Wrigley gets fresh with magnolia bark

Gum giant Wrigley has applied to the Food Standards Agency for approval to use magnolia bark extract as a breath-freshening ingredient in chewing gum and mints in Europe.

Gums and mints made by Wrigley that contain the extract are already widely available in the US.

However, the extract has no significant history of use in Europe prior to 1997 and must therefore undergo a rigorous safety assessment under the Novel Food Regulation if Wrigley wants to use it in Europe.

Results from intervention studies suggested that mints containing the extract "resulted in a significant reduction in the production of hydrogen sulphide [a malodorous compound produced in the mouth] compared with baseline", said Wrigley.

The extract is obtained from the bark of Magnoliae officinalis, a magnolia variety native to China that has been used for centuries in traditional Asian remedies. It is obtained using super-critical carbon dioxide extraction.