brings consumers back to the second pack.
In short: the format can follow the brand’s concept, not the extract.
All details on the ingredient, its specification and dosage forms are on the OPTISOLV® Passiflora page. For other formats and industries, see Applications.
Frequently asked questions
Why does passionflower extract taste bitter?
The dry extract of the aerial parts of Passiflora incarnata has a naturally bitter, hay-like and slightly astringent taste. It becomes noticeable as soon as the extract is taken without water or a capsule shell.
Who carried out the taste test?
The study was conducted by the external testing institute Normec Foodcare GmbH on behalf of EVANIUM, as a blind central location test in Bonn, Germany, with 75 consumers.
Was the dose the same in both samples?
Yes. Both sticks contained 200 mg of passionflower extract in an identical sorbitol and citric acid base. The comparison isolates the effect of the formulation.
Which formats is OPTISOLV® Passiflora suitable for?
It is designed for formats where taste matters, such as gummies, chewable tablets, direct sticks and drink powders, as well as capsules and tablets.
Can I get the full study report?
Yes. The full report with the study design, the results for every attribute and the statistical analysis is available on request. Contact us.
Develop your next passionflower product
Want to bring passionflower into gummies, sticks or chewables? Request samples and test OPTISOLV® Passiflora in your own formulation, or talk to our team about your product idea.
