Mentos
Scotch mints | |
Owner | Perfetti Van Melle |
---|---|
Country | Netherlands |
Introduced | 1932 |
Markets | Worldwide |
Previous owners | Van Melle NV |
Tagline | "Can't Say No To Mentos" |
Website | www |
Mentos are a brand of packaged
They are typically sold in rolls which contain 14 mint discs, although the "Sour Mix" variety contains only 11 discs per roll. Smaller versions also exist, which typically contain 4 to 6 discs per roll. Certain flavors are sold in boxes in Australia, the United States, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil and the United Kingdom. The current slogan of Mentos is "Stay Fresh",[2] while the line previously used extensively in the 1980s and 1990s was "The Freshmaker". Some Mentos packages describe the mints as "chewy dragées". The typical Mentos roll is approximately 2 cm (0.79 in) in diameter and weighs 38 grams (1.3 oz). "Mentos" is the singular form.[3]
Ingredients
Mint-flavored Mentos contain sugar, wheat
Flavors
Mentos are available in several flavors including
Other flavors include
Mentos also make chewing gum, available in various flavors. It is available in Germany, Australia, Greece, China, Canada, Brazil, Turkey, the Netherlands, Poland, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and recently, the United States in blisters and bottles, both in three different flavors. In the Netherlands, Mentos Gum is sold in blisters and bottles in six different varieties: Pure (four flavors), Fruit (four flavors), Regular (five flavors), Bubblegum, Cubes (four flavors) and White (three flavors).
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3d/Mentossugarfree.jpg/275px-Mentossugarfree.jpg)
In August 2005, the variety of the mint which comes in "mixed berries" and "cool mint" flavors was changed to be sweetened with sucralose. In the Netherlands the flavors mint, licorice and fruit are also available in the sugar-free variety.
Australian varieties of Mentos are Fruit, Rainbow, Mint, Spearmint, Soft Drink and Smoothies.
The UK has five current flavors of rolls:
- Fruit (Orange, Lemon and Strawberry)
- Mint
- Rainbow (with 2 dragees each of: Strawberry, Apple, Raspberry, Orange, Watermelon, Blueberry and Pink Grapefruit (the last two were new flavors for 2015, replacing Grape and Pineapple).
- Spearmint
- Tutti-Frutti - bubblegum flavored - new for 2012.
In the UK, Mentos Gum is also available in stick packs (peppermint, spearmint, pure white, air action (menthol) and fruit), Bottles (spearmint, peppermint and red fruit - which retails for approximately £0.99), as well as flip top boxes. Flavors include peppermint or spearmint with green tea extract, and a pure white with white tea extract. Sugar free versions are available, but these are rarer to find, usually only found in large supermarkets. Mentos gum holds a 4% market share of the UK gum market. A new Mentos 3 was launched in January 2011, in two flavors - mint and Strawberry/Apple/Raspberry, which are similar to Wrigleys' 5 in packaging. A new blackberry/kiwi/strawberry version was released into the UK market in January 2012.
In Greece, Mentos are very popular, and are available in the following flavors:
- Mint
- Strawberry
- Melon
- Watermelon
- Fruit (Orange, lemon and strawberry)
- Energy (each roll is equivalent to 2 cups of coffee)
- Mentos gum in Bottles
- Mentos Cube
- Mentos in Boxes (mint and Fruit).
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Mentos-Cinnamon-Mints.jpg/220px-Mentos-Cinnamon-Mints.jpg)
Mini Mentos, somewhat smaller than ordinary Mentos, are available in the Netherlands in two varieties: Mini Mentos Fruitmix, which contains the flavors orange, lemon, strawberry and apple, and Mini Mentos Yoghurt, with the flavors strawberry yogurt, raspberry yogurt and blueberry yogurt. Also sold is Mentos KIDZ, a bag with 12 boxes containing 10 miniature candies, in the flavors strawberry, orange, lemon, apple and blueberry.
"Mentos Teens" is available in Brazil and the rest of Latin America. They come in a rectangular box. The mint is basically miniature Mentos roughly the size of Skittles, and they come in mixed flavors: white grape (green), lemon (yellow), strawberry (pink), orange (orange), raspberry (blue), and cherry (red).
During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a Brazilian team Mentos was released in Brazil to support the national team. The mint was green apple and orange flavors.
In some countries, the Mentos Ice candy can be bought in flavors such as, cherry (red), green apple (green) and grape (purple).
Flavors only available in certain countries; Enigma (Czech Republic) Rainbow (UK and US) Ume (Japan) Fuji Apple (Japan) Pine Fresh (Japan) Ice (Canada)
Marketing
Part of Mentos's popularity in the US and Canada can be attributed to its campy TV commercials and catchy jingle, which debuted in late 1991 and were used well into 2001 on American and Canadian television. Individuals facing various day-to-day dilemmas consume Mentos and are subsequently inspired to solve their problems at hand in a creative, often-humorous fashion. For example, a job interviewee sits on a freshly painted bench, staining his suit, and then solves the problem by rolling around on the bench until his suit has pinstripes. Another features a woman whose parked car is boxed in; she calls a crew of construction workers over who lift her car onto the road for her. These unusual behaviors are typically witnessed by nearby, sometimes antagonistic characters, and a roll of Mentos is boisterously displayed by the commercial's respective protagonist to the observer as an explanation for their actions.
The ad campaign was parodied in multiple television shows and music videos, including the Foo Fighters' "Big Me".[7]
Reaction with carbonated beverages
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Diet_Coke_Mentos.jpg/187px-Diet_Coke_Mentos.jpg)
First publicly demonstrated by chemistry teacher Lee Marek on the Late Show with David Letterman on September 14, 1999,[8] and later popularized in a June 2006[9] viral Internet video by Eepybird, a Mentos mint expedites a rapid release of carbon dioxide when dropped into a carbonated liquid, such as a soft drink. MythBusters concluded that the potassium benzoate, aspartame, and CO2 gas contained in the Diet Coke, in combination with the gelatin and gum arabic ingredients of the Mentos, all contribute to the formation of the foam.[10] However, kinetic experiments with various candies have shown that the presence of gelatin and gum arabic in candies does not enhance the fountain.[11] Rather, it is the physical structure of candies that conveys the fountain effect.
The structure of the Mentos is the most significant cause of the eruption due to
This
A
The resulting geyser can shoot as high as 6 m (20 ft). The unofficial record, reached in MythBusters, was over 34 ft (10 m) with the use of a nozzle.[20]
See also
References
- ^ "Mentos Google +". Google+. Archived from the original on 16 February 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ Brownsell, Alex (16 February 2013). "Mentos unveils 'Stay fresh' global campaign". Marketing. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ "Mentos FAQ". Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- ^ http://us.mentos.com/mentos-mint
- ^ http://us.mentos.com/mentos-fruit
- ^ "Mentos Fruit Roll | Mentos".
- ^ "Foo Fighters Get Hit With Mentos; Excited About Unusual Grammy Nomination". Starpulse.com. 31 January 2006. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ "Video of Lee Marek on David Letterman Show, September 14, 1999". Chem.uic.edu. Archived from the original on 6 June 2010. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ^ "Google Insights timeline histogram of search topic 'Diet Coke and Mentos'". Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ^ "Mentos and Soda". MythBusters. Season 4. Episode 14. 9 August 2006. Discovery Channel.
- S2CID 209710757.
- ^ "Mythbusters: Diet Coke and Mentos MiniMyth". Discovery Channel. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012.
- ^ Muir, Hazel (12 June 2008). "Science of Mentos-Diet Coke explosions explained". New Scientist. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
- .
- ISSN 0021-9584.
- .
- ^ "Most Mentos and soda fountains". Guinness World Records. 17 October 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ "Most Mentos and soda fountains". Guinness World Records. 17 October 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ "Most Mentos and soda fountains". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
- ^ "Mythbusters: Diet Coke and Mentos". TV.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official Mentos website
- Mentos YouTube
- Archived 10 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine