Genius reinvents candy by eliminating cavity-causing bacteria

Colin Druce-McFadden

Friday, December 13, 2013 - 5:05pm

Credit: Noor Photography

Candy isn't good for you. Eat too much of the sweet stuff and you're likely to puke, gain weight, increase your risk for type 2 diabetes and rot your teeth. The stuff just tastes so dang good, though. Thankfully, a group of scientists have come to the rescue, bent on saving us from the dangers of candy's sweet seductive embrace.

These heroes hail from Berlin, where they work for a biotech lab called ORGANOBALANCE. In their lab, these geniuses have actually created candy that won't give you cavities. In fact, the new lab-designed candy is actually good for your chompers. It may still make you puke if you eat a couple pounds of it, but your enamel will be a-ok. That's because it was never really candy's fault that it gave you cavities at all.

The real tooth decay culprit is a bacteria called Mutans streptococci, which you release into your mouth as you chew. It attaches itself to your teeth, releasing acid, which is what damages your enamel. To combat mutans streptococci, the folks at ORGANOBALANCE laced their candy with another bacteria called Lactobacillus paracasei. This interesting little bacterium has a harmless sugary coating that gloms onto Mutans streptococci and smothers it in a bear hug of tooth-protecting justice.

Plain and simple, the offending bacteria simply can't attach itself to your teeth when bonded with the good guys, saving your mouth from damaging acid. Your teeth are saved, candy is vindicated, and the real culprit is brought to justice. Hooray Science!