11 Nov 2010 --- Roquette maintains that in effect polyols are tools for the prevention of dental caries. Increasingly directed towards the buccodental health sector, its research into the properties of polyols has helped bring about a boom in sugars-free chewing gum.

The recent green light given by EFSA to chewing gums with no added sugars containing polyols (used as bulk sweeteners) backs up research carried out by Roquette. Furthermore, recent studies conducted by Roquette can give further support to the opinions expressed by EFSA.

At the end of 2009 EFSA published three positive opinions pertaining to Article 13.1 (of European regulations, EC n°1924/2006) that are important for the manufacturers of chewing gum. These opinions concerned the consumption after a meal of chewing gum with no added sugars and its significant benefits for the biomarkers linked to the development of dental caries. EFSA has just published two new opinions, this time pertaining to article 14. They concern chewing gum with no added sugars and on the one hand the neutralisation of the dental plaque acids; and on the other the remineralisation of the tooth enamel. Both factors reduce the risk of dental caries.

In the manufacture of sugars-free chewing gum, the most frequently used polyols are maltitol, sorbitol and xylitol. Even if until now it is xylitol that has been the most studied for its dental properties, it would appear – according to the recent opinions expressed by EFSA – that the benefits for dental health are unconnected with the type of polyol used.

Roquette came to the same finding by comparing the effects of the consumption of chewing gums formulated with either SweetPearl maltitol (1) or xylitol using various parameters. In point of fact, no significant difference relating to the remineralisation of the enamel was found between the two polyols (2).

Similarly, it was proved that the consumption of chewing gums with maltitol or xylitol has similar effects on the saliva parameters * (secretion, pH and composition) and the dental plaque ** parameters (build-up, pH and composition) (3).
Furthermore, this study demonstrated that these benefits are not only linked to the mechanism of chewing a chewing gum, but also to the specific effects of the polyols themselves. In point of fact, the benefits observed for the aforementioned parameters were more pronounced for the chewing gums with maltitol or xylitol than with a gum base without polyols.

Today over 80% (4) of chewing-gum tablets in the world are made with maltitol. In the case of chewing-gum made with SweetPearl maltitol a combination of several features comes together, including flavours, textures, freshness and appearance. When it comes to texture, tablets with SweetPearl arguably achieve perfection: a stable crunchiness sustained under the most difficult storage conditions, something not equalled by other polyols. Such crunchiness has special appeal to consumers: 60% of the people questioned (5) by ACME consultants – a company specialising in surveys - put chewing-gum made with maltitol at the top of their list of preferences. They gave their opinions after having blind-tested three varieties of chewing-gum only one of which was coated with maltitol. Their fundamental impressions? A firm external tablet layer breaking up into crunchy fragments, all contrasting with the soft core. Crunchiness is the primary criterion for consumers (6). Their ideal tablet should resist slightly when bitten into, crunch and then blend the resulting fragments with the soft centre of the chewing-gum in order to form a set of contrasting textures. An additional challenge for chewing-gum manufacturers is to offer tablets that are crunchy not only at the time of purchase, but also later, sometimes a long time afterwards, and despite the chewing-gum having received shocks or been exposed to damp and even tropical conditions. Of all the polyols, it is SweetPearl maltitol that responds best to such challenges, thanks to its crystalline constitution (7) and the high level of resistance resulting from its very great purity.

(1) SweetPearl is the brand name of the maltitol made by Roquette
(2) LEE EJ, JIN BH, PAIK DI, HWANG IK Preventive Effect of Sugar-free Chewing Gum Containing Maltitol on Dental Caries in situ. Food Science and Biotechnology, 2009, 18(2): 432-435
(3) To be published
(4) Roquette Estimation
(5) ACME consultants study, France, December 2004.
(6) ACME study for Roquette on the importance of the crunchiness of chewing-gum - France - December 2004.
(7) : Maltitol SweetPearl was patented in 1998 for its new forms of crystals that enable a texture to be guaranteed that is particularly well suited to the production of chocolate and chewing gums.