Wrigley adds natural germ-killing agents to Eclipse gum, mints

Wrigley Jr. Co. has announced that its Eclipse line of gum and mints will be the first breath-freshening products in the United States to contain magnolia bark extract. The extract, known also as MBE, is a natural ingredient that comes from traditional Chinese medicine that kills bad breath-causing germs, a study released by Wrigley last year said.

Eclipse with MBE was promoted at the All Candy Expo in Chicago May 20. The gum is scheduled to hit retailers’ shelves this summer. Eclipse MBE gum is available in fresh and cool, peppermint, polar ice, spearmint and winterfrost flavors. Eclipse MBE mints will be released in September. Eclipse mint flavors include cinnamon inferno, peppermint, spearmint, and winterfrost.

“For Wrigley to offer this natural germ-killing ingredient is a breakthrough in the breath-freshening gum and mint categories,” Wrigley’s vice president of North American gum marketing, Paul Chibe, said. “Now people will get the best of both worlds in their favorite Eclipse gum and mints—great taste and the ability to help kill germs that cause bad breath.”

In November 2007, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry released a Wrigley-sponsored study that showed MBE could destroy significant amounts of bacteria known to cause bad breath. Evidence from that study also showed that MBE may help protect teeth from bacteria that cause dental caries.