Table 1.
Terms used in the descriptive analysis of the bowel cleansing laxative solutions
| Attribute | Definition as worded on score sheet | Anchor words (low to high) |
| Appearance | ||
| Turbidity | The level of haze present in sample when holding the sample at eye level1 | Clear to turbid |
| Viscosity | The resistance to flow when swirling the sample in the cup2 | Thin to thick |
| Odor | ||
| Orange | Odor of orange juice3 | Not at all to very |
| Citrus | Odor of lemonade4 | Not at all to very |
| Flavor | ||
| Saltiness | Taste elicited by table salt | Not at all to very |
| Sweetness | Taste elicited by sugar (sucrose) | Not at all to very |
| Sourness | Taste elicited by citric acid | Not at all to very |
| Sweetener | Taste elicited by the sweetener solution5 | Not at all to very |
| Bitterness | Taste elicited by caffeine6 | Not at all to very |
| Orange | Flavor of orange juice3 | Not at all to very |
| Citrus | Flavor of lemonade4 | Not at all to very |
| Mouthfeel | Not at all to very | |
| Adhesiveness | The level of cling to surface of tongue when swirling sample in mouth | Not at all to very |
| Astringency | Dryness and puckering on tongue and palate6 | Not at all to very |
| Mouthcoating | Layer of sample left on palate after swallowing | Not at all to very |
| Aftertaste | Not at all to very | |
| Sweet | Aftertaste elicited by sugar solution | Not at all to very |
| Sour | Aftertaste elicited by citric acid solution | Not at all to very |
| Astringent | Dryness and puckering on tongue and palate after swallowing7 | Not at all to very |
| Bitter | Aftertaste elicited by caffeine solution6 | Not at all to very |
| Throatburn | Burn in throat after swallowing sample7 | Not at all to very |
Mineral water (low level), Rim, bottled at source by Rim Natural Spring Mineral Water SAL - Mount Sannine, Lebanon;
Mineral water, Rim, bottled at source by Rim Natural Spring Mineral Water SAL - Mount Sannine, Lebanon, for low level vs pineapple juice, Tropicana, bottled by société moderne Libanaise pour le commerce SAL, Beirut, Lebanon, for high level;
Orange juice (high level), Mr. Juicy, bottled by société moderne Libanaise pour le commerce SAL, Beirut, Lebanon;
Lemonade (high level), Balkis, Balkis SAL, Beirut, Lebanon;
Sweetener solution (high level), prepared by dissolving 2 tea spoons artificial sweetener (Sweet n low, Dietary foods, Soham Cambs, United Kingdom) in 500 mL mineral water;
Cold tea (high level), prepared by soaking 2 bags of black tea (Lipton, Unilever Mashreq tea company, New Borj El Arab, Alexandria, Egypt) in 500 mL hot mineral water, then cooled down to room temperature;
Baking soda solution (high level), prepared by dissolving 2 tea spoons of baking soda (Arm and Hammer, Harrison Street, Princeton New Jersey, United States) in 500 mL of mineral water.