Fruit juices and drinks made from them provide health-relevant ingredients such as vitamins, minerals and also secondary plant substances such as polyphenols and anthocyanins. Certain polyphenols such as those from quinces or cider apples also have caries-reducing effects. This is because they repress bacteria and prevent the development of dental plaque.
To what extent these caries-reducing effects are actually able to compensate for the caries-promoting effects of the sugar contained in fruit juices is not yet clear. But this is exactly where the research project of the Geisenheim University in cooperation with the University of Kiel comes in: They are developing a sugar- and acid-reduced drink that is also rich in polyphenols. The team is first investigating the effect of this drink on caries bacteria in the laboratory, while the influence of the drink on cariogenic processes in the mouth is then tested with probands.
Eckes-Granini is supporting the project within the framework of joint industrial research (Industrielle Gemeinschaftsforschung, IGF): "Fruit juices with health-promoting ingredients of natural origin are in great demand among our consumers. Innovative beverages with an influence on a healthy lifestyle are particularly well suited to meet this demand," says Dr. Volker Herdegen, Manager Research & Innovation Eckes-Granini Group. The results make an important scientific contribution to the health-promoting effects of juice and are therefore awaited with great interest.
More about the study
