Solicitor's clerk Paul Hunn, 33, from London was hoping to better the 118.1 decibel mark -- a burp as loud as a pneumatic drill -- a sonic tour de force he set in 2000.

But after chugging back a carbonated drink and gulping mouthfuls of air to build up gas in his stomach, he could only manage 110.5 decibels on a Guinness World Record sound level meter.

"Sadly, he didn't break the record and had to stop after a few tries because his throat was getting too sore," said a spokeswoman at London's Science Museum, where Hunn was attempting his record burp.

"But when he heals up he's determined to set a new record," she added.

The world-record attempt was part of the museum's current "Grossology" exhibition, a look at the good, bad and ugly ways the human body works.