How gum is made. The manufacturing process is interesting

If you ask any passer-by what America is famous for, then he will probably name three things - jeans, McDonald's and And this is absolutely true. That's just about the last celebrity we will lead our story. What and how is chewing gum made of, is it really useful and is it possible to make it yourself? And you will also learn some interesting facts about the sweet and delicious smelling gum that has captivated adults and children around the world.

And what would such a chew?

Today it is difficult to say how long ago and where exactly chewing gum appeared. Our ancestors discovered it for themselves several thousand years ago. True, she did not look at all like her contemporary, but nevertheless she brought considerable benefits. Mostly tree resin was used as chewing gum. She helped to clean the teeth from plaque, freshened the breath and disinfected the oral cavity, because the resin is an excellent antiseptic. In the northern regions of our country, especially in villages, many residents to this day are well aware of what sulfur is (resin of deciduous trees). Some peoples preferred wax, others, such as the Mayan tribes, preferred dried juice. It was from him that the modern generation came. Surely each of us will be interested to know how chewing gum is made today.

A bit of history

In the middle of the 19th century, John Curtis made the first attempt to produce chewing gum from tree resin, but the business failed and the enterprise soon closed. But Thomas Adams managed to quite adequately realize the idea of his predecessor. But he started making chewing gum from rubber with the addition of licorice flavor. After only a few decades, the gum acquired a pleasant taste and aroma, it was wrapped in a beautiful wrapper and widely popularized among the inhabitants of America. Needless to say, she quickly won recognition and soon scattered around the world.

Interesting fact:

is considered a symbol of America thanks to the world-famous Wrigley company. It was she who decided to present to everyone who crossed the border of the United States, a chewing plate as a gift (well, for the purposes of self-promotion, of course).

What are we chewing?

So how is gum made today? The basis for the production are synthetic materials, which include a mixture of plasticizers, resins, elastomers and other additives, which are often derived from petroleum products. Simply put, it's rubber and plastic. The mixture is thoroughly cleaned, and then a sweetener is added - sugar or dextrose, various flavors, flavors and, of course, food coloring. The mass is heated and thoroughly kneaded to become homogeneous and elastic.

How is chewing gum made in the future? It is driven through a special press that forms long rubber strips, and a special device cuts them into portions. After the gum is wrapped in a beautiful wrapper, packaged in boxes, and in this form it will go on store shelves.

Interesting fact:

Regular chewing gum saved a plane from crashing in 1911. With her help, the resourceful British closed up the resulting hole in the engine and the tragedy was avoided. The news spread all over the world. Not a bad advertisement for chewing gum, isn't it?

Is it worth believing advertising?

Surely, having learned about what chewing gum is made of, you will have a question about whether such a product is really useful, because there are so many additives in it, and chewing gum is probably not healthy. Perhaps someone knows if it is possible and how to make chewing gum at home?

The benefits and harms of chewing gum have been debated for many years. Like any product, it has its advantages: it is really capable of cleaning plaque from tooth enamel. And its disadvantages: the manufacturer may not be entirely honest and add additives hazardous to health to the delicacy. When you pop a chewing gum into your mouth, your brain thinks it's time for lunch and starts preparing your body for eating. Yes, but food does not enter the stomach, and this can easily provoke gastritis or an ulcer.

But I wonder what the Orbit chewing gum is made of? After all, dentists around the world recommend! To be honest to the end, such chewing gum will not protect your teeth, but will simply destroy the enamel less than any other. Its composition differs only in one thing - the use of a sugar substitute. It is sugar that is added to the bulk of chewing gums, and it has a bad effect on tooth enamel.

Interesting fact:

It is often believed that pink is the color of chewing gum because it is a symbol of youth, tenderness and love. But in fact, the first chewing gum was pink only because it was the only paint that was available to its creator at that time.

We make gum ourselves

Resourceful minds do not sit idly by. There are many ideas on how to make your own gum at home. To do this, you will need a bag of gelatin, water, ½ cup of powdered sugar, 20 g of beeswax, 100 g of honey in a honeycomb.

Gelatin should be poured with a small amount of water to swell. Cut honeycombs into pieces, place in a baking sleeve and send to the microwave to melt the mass. Now you need to add gelatin and wax to it. Stir for a few minutes until all ingredients are dissolved. Cool, and then send the chewing gum to the refrigerator for half an hour. It remains to cut it into portioned pieces and sprinkle with powdered sugar so that they do not stick together.

By the way, you can make not only edible gum. There are many videos on the net about Mr. Max making this a great educational toy for the whole family.

Interesting fact:

Once, about $120,000 was spent to clear the sidewalks in Beijing of chewing gum. Since then, law enforcers have fined anyone who dares to spit out chewing gum on the streets of the city.

The chewing gum factory is located on the outskirts of the city, but it takes five minutes to get there from the Novgorod Kremlin. The smell stretches along the entire territory of the plant - not strong, sweetish and very pleasant. I want to immediately go inside to feel it more clearly.

The walk starts from the warehouse, where raw materials are received at this time. The plant is built in one line to be able to lengthen or expand the complex if necessary.

Raw materials enter the unloading area every day, and almost all materials are delivered from Europe and America, domestic - only honey, talc and maltitol syrup (molasses).

What is chewing gum made of
Chewing gum consists of a gum base, sweeteners and flavors. Previously, chewing gum was made from natural rubber, but this is a complex and expensive process - almost no one does it now. The synthetic base is made in Ireland and Poland, comes in large bags and looks like small hailstones. It is she who gives the chewing gum elasticity, ductility and long-lasting taste. There are about ten types of bases - harder and softer, a combination of two types can be used in one chewing gum.

All the frightening names on the packaging - isomalt, sorbitol, maltitol, aspartame and acesulfame - are powdered sweeteners that replace sugar. Sweeteners are much more expensive than sugar itself and are produced outside of Russia.

Flavors are divided into liquid and dry (they are stored in two different rooms), as well as synthetic and natural. So, all fruit flavors are synthetic, and mint flavors are an extract from plants. There is no one flavor that would convey a specific taste, such as watermelon. Each flavor is achieved by mixing different ingredients - up to 30 ingredients can be used to create a specific flavor. Dirol and Stimorol chewing gums have more than 300 components of different flavors. They have a shelf life of three months to five years.

All flavors undergo a procedure for confirming compliance with the requirements of the Customs Union. In addition, the proportion of flavors in chewing gum is very small. The difference between natural and identical to natural flavors is only in the method of obtaining: they are absolutely identical in composition and structure. Food colorings are also certified and approved for use in food products.

At the same time, chewing gums do not contain sugar, since it is associated with the formation of caries. Sweeteners can cause a laxative effect if taken in excess at one time, but a large amount of chewing gum must be consumed at once in order for such an effect to occur. Acesulfame is not recommended to consume more than one gram per day, but to get this amount from chewing gum, you need to consume about one kilogram of chewing gum per day (more than 70 packs).

Chewing gum is really not recommended to be chewed for more than 15 minutes on an empty stomach in order to avoid increased formation of gastric juice. It is also important to remember that chewing gum is not a substitute for brushing your teeth. Its purpose is to freshen breath, get a pleasant taste and sensations.

Chewing gum like a pie
The production of chewing gum is similar to the production of patties. First, the ingredients are mixed, the dough is rolled out, it is kept a little, sent to the oven, and finally it is taken out and packaged.

From the moment when the necessary powders arrived at the production, until the moment when the chewing gum enters the supermarket, at least a week passes. The production of chewing gum is a technologically complex and non-linear process with interruptions at almost every stage. In total, 15 processing and packaging lines operate here.

In the first room, liquid flavors are mixed - this happens manually: the operator finds the container by a metal tag and adds the right amount of content to a large tank.

All workers in respiratory masks, the operator measures the right amount of powders, referring to the recipe, weighs and adds to plastic buckets. This produces a mixture of two to six ingredients, which is then sent to a large mixer.

From mixer to conveyor
In mixers, the mixture of (dough-like base), flavors and sweeteners spends up to 40 minutes and is heated to a certain temperature.

The foreman measures the length and width of a random sample of pads using a scale and an electronic caliper. The dimensions of one pad are approximately 19.5 mm by 11.8 mm. An extra hundredth of a millimeter - and the whole batch will go for processing.

If the check by parameters is passed, then the core is sent to a cold storage. There, the bark is aged for about up to three days and hardens. After that, she is sent to a machine with the working name "Rumble", which, by vibrating, breaks the sheets into individual tablets. Next, they are in the process of dragging.

The dragee machine looks like a washing machine. You can look into the drum and see how the suspension is fed there - water, sweetener and flavors. A powerful stream of dry air removes water, and the suspension covers the core in about 40 layers. This is how chewing gum acquires its final appearance and texture.

The packaging shop is automated. The operator, sitting on the conveyor, should once or twice an hour check the parameters of the pads, the operation of the metal detectors and make appropriate notes. Employees are not allowed to chew gum in production, but this does not apply to those who sit in the packing room. Here, the duties of the operators include a test of chewing gum for taste. Employees must know the entire line of chewing gum flavors, for this they undergo special training and sensory tests. The chewing gum is packed in waterproof and airtight foil, in blisters and in a pack of two pads, and then in boxes.

How chewing gum flavors are made
It usually takes a year to a year and a half to develop a new taste. Each country has its own preferences. In Turkey, they like chewing gum without flavorings and practically without sweeteners - they chew almost the same base. France used to be supplied with licorice chewing gum. But in Russia this taste did not go. Some countries in Africa prefer chewing gum with sugar rather than sweeteners.

Almost 20 million chewing gum pads are produced per day at the plant, and finished products do not stay in the warehouse for a long time. Chewing gum is delivered to distribution warehouses in Russia, and also sent to the CIS countries, the Baltic States, Morocco, Lebanon, Greece, and Turkey.

She is always with us, without her we do not leave the house, we use it after eating and keep it at hand everywhere - this is chewing gum. Almost no modern person can do without it. But not everyone knows how chewing gum is made, and what it consists of. Let's talk about this in more detail.

Start of production

In order to figure out what chewing gum is made of, let's dive a little into history. Modern prototypes of this product were mentioned in the days of the Mayan tribe. True, the description indicates it as hardened hevea juice, or, more simply, rubber. Chewing gum and the ancient Greeks, especially popular with them was the resin of the mastic tree, which perfectly refreshes the breath. In India, betel leaves and areca palm seeds have been used for this purpose. By the way, a similar mixture of seeds is chewed in our time in many Asian countries.

Modern production is distinguished by complex technologies and not so pure natural composition of the product. It began to develop in 1848. The world's first large factory was built, of course, in America. It was thanks to her that the rest of the world learned how gum is made and began to use it in such quantities. Several manufacturers alternately tried to derive its correct formula, ideal for the consumer, but it turned out only in 1928 with Walter Diemer:

Rubber in it should be no more than twenty percent.
The main part (up to 60%) is sugar and its substitutes.
Corn syrup - 19%.
Flavorings - no more than one percent.

We can inflate large bubbles precisely because of its composition.

Now how do they make gum?

The production of chewing gum in our time practically does not differ in its technology from that described. True, rubber is now too expensive, and its analogue is synthetic rubber, and in addition to it there is a large set of various preservatives, flavors and thickeners, without which it is already difficult to imagine any modern product.

The basis

The production process is a complex matter, here everything is made using automatic machines and in large volumes. And it all starts with the basics. For it, plastic and synthetic rubber are used, which are loaded into a special vat with a mixer. Here the mass is heated and mixed with glucose syrup, dyes and flavors. As a result, it becomes soft and elastic, convenient for its further processing.

The most pleasant smells always come from warehouses with flavors. Here they are found in large quantities, but the interesting thing is that a certain taste does not really exist. For example, how is watermelon gum made? This may require up to thirty different types of flavors. All of them have their own specific shelf life, lasting from several months to five years. For the manufacture of the base, they are selected separately and delivered to the workshop in limited quantities.

After making each individual flavor, the large mixer has to be cleaned, which is a very painstaking and time-consuming job, but it is necessary to do this in order to prevent the flavors from mixing.

Shaping

This is just the beginning of the process, but how do they make chewing gum next? Now let's go to the press. The resulting soft mass is fed into a special machine, which heats it up even more and compresses it, forcing it through a narrow gap. The result is a long, flat ribbon.

The next machine gives it the desired shape, familiar to us, similar to a record, and sends it further along the moving tape to the cooling chamber. We all know the sticky properties of gum. It is necessary precisely for their elimination and subsequent convenient processing of the product.

We divide into pieces

The cooled chewing gum moves further and is cut into identical bars with the help of special knives. Everything happens very quickly, literally in one second up to a thousand of its pieces are formed and sent for packaging, each of which is sent for a mandatory check.

Of course, it is random, a person cannot, like an automaton, quickly measure thousands of pads, but such a check is also an important aspect in this production. Each of the firms has a certain limit between the maximum and minimum size of the product, and if a discrepancy is detected, the entire batch will be sent for recycling. The smoothness and appearance of the chewing gum is also taken into account.

At the packaging phase, everything is automated, here the chewing gum is wrapped in special paper, goes further to packaging and folds into boxes. So we figured out how to make chewing gum.

Benefit or harm?

Everyone who is interested in how and from what chewing gum is made must ask the question: "How harmful is it to our body?" There is an opinion that its influence is purely negative. But after considering the process, you can see for yourself that this is exactly the same confectionery product as any other, and the harm from chewing gum will be exactly the same as from the cake.

It should be noted that the composition of all well-known chewing gum manufacturers meets high modern requirements and includes only ingredients acceptable for food production. It really should not be chewed for more than a quarter of an hour, as this negatively affects the stomach, causing an increase in digestive processes and, as a result, a large release of gastric juice that corrodes its walls.

Do not forget: dentists indicate that chewing gum is intended solely for freshening breath and enjoying its pleasant taste.

Dirol chewing gum appeared in Russia in October 1993. The Danish family company Dandy first set up distribution, and six years later built a factory in Veliky Novgorod to produce chewing gum here. The Dirol and Stimorol brands passed from one company to another several times: in 2003 Dandy was bought by the British confectionery company Cadbury Schweppes, then the plant was transferred to the Russian branch of Kraft Foods, which became part of the international company Mondelēz International in 2013. The Village went to Veliky Novgorod to see how chewing gum is made.

Photos

Ivan Anisimov

Production

The plant where Dirol is made is located on the outskirts of the city, but it takes five minutes to get there from the Novgorod Kremlin. Danish entrepreneurs from Dandy invested more than 2 billion rubles here at the initial stage, and funding over the past six years has amounted to about 1 billion rubles. The industrial complex in metallic color with large windows looks modern and technologically advanced - the authors of the building project even received an award for the architectural design, but this is not what we notice. The smell stretches along the entire territory of the plant - not strong, sweetish and very pleasant. I want to immediately go inside to feel it more clearly.

After the briefing, we put on gowns, gloves, special shoes, put our hair under plastic caps and stick earplugs on a string into our ears. Before entering the production, there is a sign with the number "1333" - this is the number of days without accidents, which reminds employees of the observance of safety precautions at work. The walk starts from the warehouse, where raw materials are received at this time. Far-sighted Danes built the plant in one line in order to be able to lengthen or expand the complex if necessary, which was done three years ago. So in fact we go from shop to shop in a straight line.

Raw materials enter the unloading area every day, and almost all materials are delivered from Europe and America, domestic - only honey, talc and maltitol syrup (molasses).

Factory Mondelēz International

Location: Veliky Novgorod

Opening date: 1999

Employees: 350 people

Factory area: 15 000 m2

Power: up to 30,000 tons of chewing gum and candies per year

What is chewing gum made of

Chewing gum consists of a gum base, sweeteners and flavors. Previously, chewing gum was made from natural rubber, but this is a complex and expensive process - almost no one does it now. The synthetic base is made in Ireland and Poland, comes in large bags and looks like small hailstones. It is she who gives the chewing gum elasticity, ductility and long-lasting taste. There are about ten types of bases - harder and softer, a combination of two types can be used in one chewing gum.

Flavors are divided into liquid and dry (they are stored in two different rooms), as well as synthetic and natural. So, all fruit flavors are synthetic, and mint flavors are an extract from plants. It turns out that a pleasant smell comes from the warehouse of flavors. There is no one flavor that would convey a specific taste, such as watermelon. Each flavor is achieved by mixing different ingredients - up to 30 ingredients can be used to create a specific flavor. Dirol and Stimorol chewing gums have more than 300 components of different flavors. They have a shelf life of three months to five years. A limited quantity is transferred to the workshops, which corresponds to the recipe of a certain taste.

There is an opinion that the use of chewing gum can adversely affect the body. “Chewing gum is a food product, a confectionery product. Its quality and safety for the health of the consumer are subject to the same high requirements as for any other food product. If we talk about the composition of chewing gum, then it uses only ingredients approved for use in food,” says Andrey Samodin, spokesman for Mondelēz International in Russia.

All flavors undergo a procedure for confirming compliance with the requirements of the Customs Union. In addition, the proportion of flavors in chewing gum is very small. “We use both natural and natural flavors. The difference between the two types of flavorings is only in the method of obtaining: they are absolutely identical in composition and structure,” says Samodin. According to him, food colorings are also certified and approved for use in food products. At the same time, Dirol and Stimorol chewing gums do not contain sugar, since this ingredient is associated with the formation of caries. Sweeteners can cause a laxative effect if taken in excess at one time, but a large amount of chewing gum must be consumed at once in order for such an effect to occur. Acesulfame is not recommended to consume more than one gram per day, but to get this amount from chewing gum, you need to consume about one kilogram of chewing gum per day (more than 70 packs).

Chewing gum is really not recommended to be chewed for more than 15 minutes on an empty stomach in order to avoid increased formation of gastric juice. “It's also important to remember that chewing gum is not a substitute for brushing your teeth. Its purpose is to freshen breath, get a pleasant taste and sensations, ”said Samodin.

Chewing gum like a pie

“The production of chewing gum is similar to the production of pies,” says Irina Tsareva, quality control manager. - How do we cook pies? First, we mix the ingredients, roll out the dough, let it stand a little, send it to the oven, take it out and pack it.”

It takes at least a week from the moment when the necessary powders arrived at the production site until the moment when a person chooses the taste of Dirol at the counter in the supermarket. The production of chewing gum is a technologically complex and non-linear process with interruptions at almost every stage. In total, 15 processing and packaging lines operate here.

A recipe system has been introduced at the plant: operators who prepare components for mixing receive a recipe that determines how much and what to take. In the first room, liquid flavors are mixed - this happens manually: the operator finds the container by a metal tag and adds the right amount of content to a large tank. The smell that we felt at the beginning becomes much stronger here.

When we move to the hall where the ingredients are weighed, it becomes so strong that it hurts the eyes and tickles the throat. “You can’t come to any production and not smell a specific smell. Any production smells, and our smell is quite pleasant, ”Irina answers my question if such a concentration is harmful. The same team works here as in the previous section. All workers are wearing respiratory masks - the operator Vitaly measures the right amount of powders, checking the recipe, weighs and adds to plastic buckets. This produces a mixture of two to six ingredients, which is then sent to a large mixer.

From mixer to conveyor

In mixers, the mixture of the base, flavors and sweeteners spends up to 40 minutes and is heated to a certain temperature. With us, the worker opens the mixer after the “session” - it contains a mass that really looks like dough. Each time after unloading the mass, the mixer is cleaned - this takes a lot of effort from the workers. “We cannot allow one taste to mix with another, so the worker must clean the surface - he does it manually, unfortunately, no one in the world has yet figured out how to quickly and efficiently eliminate chewing gum,” says Irina.

The dough is unloaded into a special container, which goes further - to the pre-extruder and extruder. These machines once again mix the mass, and then roll out the layers like a mechanical rolling pin. After a certain thickness is reached, the dough is cut with longitudinal and transverse rollers. The output is plates that are easy to divide into pads. At the factory, they are usually called the "core" or "bark". I slow down at the extruder in the hope that now I will get at least one pad, but they are taken to the measurement control point. Foreman Vadim measures the length and width of a random sample of pads using scales and an electronic caliper - they must pass between the minimum and maximum limits of the required parameters. The dimensions of one Dirol pad are approximately 19.5 mm by 11.8 mm. An extra hundredth of a millimeter - and the whole batch will go for processing. Recycling is a common thing here. If the pads are not the right size and shape or are not as smooth as they should be, then they are sent for recycling from any stage of production.

Dirol has an X-Fresh line with a powder center, which is made differently than chewing gum in sticks and sticks. The beginning is the same: the base and sweeteners are loaded into the mixer, the mass is mixed and delivered to the extruder. But it’s not a flat dough that comes out of it, but a “sausage”, into the center of which powder is injected. To prevent the dough from sticking to surfaces, oil or talc is used.

The packaging shop is automated. “If earlier workers manually put packs of chewing gum into boxes, now it happens automatically,” says Irina. The operator, sitting on the conveyor, should once or twice an hour check the parameters of the pads, the operation of the metal detectors and make appropriate notes. Employees are not allowed to chew gum in production, but this does not apply to those who sit in the packing room. Here, the duties of the operators include a test of chewing gum for taste. Employees must know the entire line of Dirol and Stimorol - for this they undergo special training and sensory tests. The chewing gum is packed in waterproof and airtight foil, in blisters and in a pack of two pads, and then in boxes.

How chewing gum flavors are made

“Variety of flavors is one of the things people expect from chewing gum. Now we want watermelon, then mint flavor, then something else. The assortment adapts to all occasions: some tastes come, and some leave and sometimes come back, - says the company's press secretary Andrey Samodin. - Of course, we monitor the dynamics of sales, conduct market research. Then the development of the concept begins: what is the taste for, what need does it satisfy, how will it fit into the current assortment. The R&D department then prepares the recipes. If we make chewing gum with tangerine flavor, then five tastes with different shades will come out in the final - some slightly more sour, some sweet. Experts have an understanding of what tastes the market is more inclined to, but the final word is up to the consumer.”

It usually takes a year to a year and a half to develop a new taste. Dirol has recently introduced two new flavors, Mango and Passion Fruit, as part of the Brazilian Flavors concept. And the leader among Russian consumers for several years is the taste of watermelon and melon.

“Each country has its preferences. In Turkey, they like chewing gum without flavorings and practically without sweeteners - they chew almost the same base. In France, we used to supply licorice chewing gum. But in Russia this taste did not go, although I really liked it. In some African countries, they prefer chewing gum with sugar rather than sweeteners,” says Irina Tsareva.

Now the assortment on the Russian market includes Stimorol and four Dirol formats (classic pads, blister pads, records and Dirol XXL), which in total give a choice of 26 flavors.

Chewing gum has long been an integral part of human life. Do not forget about it and television advertising, which is happy to remind you that chewing gum reduces the risk of caries. What other "abilities" does chewing gum have, let's try to figure it out in this article.

The history of chewing gum goes back to ancient Greece, when the Greeks liked to chew the resin of the Mastic tree, which grows in Greece and Turkey. Even then they realized that mastic, as they called chewing gum, cleans teeth and freshens breath. The Mayan Indians also loved to chew the frozen sap of trees, 1000 years ago they used the juice of the Sapodilla tree, and the Indians of Latin America chewed the frozen sap of coniferous trees. Later, white settlers adopted this habit from the natives, but improved chewing gum by mixing the resin of coniferous trees with beeswax. As for the first commercial chewing gum, it appeared on the market in 1848 with the light hand of John B. Curitis in Maine.

Today, the chewing gum industry is one of the most profitable, because most people subconsciously absorb advertising slogans that chewing gum is tasty, healthy and fashionable. At the same time, few people care about its effect on the body, and meanwhile, for many, chewing gum has become a habit. Manufacturers offer us a huge selection of chewing gums in bright colored packages, and we, tempted by quick and easy oral care, are ready to use chewing gum, generously sharing it with our children.

Nowadays, they have already begun to talk a lot about the harm that chewing gum can cause to human health, the topic of the correct use of chewing gum has become relevant and interesting for research by scientists. Some countries consider the general infatuation of the population with chewing gum as a social problem, because people do not take into account either the place or the time, they chew it during a conversation, at lectures at the university, disregarding established ethical standards. At the same time, doctors are sounding the alarm, revealing the negative consequences of the addiction to frequent use of chewing gum. It turns out that there are chewing gums that are especially dangerous for our health, and especially for the health of children. This is explained by the fact that they contain chemical elements whose properties are unknown to most people. Infectious advertising says that chewing gum will help improve tooth enamel, restore acid-base balance, eliminate tartar and more. But why do people who often use chewing gum develop diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, mechanical damage to tooth enamel occurs, or fillings fall out? Not a single ad will tell you about this!

The chemical composition of chewing gum

Since the beginning of the history of chewing gum, its chemical composition has changed repeatedly, until manufacturers found the “ideal formula”, the essence of which is that the gum base is 20% chewing gum, and 60% sugar. Another 5% are additives that give taste, color and smell. Most of these ingredients are trade secrets, as are the components of each individual aroma and flavor. It turns out that we are in the dark about what we use ourselves and offer to children?

Gum rubber base

The main highlight of chewing gum is its rubber base. Initially, it was assumed that such a base should consist of the sap of rubber trees, which, in the process of acid treatment or evaporation, becomes a soft and elastic mass. But think, can there be enough trees on earth to satisfy mass production? Manufacturers found a way out of the shortage of rubber tree sap and began to replace it with a synthetic base.

There are children's chewing gums, and their purpose, it would seem, should reduce the risk of negative effects on the body. But data from the Testing Center for Polymer Shoes, Medical and Latex Products in Russia showed that children's chewing gums are the most dangerous. The “harmfulness” of gum can even be determined by taste - it is tougher, loses its taste faster and soon begins to taste bitter. Styrene-butadiene rubber, which makes up its rubber base, gives such properties to the gum. As a rule, this component is used by manufacturers from the "third world", but it happens that developed countries also save money with its help.

Some countries have banned the use of styrene-butadiene rubber, as studies have shown that the styrene it releases irritates mucous membranes, causes headaches, and negatively affects the nervous system.

Gum base manufacturers are most often the same companies that supply rubber, as well as enterprises that buy rubber and sell the gum base, or large chewing gum companies. In order for the chewing and mechanical properties of the chewing gum to meet the needs of consumers, special additives are needed that maintain elasticity. As such, glycerin or emulsifiers of natural origin are used (lecithin, gums, antioxidants can be added).

Nutritional supplements

Today, many people already know about the negative impact on the body of taste stimulants, so popular with food manufacturers. If we talk about the most expensive varieties of chewing gum, they are distinguished by a rich taste and aroma, which means that they contain a whole range of food additives.

Yes, we all want the taste of chewing gum to last as long as possible, such chewing gum is most loved by the people. But, as mentioned above, flavor fixatives are a trade secret known only to manufacturers. Experts have found that the taste of chewing gum with sugar substitute lasts longer than with natural sugar.

The most popular chewing gum flavor is, of course, menthol. Let's see what menthol gum is. Menthol has four stereoisomers, each of which has the "-", "+" and "+/-" forms. The main difference between stereoisomers is taste and smell. The most intense menthol or cooling flavor is (-) menthol, which makes up 80% of peppermint essential oil. But modern technology has also developed synthetic menthol, which is often used in production. Although today there are research data that are encouraging that, nevertheless, the predominant part of menthol is obtained from peppermint oil. In this case, the oil goes through the stage of cooling and subsequent centrifugation of the crystals.

Modern chewing gum uses a huge variety of fruit flavors, the main components of which are recognizable and well-known. But the consumer demands taste, smell and color completely identical to natural or even exceeding it. For this purpose, many chewing gums have to be tinted. Agree, gray-white chewing gum cannot smell like strawberries. All gum dyes must be officially approved by the International Quality Standard and be included in the list of tested and harmless substances. Such a list exists, in addition, it is constantly supplemented and rechecked, components that have shown themselves negatively can be excluded from it. This happened with monoazonaphthalene, a naphthalene red dye known under the code E-123. It turns out that it was taken out of use due to the discovery of its mutagenic activity. But how long has it been used in chewing gum!

Chewing gum and human health

What happens to our body when we abuse chewing gum? If we take the microbiological side, then the high sugar content makes chewing gum absolutely harmless, bacteria simply do not survive at such a concentration. But there is also excessive calorie content, impaired metabolism and dental disease - a set that causes the systematic use of chewing gum.

The largest accumulation of microbes on the human body is the oral cavity. It is microbes that secrete a huge amount of acids that destroy teeth. The “correct” chewing gum should neutralize the acid; for this, urea is added to it. When buying chewing gum, pay attention to the presence of sugar or a sweetener in it. If glucose is included in the composition, then all dysbacterial properties are canceled, because glucose itself contributes to the spread of bacteria.

Despite the fact that the main purpose of chewing gum is to protect teeth, many of the varieties themselves are the cause of diseases of the oral cavity. If you carefully study the composition of the chewing gum, you will see that its main components are glycerin (E-422 stabilizer), gum arabic (E-414 thickener), butylhydrooxinazole (E-320 antioxidant), lecithins and phosphatides (E-322 emulsifier). Glycerin, being absorbed into the blood in large quantities, exhibits toxic properties, which can result in such blood diseases as hemolysis, hemoglobinuria, and even methemoglobin kidney infarcts. The concentration of butylhydrooxinazole increases the level of cholesterol in the blood, and lecithin promotes strong salivation with subsequent disorders of the digestive system. The composition of saliva also undergoes serious changes with constant chewing of gum, which threatens the development of caries, periodontal disease, gingivitis, etc.

Those who are familiar with Pavlov's reflex laws understand that with prolonged chewing, the work of the secretory apparatus of the digestive system begins, that is, the salivary glands begin to produce saliva when food enters the stomach, more gastric juice is released, bile is collected in the gallbladder, that is, the entire digestive the system is preparing for food processing. And there is no food! At the same time, saliva cannot be neutralized anywhere, and gastric juice too. Such stagnations lead to the formation of gallstones, gastritis, duodenitis, cholecystitis and pathology of the salivary glands.

Recall another effect of chewing gum - laxative. The fact is that most chewing gum contains sorbitol - a sugar substitute. This component belongs to alcohols, polyols, known for both sweetness and laxative properties. Of course, someone can say that to achieve this effect, you need to chew 30–40 g of gum, but life shows that even 10 g is enough. Another component, xylitol, enhances the laxative effect. On the one hand, it is useful for teeth, but on the other hand, it also represents a group of polyols and also effectively weakens. The conclusion is that all anti-caries chewing gums can cause diarrhea.

Note that the weight of one pack of gum is 13-15 g, which means that it can contain 8-10 g of laxative-sweet alcohols. Of course, it cannot be argued that chewing gum is a good laxative. After all, alcohols, polyols, work as osmotic agents, that is, they retain part of the fluid in the large intestine. This leads to spasms and flatulence. And for people already suffering from gastroduodenitis, colitis, chewing gum is generally contraindicated. Chewing gum on an empty stomach is especially harmful.

Another detrimental effect of gum is the development of psychological dependence. For many “fresh breath” lovers, chewing gum has become a real salvation, because it quickly and easily helps to gain confidence in the absence of bad breath after eating. But surveys conducted in most countries have shown that most people have a worse attitude towards people who constantly chew gum, for some people who constantly chew are generally disgusted.

It is extremely harmful to chew gum and puff on a cigarette at the same time, since chewing gum has the ability to absorb carcinogens, which, along with saliva, enter the stomach.

Researchers at the University of Rochester have concluded that cigarette-shaped chewing gum develops the habit of smoking in children. Such chewing gum is liked by many children, as they have a feeling of being involved in adult life. And if a child often uses chewing gums that completely imitate the design of cigarettes, then his chances of becoming a heavy smoker increase greatly. Today in the UK, Canada and Australia, such chewing "cigarettes" are already banned, but in the US they are sold next to regular chewing gum and even their packaging is completely identical to that of cigarettes.

Indications for chewing gum

So is it really necessary to say goodbye to chewing gum, the regular use of which can lead to dangerous diseases that require complex treatment?

By no means, no. In fact, chewing gum can do us a favor, because it promotes the secretion of gastric juice, and also improves digestion, removes food debris from the surface of tooth enamel. But all this applies only to the first 5–10 minutes. after meal.