Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/ plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its texture is reminiscent of rubber because of the physical-chemical properties of its polymer, plasticizer, and resin components, which contribute to its elastic-plastic, sticky, chewy characteristics.
The cultural tradition of chewing gum seems to have developed through a convergent evolution process, as traces of this habit have arose separately in many of the early civilizations. Each of the early precursors to chewing gum were derived from natural growths local to the region and were chewed purely out the instinctual desire to masticate. Early chewers did not necessarily desire to derive nutritional benefits from their chewable substances, but at times sought taste stimuli and teeth cleaning or breath-freshening capabilities.
Table 1: The Global Roots of Chewing Gum
Variations of early chewing gum arose from convergent evolution from early civilizations worldwide.
Chewing gum in many forms has existed since the Neolithic period. 6,000-year-old chewing gum made from birch bark tar, with tooth imprints, has been found in Kierikki in Finland. The tar from which the gums were made is believed to have antiseptic properties and other medicinal benefits. It is chemically similar to petroleum tar and is in this way different from most other early gum. The Aztecs, as the ancient Mayans before them, used chicle, a natural tree gum, as a base for making a gum-like substance and to stick objects together in everyday use. Forms of chewing gums were also chewed in Ancient Greece. The Ancient Greeks chewed mastic gum, made from the resin of the mastic tree. Mastic gum, like birch bark tar, has antiseptic properties and is believed to have been used to maintain oral health. Both chicle and mastic are tree resins. Many other cultures have chewed gum-like substances made from plants, grasses, and resins.
| Ancient Civilization |
Chewing Gum Precursor |
| Ancient Greece |
Mastic Tree Bark |
| Ancient Mayans |
Chicle |
| Eskimos |
Blubber |
| South Americans |
Coca Leaves |
| Chinese |
Ginseng Plant Roots |
| South Asia (India) |
Betel Nuts |
| United States (Early Settlers) |
Tobacco Leaves |
| Native Americans |
Sugar Pine and Spruce Sap |
| Ingredient |
Percent (by weight) Composition |
Functionality |
Common Examples |
| Gum Base |
25-35% |
Although the formulation of gum bases is considered proprietary information for industry competitors, three main components make up all gum bases: resin, wax, and elastomer. Resin (ex. terpene) is the main chewable portion. Wax softens the gum. Elastomers add flexibility. The molecular composition of gum base is very similar to that of plastics and rubbers. |
Natural or Synthetic Ingredients (See Table 3) |
| Sweeteners |
Sugar Alcohols: 40-50%
Artificial Sweeteners: 0.05-0.5%
|
Bulk Polyol Sweeteners are responsible for initial sweetness, whereas intensive sweeteners are intended for prolonging the sweetness effect. Intensive Sweeteners are often encapsulated to delay the release of flavor. |
Bulk Polyol Sweeteners:
sugar, dextrose, glucose or corn syrup, erythritol, isomalt, xylitol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, lactitol
|
Intensive Sweeteners:
aspartame, acesulfame-K, saccharine, sucralose, neohesperidine, dihydrichalcone
|
| Glycerine |
2-15% |
To maintain moistness. |
|
| Softener/Plasticizer |
1-2% |
To soften gum by increasing flexibility and reducing brittleness by altering the glass transition temperature. Quantities of this additive are altered in order to balance processability and packaging speed. |
lecithin, hydrogenated vegetable oils, glycerol ester, lanolin, methyl ester, pentaerythritol ester, rice bran wax, stearic acid, sodium and potassium stearates |
| Flavors |
1.5-3.0% |
For taste and sensory appeal. Flavor components in gum exist in liquid, powder or micro-encapsulatedforms. Liquid flavor incorporations are either water-soluble, oil-soluble, or water-dispersible emulsions. The oil-soluble flavors remain in the gum longer, resulting in longer lasting flavor sensations, because the gum base is hydrophobic and attracted to oil-based components. |
Natural or Synthetic
Ex. Food Acids are implemented to provide a sour flavor (i.e. citric, tartaric, malic, lactic, adipic, and fumaric acids)
|
| Colors |
Variable |
For visual appeal. |
Natural or Synthetic |
| Polyol Coating |
Variable |
Pellet gum’s characteristic hard outer shell is due to a polyol coating. Polyols can also be implemented as a water absorbent powder dusting in order to maintain the quality and extend the shelf life of the product. These humectants bind water by establishing many hydrogen bonds with water molecules. |
Sorbitol
Maltitol/Isomalt
Mannitol
Starch
|
| Natural Ingredients |
Synthetic Ingredients |
|
Sapotaceae
Chicle
Chiquibul
Crown Gum
Gutta hang kang
Massaranduba balata
Massaranduba chocolate
Nispero
Rosidinha
Venezuelan chicle
|
Butadiene-styrene rubber
Isobutylene-isoprene copolymer (butyl rubber)
Paraffin (via the Fischer-Tropsch process)
Petroleum wax
Petroleum wax synthetic
Polyethylene
Polyisobutylene Polyvinyl acetate
|
|
Apocynaceae
Jelutong
Leche caspi (sorva)
Pendare
Perillo
|
|
Moraceae
Leche de vaca
Niger gutta
Tunu (tuno)
|
|
Euphorbiaceae
Chilte
Natural rubber
|
...
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