Chewing gum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007)

This article or section may contain too much repetition.
Please help improve this article, or discuss the issue on its talk page. Editing help is available. (December 2007)

Chewing gum

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

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, flavouring and sometimes food colouring.^{[citation needed]}

1 Manufacture
2 Regulation as nuisance
3 Use in military
4 Possible health risk
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Manufacture

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 colourings, flavourings, 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 coloured and coated with a suitable glazing agent, usually a wax. The coating/glazing/colour on gum is most often derived from animal-based sources such as resinous glaze derived from an insect or beeswax. Always contact the manufacturer of the gum to clarify the ingredients including the coating/glazing/colour sources.

While gum was historically sweetened with cane sugar, xylitol, corn syrup or other natural sweeteners, a large number of brands now use artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, or Acesulfame potassium. Non-coated varieties of gum are often covered in sweetened marble dust to prevent the wrapper from sticking to the product.

[edit] Regulation as nuisance

Some cities consider the issue of wads of chewed gum on sidewalks and other public surfaces to be a serious nuisance. Singapore has tried to completely forbid gum, with heavy fines of over $6,000 for possession or use. The UK faces heavy costs to clean gum deposits in urban areas.also it is known for whole streets covered in gum and has become a major eyesore in many places[2] Attempts to get the commerical product reformulated to reduce the nuisance by making it less adhesive or degrade more rapidly have not been successful.

[edit] Use in military

The United States military have regularly supplied soldiers with chewing gum since World War I because it helped both to improve the soldiers' concentration and to relieve stress. In 1935, an estimated 12,000 lbs was chewed in one month. Recent studies show chewing gum can also improve one's mood.^{[citation needed]} As of 2005, the U.S. military is sponsoring development of a chewing gum formulation with an antibacterial agent that could replace conventional oral hygiene methods in the battlefield. This product will not be used in the field for a while.^[1]

Recently the U.S. armed forces have been providing troops with caffeinated gum to keep soldiers alert for extended periods of time without experiencing fatigue or drowsiness. Each stick of gum has approximately 100 mg of caffeine in it, about the same amount in an average cup of coffee.^[2] Although chewing gum is provided in the U.S. military MRE's, it is often strongly discouraged for a troop to be seen chewing gum while standing in "formation".

Gum is included in Canadian Forces Individual Meal Packs as an aid to oral hygiene.^{[citation needed]}

Recaldent chewing gum was introduced into New Zealand Defence Force ration packs May 2007 by New Zealand Defense Dental Services to aid oral health care for service personnel in the field. Research has shown that Recaldent gum aids remineralization to fight early tooth decay.^{[citation needed]} Chewing gum also aids in relief of stress.^[3]

[edit] Possible health risk

As mentioned above, various health benefits have been demonstrated for chewing gum, but concern has arisen about the possible carcinogenicity of the vinyl acetate (acetic acid ethenyl ester) used by some manufacturers in their gum bases. The Canadian government has classified the ingredient as a "potentially high hazard substance."[3] Currently the ingredient can be hidden in the catch-all term "gum base".