German gelatine specialist GELITA has launched a range of dentist-approved gummies.
January, 2015
GELITA's new gummy bears have been tested by the University of Witten/Herdecke and are guaranteed safe for teeth. They look like gummy bears, they taste like gummy bears, and they are gummy bears – but they won’t rot your teeth.
“The Toothfriendly gummy bears are sweetened with a mixture of sucralose, trehalose and some xylitol”, explains Laia Grao of Toothfriendly International, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving dental health. “Unlike sugar, this sweetener mixture is not fermented by the oral bacteria and thus does not promote cavities.” Equally important, the gummy bears are demonstrably non-erosive to teeth.
Grao points out that until now, attempts to develop Toothfriendly jellies have failed – some because a potential laxative effect but mainly due to excessive acidity . Acids which are commonly used in gelatin - based confectionery for taste have a demineralizing effect on the tooth surface which may lead to dental erosion.
In contrast to earlier formulations of sugarfree gummy bears , the new Toothfriendly gummy bears contain a high amount of dietary fib er as well as trehalose all of which are known to be well tolerated even if consumed in high amounts.
So the secret of GELITA ’s Toothfriendly gummy bears is a different type of sweetener mixture, low level of acids and non - laxative effect. But do they taste any different?
In our blind tests 90% said they liked it a lot”, says Grao. “But I think the only proof that people really like something is when they ask for a second candy. And they did”.
The German confectionery specialist Zahnfreundchen is the first distributor to launch Toothfriendly gummy bears under its Gummi Fruchtlinge range. “We are currently the only distributor worldwide to offer gummy bears which are demonstrably Toothfriendly and for which dentists’ endorsement has been obtained”, explains Manager Tobias Elger.
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Toothfriendly International is a non-profit association working for better oral health. For more information, to discuss Toothfriendly certification or to set up an interview with Toothfriendly International, please contact us.