What is
Chewing Gum Made Out Of?
Whether
it's fruity, minty, or, sugarless people love to chew gum for a thousand years.
It has been with us since the Stone Age. The Mayans made gum by scaling
Sapodilla trees cutting into their trunks, and turning the white using SAP
called "chicle" into a chewy thing. However, through World War Two,
chewing gum gained worldwide popularity. After WWII, people learned how to
create artificial gum bases to replace chicle using flavored synthetic
plastics, waxes, and rubbers that are easier to manufacture. So, is chewing gum
plastic?
The
ingredients in chewing gum differ from brand-to-brand and country-to-country.
But we can say modern-day chewing gums have five main elements: Gum base,
sweeteners, softeners, flavorings, and polyol coating.
Gum Base:
It
is made of polymers, plasticizers, and resins. Polymers, including elastomers,
are responsible for the stretchy and sticky nature of chewing gum. Resins
compose the hydrophobic portion of the gum base, accountable for its chewiness.
The gum base can be made of both natural and synthetic materials. However, each
brand's gum base's exact ingredients and proportions are trade secrets within
the gum industry. Gum base ingredients (both natural and synthetic) approved by
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( 2016) can be listed as
followings;
Common
natural ingredients are Chicle, Chiquibul, Crown Gum, Massaranduba balata,
Massaranduba chocolate, Nispero, Rosidinha, Jelutong, Leche caspi (sorva),
Pendare, Perillo, Leche de vaca, Niger gutta, Tunu (tuno), Chilte, Natural
rubber.
Typical
synthetic ingredients are Butadiene-styrene rubber, Isobutylene-isoprene
copolymer (butyl rubber), Paraffin (via the Fischer-Tropsch process), Petroleum
wax, Polyethylene, Polyisobutylene, Polyvinyl acetate.
Sweeteners:
As
you have probably guessed, the most popular sweetener is sugar. Sometimes, corn
syrup is also a popular option, but artificial sweeteners are similarly used,
such as Saccharin sodium, Sorbitol, Mannitol, Xylitol, Aspartame (methyl
ester), Acesulfame potassium, Sucralose.
Softeners:
Softeners
or vegetable oil are added to chewing gum to retain moisture and increase the
gum's flexibility. These ingredients used help to soften the gum when placed
into your mouth's warmth and create the unique chewing gum texture. Typical
examples are; lecithin, hydrogenated vegetable oils, glycerol ester, lanolin,
methyl ester, rice bran wax, stearic acid, sodium, and potassium
stearates.
Flavors:
The
chewing gum's flavor component is usually added last and gives a long-lasting, refreshing,
and zingy taste to the chewing gum. Taste additives can be natural or
synthetic. Peppermint and spearmint are the most popular flavors. Food acids
are implemented to provide a sour flavor (i.e., citric, tartaric, malic).
Polyol Coating:
Chewing
gum's typical hard outer shell is created due to a water-absorbent powder
dusting of polyol to maintain the quality and extend its shelf life. This
polyol coating is easily broken down once placed in the mouth due to a mixture
of saliva and warm conditions.
In
conclusion, "is chewing gum plastic?" For the most part, the answer
is yes. Moreover, according to a study from Just One Ocean, chewing gum
contributes 100,000 tones to plastic pollution every year! For these reasons
(and many others), there are now various alternative gums on the market; they
are plant-based and suitable for vegans.
.
.
REFERENCES
Arora, D. (2016, May 30). Do You
Know What Your Chewing Gum Contains? Retrieved September 27, 2020, from https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/do-you-know-what-your-chewing-gum-contains-1409045
Manglik, R. (2017, June 09). What
does your chewing gum contains? Retrieved September 27, 2020, from https://www.indiatvnews.com/lifestyle/news-do-you-know-what-chewing-gum-is-made-up-of-384098
Terry, B., & Terry, B. (2018,
April 03). Chewing on Plastic? Yum! " My Plastic-free Life. Retrieved
September 27, 2020, from https://myplasticfreelife.com/2010/01/chewing-on-plastic-yum/
What is Chewing Gum Made Out Of? -
Chewsy Gum. (2020, January 13). Retrieved September 27, 2020, from https://chewsygum.com/health/what-is-chewing-gum-made-out-of/
Chewing gum. (2020, September 17).
Retrieved September 27, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewing_gum