The probiotic gum containing Heyndrickxia coagulans SNZ1969® did not show a statistically significant additional effect on volatile sulphur compound concentrations compared with the placebo gum.
H2S and CH3SH concentrations did not differ between the probiotic and placebo groups at any visit.
Within the probiotic group, H2S was significantly lower than baseline at T2 and T3, but this decrease was not greater than the change seen with placebo.
Taxon-level microbiome analyses showed nominal associations with taxa plausibly linked to sulphur metabolism, but none survived false-discovery-rate correction.
The study was designed as an exploratory secondary analysis of a parent randomized controlled trial not originally powered to detect VSC outcomes.
Chewing gum itself may reduce oral malodor through salivary stimulation independent of probiotic content.
This research examined whether a chewing gum containing a specific probiotic bacterium (Heyndrickxia coagulans SNZ1969®) could reduce the compounds responsible for bad breath (called volatile sulphur compounds, or VSCs) more effectively than a plain sugar-free gum. Fifty-two healthy adults chewed either the probiotic gum or a placebo gum for four weeks, and breath measurements were taken at multiple points including one week after stopping. Forty-four participants completed the study. The study found no meaningful difference between the probiotic gum and the placebo gum in reducing VSC levels at any measurement point. Interestingly, people in the probiotic group did show lower levels of hydrogen sulphide (a major bad-breath compound) compared to their own starting levels at weeks two and three, but this same pattern was also seen in the placebo group, suggesting the act of chewing gum itself — not the probiotic — may be responsible for any improvement. Analysis of bacteria in dental plaque hinted at some connections between certain bacterial species and sulphur compound levels, but these associations were too weak to be considered reliable after statistical correction. This research suggests that adding H. coagulans to chewing gum does not provide an additional benefit for reducing bad-breath compounds beyond what plain chewing gum already offers, at least in healthy people without diagnosed bad breath. The authors caution that the results are exploratory and that future studies should specifically recruit people who have clinically confirmed halitosis and be designed from the start to measure VSC outcomes, in order to draw firmer conclusions about whether oral probiotics in gum could be a useful tool for managing bad breath.
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Upload Your LabsCirio S, Mantegazza G, Salerno C, Guglielmetti S, Allam A, Campus G, et al.. (2026). A Chewing Gum Containing Heyndrickxia coagulans SNZ1969® and Volatile Sulphur Compounds: An Exploratory Secondary Analysis of a Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.. Nutrients. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18162735