<![CDATA[Tinospora crispa has a strong bitter taste that can limit palatability. Bitter sensation is detected by taste receptors distributed across the tongue and may be prominent in the posterior tongue, where circumvallate papillae contain numerous taste buds. Citrus aurantifolia may modify this sensory profile. This study aimed to formulate an instant herbal powder containing Tinospora crispa and Citrus aurantifolia with graded maltodextrin-sucrose ratios and to evaluate its initial physical and sensory characteristics. Three formulas containing 20-40% maltodextrin and 45-65% sucrose were prepared in triplicate. Organoleptic properties, visual homogeneity, flow properties, moisture content, dissolution time, pH, and exploratory hedonic responses from seven untrained panelists were evaluated. Physical data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD, while sensory data were analyzed using the Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with Bonferroni correction. All formulas were fine, visually homogeneous powders with a pH of 5 and moisture content of 2.50-3.67%. The excipient ratio significantly affected angle of repose and moisture content. Global differences were found for taste and overall acceptance, but no pairwise comparison remained significant after correction. F1 had the lowest moisture content, F2 the lowest angle of repose and fastest descriptive dissolution time, and F3 the fastest flow time and highest descriptive taste and overall-acceptance scores. Overall, no single formulation was superior across all physical parameters. However, F3 demonstrated the most favorable overall performance, particularly in the sensory evaluation, indicating its potential for further development.]]>
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