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| Ingredients |
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What is chewing gum made of? The exact composition of chewing gum is usually a trade secret, but generally consists of ingredients from the following categories: Gumbase:Gumbase is the heart of each chewing-gum. It provides all the basic textural and masticatory properties of gum. Up until 1950, chewing gum was made of a substance called chicle mixed with flavorings. Today, chemists learned how to make artificial gum bases as Elastomere to replace chicle.Food thickeners:Food thickeners are naturally or artificial produced. They give chewing gum the exact consistency and are typically used as stabilizers, e.g., pectin (E440) or modified starch.Elastomers:provide the elasticity or bounce, e.g., glycerin. Emulsifiers:help to hydrate different ingredients such as water and oil, the most common being lecithin (E322). Sugar or artificial sweetener: Today, most chewing gums are offered sugar-free. List of the most important artificial sweetener: Sorbitol: E420 Sorbitol is used as a sweetening agent and is a natural carbohydrate alcohol. Sorbitol is partly absorbed and metabolised as fructose by the body. It does not have the same sweetness as sugar, though. Sorbitol also masks the bitter after taste of saccharin and helps to maintain the physical texture of chewy sweets. Sorbitol and xylitol are prefereably used in the production of dental care gum. It is not fermented by oral bacteria and therefore prevent dental caries. Xylitol: E 967 As Sorbitol Xylitol is a sweetening agent and a natural carbohydrate alcohol. Commercially it is produced from a polysaccharide fraction of wood pulp. Xylitol is much sweeter than Sorbitol and much more expensive in the production. As it prevents tooth decay it is often used as a sweetener for dental care gums. Acesulfam K: E 950 Acesulfame K [E-950] is a calorie-free artificial sweetener, and 150 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). Aspartame: E 951 Aspartame is the name for an artificial sweetener. It is made up of two amino acids: Aspartic acid, and phenylalanine. Aspartame is an intense sweetener, approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar. It has been used in sugar-free chewing gums and is alleged to taste more like sugar. Saccharin: E 954 Saccharin[2] is an artificial sweetener and 300 to 700 times sweeter than sucrose. Unfortunately it has an unpleasant bitter or metallic aftertaste, especially at high concentrations. Therefore, saccharin is often used together with aspartame. Maltitol: E 965 Maltitol is a sugar alcohol, produced from malt sugar (maltose) derived from starch. It has only 80% of the sweetness of sucrose (table sugar), and has a somewhat lesser effect on blood glucose. Flavorings: Flavor is the sensory impression of chewing gums. Usually companies keep it a secret which flavor to which amount and combination they create. Food coloring: Food colorings are natural or artificial substances. They are added to chewing gums and bubble gums to give them the right color. Antioxidants: In order to protect chewing gums from oxidation, ingredients such as Tocopherol (Vitamin E, E 307) or Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C, E 300) are added. Carnabau: Carnabau wax is vegetable based and is used as a surface finishing agent in chewing gum. It helps to protect chewing gum from humidity. This is especially important for sugar-free chewing gums as natural carbohydrate alcohol absorbs humidity. |
