Chewing Gum

Chewing gum is a type of confectionery traditionally made of chicle, a natural latex product, or rubber. more...

Chewing gum has traditionally been made from chicle, but for reasons of economy and quality many modern chewing gums use rubber instead of chicle. Chicle is nonetheless still the base of choice for some regional markets, such as in Japan. Chewing gum is a combination of a water-insoluble phase, known as gum base, and a water-soluble phase of sweeteners, flavoring and sometimes food coloring.

The approximate manufacturing methods are fairly constant between brands. The gum base is melted at a temperature of about 115 °C (240 °F), until it has the viscosity of thick maple syrup, then filtered through a fine mesh screen. Then it is further refined by separating dissolved particles in a centrifuge, and further filtered. Clear base, still hot and melted, is then put into mixing vats. Other ingredients that may be added include: powdered sugar (the amount and grain size of which determines the brittleness of the resulting gum), corn syrup and/or glucose (which serve as humectants and coat the sugar particles to stabilize their suspension and keep the gum flexible), various softeners, food colorings, flavorings, preservatives and other additives.

The homogenized mixture is then poured onto cooling belts and cooled with cold air. Extrusion, optional rolling and cutting, and other mechanical shaping operations follow. The chunks of gum are then put aside to set for 24 to 48 hours.

Coated chewing gums then undergo other operations. The chunks are wrapped with optional undercoating for better binding with outer layers then are immersed into liquid sugar. The pellets are then colored and coated with a suitable glazing agent, usually a wax. The coating/glazing/color on gum is most often derived from animal-based sources such as resinous glaze derived from an insect or beeswax. Vegans, vegetarians, and those who do not wish to consume animal-based products or people with allergies should be aware of the limited variety of non-animal derived gums available. Always contact the manufacturer of the gum to clarify the ingredients including the coating/glazing/color sources.

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