Fruit salts are compounds with fizz or effervescence. The acids used are drawn from fruits — from citrus fruits (citric acid) or grapes (tartaric acid). These organic acids are mixed with alkaline salts such as sodium bicarbonate, or sodium carbonate or sodium bitartarate. The flavours and sugar are added to make them palatable. The reaction of organic acids and carbonates results into salts such as monosodium citrate in solution with carbonates and tartarates. These are fruit-derived salts and hence are referred to as fruit salts.

In 1852, a British pharmacist James Crossley Eno created a fruit salt mixture and sold it from its pharmacy in the port city of New Castle upon Tyne. It helped the sailors to keep fit in the voyages. In 1868, he founded a company Eno’s Fruit Salt Works.

Eno helped to relieve people of flatulence or gases in the stomach. It relieved acidity too. It was a fast working and effective remedy.

Eno entered India 50 years later in 1972. Eno’s slogan in the 1990s was, ‘Eno on, acidity gone.‘ The fizz bubbles are called bulbule in Hindi. The term was creatively used in advertising. ‘Eno bulbule , de azaadi jhatse.‘ Eno has introduced flavours like lemon, ajwain, cola etc.

Eno’s brand personality is packed with humour. A character in ad after taking Eno is shown burping that shows Eno has acted, and the character is recovering. A burp is used as a trigger to memory of the brand.