US 4,500,547 AGrant
Reduced-Shrink Bubble Gum
Issue Date:1985-02-19
•20 Claims
Abstract
A reduced-shrink chewing gum composition having good film-forming characteristics which is prepared with a relatively high amount of inert inorganic filler and a non-styrene butadiene gum base. The filler material is included as a component of the gum base and as a component added after formation of the gum base.
Metadata
Assignee
- Nabisco Brands, Inc.
Inventors
- Wayne J. Puglia
- Gary S. Kehoe
- K. Warren Clark
Application Information
Application Number:US 5899680
Filing Date:1984-03-15
Priority Date:1982-08-30
Art Unit:132
Classifications
IPC:
A23G 330
Field of Search:
4263;4;5;6
Patent Drawings
This patent does not have any drawings.
Description
The following is a general gum base formulation in accordance with the present invention.
In any event, the gum bases useful in the present invention can be preformed before forming a chewing gum, and will be present in an amount within the range of from about 10 to about 40% and preferably from about 15 to about 30% by weight of the chewing gum.
The chewing gum of the invention may be of the sugar-containing or sugarless variety. Examples of sweeteners which may be employed include sugars, for example, monosaccharides, of 5 or 6 carbon atoms, such as arabinose, xylose, ribose, glucose, mannose, galactose, fructose, dextrose, or sorbose or mixtures of two or more of the foregoing monosaccharides; disaccharides, for example, sucrose, such as cane or beet sugar, lactose, maltose or cellobiose; polysaccharides, such as partially hydrolyzed starch or dextrin, as well as sugar alcohols, such as sorbitols, mannitol, xylitol, mixtures thereof, as well as hydrogenated starch hydrolysates or isomaltitol, and mixtures of two or more of the above sugars and/or sugar alcohols.
Any of the above sugars may be present in an amount of within the range of from about 30% to about 70% and preferably from about 55% to about 65% by weight of the chewing gum. The sugar alcohols, where present, will also be employed in an amount of from about 30% to about 70% and preferably from about 55% to about 65% by weight of the chewing gum.
The sugar or sugar alcohols need not be present in a sugarless chewing gum product.
Surprisingly, the amount of sugar employed in the gum composition of the present invention can be reduced by about 15-25% of the amount normally employed without detracting from the level of sweetness of the gum composition.
While it is not necessary to use intense sweeteners to maintain adequate sweetness, the chewing gum of the invention may also contain in lieu of or in addition to any of the above sugars or sugar alcohols an artificial intense sweetener, such as, for example, Aspartame .RTM., cyclamate, or a saccharin or other intense sweetener as set out hereinafter, the artificial sweetener being present in an amount of from about 0 to about 1.5% by weight, and preferably, from about 0.05 to about 0.3% by weight of the chewing gum.
The intense sweeteners may be of artificial or of natural origin. Examples of intense sweeteners which may be employed herein include sodium, calcium or ammonium saccharin salts, dihydrochalcones, glycyrrhizin, dipotassium glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhizic acid ammonium salt, L-aspartyl-L- phenylalanine methyl ester (aspartame), the sodium, ammonium or calcium salt of 3,4-dihydro-6-methyl-1,2,3,-oxathiazine- 4-one-2,2-dioxide, the potassium salt of 3,4-dihydro-6-methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4-one-2,2-dioxide (Acesulfame-K), as well as Thaumatococcus daniellii (Thaumatin I and II), Stevia rebaudiana (stevioside), Richardella dulcifica (Miracle Berry), Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii (Serendipity Berry), cyclamate salts, and the like or mixtures of any two or more of the above.
The chewing gum of the invention may include flavoring, such as sour or fruit flavoring or non-acid or mint flavoring in an amount ranging from about 0.2 to about 3%, and preferably from about 0.5 to about 2%, by weight, of the final chewing gum product. The flavoring may comprise synthetic flavors and oils derived from plants, leaves, flowers, fruit, etc. Representative fruit flavor adjuncts include acids, such as adipic, citric, succinic and fumaric acid, and citrus oils, such as lemon oil, orange oil, lime oil, grapefruit oil, and fruit essences, such as apple essence, pear essence, peach essence, strawberry essence, apricot essence, raspberry essence, cherry essence, plum essence, pineapple essence, as well as the following essential oils: peppermint oil, spearmint oil, mixtures of peppermint oil and spearmint oil, clove oil, bay oil, anise oil, eucalyptus oil, thyme oil, cedar leaf oil, cinnamon oil, oil of nutmeg, oil of sage, oil of bitter almonds, cassia oil, and methylsalicylate (oil of wintergreen). Various synthetic flavors, such as mixed fruit, may also be incorporated in the chewable gum base with or without conventional preservatives.
Finally, an additional amount of inert inorganic filler is also included in the normally water-soluble components added to the preformed gum base. The amount of additional filler material added with the water-soluble components can be from about 10% to about 30% by weight based on the weight of the chewing gum composition, thereby raising the overall amount of filler to from about 12% to about 44% by weight of said gum composition, and preferably to about 13.0 to 40.5% by weight and most preferably to about 16% to about 25%.
The following is a general chewing gum composition formula in accordance with the present invention.
In selecting the various components of both the gum base composition, and the flavorant composition which are to be added to the chewing gum composition, it is to be understood that one of more of each of the various types of such components, ie, masticatory material, plasticizer, wax, filler, flavor, sweetener, etc., may be used in such compositions.
Traditionally, cud volume, or insoluble base materials remaining after extraction of soluble ingredients, has been considered as one measure of chewing gum acceptability. In the case of bubble gums, cud volume is critical since it determines the size of bubbles and, to some extent, the ease with which they may be blown. Cud volume can be determined by the difference in weight of a gum cud in air and in a liquid of known density. Typically, a piece of bubble gum weighing 8.14 grams and having a volume of 6.54 cm.sup.3 yields a cud volume of about 2.26 cm.sup.3 after chewing for ten minutes, which is a 65.4% volume loss. A sample of bubble gum weighing 8.23 grams produced in accordance with the present invention, and having an initial volume 6.26 cm.sup.3, yields a cud volume of 3.99 cm.sup.3 after ten minutes of chewing--a volume loss of only 36.3%. See Table I.
The present chewing gum composition not only possesses superior film-forming properties but also a significant reduced-shrink feature by which the size of the insoluble cud remaining after mastication is sustained at from about 60% to about 70% by volume of the original size of a unit of chewing gum produced with the composition. This is compared to the normal cud volume of from about 30% to about 37% of original gum unit size remaining after masticating the water-soluble components out of chewing gum, an increase of about 50%.
Furthermore, the sweetness perception of the present chewing gum composition is maintained at the same level as chewing gum containing approximately 10-20% more water soluble or non-intense sweetener.
Another desirable attribute of the present invention is that the resulting chewing gum is initially very soft, and remains very soft after sustained chewing which is unexpected in view of the fact that increased filler levels in polymeric compositions have in the past been associated with increased hardness.
For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects, reference is made to the following descriptions of specific examples and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.
EXAMPLES OF THE INVENTION
The chewing gum of the present invention was prepared in accordance with the following formulae.
In order to prepare the gum base the ingredients were mixed in a sigma-blade mixer a temperature of about 120.degree. C. by introducing the polyisobutylene elastomer along with a portion of an appropriate plasticizer, followed by a first portion of the polyvinyl acetate and the filler. More plasticizer was then added with the remaining polyvinyl acetate, filler, as well as the wax.
The gum base prepared as described above was then melted in a mixer at 160.degree. F. and a small portion of the pulverized sugar, high fructose syrup, and filler were added with mixing over a period of 4-6 minutes. Thereafter, the remaining ingredients were added according to conventional chewing gum making practice to form a reduced-shrink, soft bubble gum having an excellent film-forming property as well as good sweetness perception.
In order to demonstrate the unexpected results relative to producing a soft high-filler content chewing gum by use of the present invention, tests were conducted on samples of the gum produced in accordance with the previous Example. One type of test which can be made to determine softness is a test measuring the degree of hardness, i.e., resistance of a material to local deformation. Hardness tests usually result in measurements indicating the depth of penetration of an indentor or probe under a specific set of conditions.
Hardness was measured on a Thwing-Albert Electronic Tensile Tester Model Q.C. II, specially modified to measure compression of chewing gum. The chewing gum sample was placed between two metal plates measuring 1".times.11/4". The gum, originally 1/2" in thickness was compressed to one-half of its original thickness or 1/4" at a speed of 20 in/min. These tests were conducted at room temperature (24.5.degree. C.) using a 100 lb capacity load cell. The measurement obtained was the peak force (in lbs) required to compress a chewing gum sample aged three-months to one half of its original thickness.
As evident from the data, the samples exhibited readings which were 24.7% softer than the control product.
Perception testing was also conducted in order to determine how the chewing gum of the invention compared to a similar non-SBR low filler chewing gum. The formula of the comparative gum composition was as follows:
The results of these tests, which were conducted on a sample population of 186 persons, are shown below in Table II.
These results clearly show that comparable quality chewing gum is achieved by use of the present invention wherein inexpensive filler can be used to replace a portion of the-sugar content.
The same chewing gum composition as outlined above may be prepared utilizing other non-SBR type bases, such as polyisoprene, isobutylene-isoprene copolymer, alone or in combination with each other or with elastomers of natural origin as previously described herein
Thus, while there have been described what are presently believed to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will realize that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the true scope of the invention.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In a non-styrene-butadiene based chewing gum composition having high film-forming characteristics, a high inorganic filler content in an amount of from about 12% to about 44% based on the weight of said overall chewing gum composition, a non-styrene-butadiene gum base in an amount of from about 15% to about 30% by weight of said chewing gum composition, and water-soluble sweeteners, the improvement comprising adding said filler in an amount from about 20% to about 35% by weight of said gum base, and adding the remainder of said filler step-wise as a component of the overall gum composition in an amount of from about 10% to about 30% by weight based on the weight of said gum composition, whereby said improvement provides said gum with increased softness without loss of film-forming characteristics, high cud volume retention during chewing, and a reduced requirement for water-soluble sweeteners without loss of perceived sweetness.
2. The chewing gum composition of claim 1 wherein said filler is selected from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, aluminum hydroxide, alumina, magnesium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, talc, magnesium trisilicate, magnesium hydroxide, aluminum silicate and silica gel.
3. The chewing gum composition of claim 2 wherein said filler is calcium carbonate.
4. The chewing gum composition of claim 1 wherein said gum base is based on an elastomeric masticatory substance selected from the group consisting of polyisobutylene, polyisoprene, and isobutylene-isoprene copolymer.
5. The chewing gum composition of claim 4 wherein said masticatory substance is polyisobutylene.
6. The chewing gum composition of claim 5 wherein said gum base further comprises elastomeric masticatory substances of natural origin selected from the group consisting of rubber latex solids, chicle, crown gum, nispero, rosidinha, jelutong, perdare, perillo, niger gutta, and tunu.
7. The chewing gum composition of claim 1 wherein the components added after formation of said gum base further comprise a sweetener selected from the group consisting of sugar, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, sugar alcohols, and corn syrup, in an amount of from about 35% to about 70% by weight based on the weight of said gum composition.
8. The chewing gum composition of claim 1 which further comprises intense sweeteners of artificial or natural origin.
9. The chewing gum composition of claim 1 which is prepared in the absence of intense sweeteners of artificial or natural origin.
10. The chewing gum composition of claim 1 wherein the peak force required to compress a sample aged three months to one-half its original thickness is no more than about 30 lbs. at a speed of 20 inches per minute in a tensilometer adapted to measure the compression of chewing gum using a 100 lb. capacity load cell.
11. In a filled, non-styrene-butadiene based chewing gum composition have high film-forming and good sustained softness characteristics in cud form and comprising a total of about 12 to 44 weight % of inert inorganic filler and formed from a flavorant composition comprising uncoated sweetener, flavorant and colorant, and a preformed gum base composition comprising elastomeric non-styrene-butadiene component, resinous component, plasticizer and inert inorganic filler, the improvement which comprises forming said gum without solvent, slip agents or thickening agents and by adding said total amount of filler to said gum composition by adding about 2 to 14 weight % of uncoated filler in said base gum composition and about 10 to 30 weight % as uncoated filler in said flavorant composition and uncombined with said sweetener.
12. A composition as in claim 11 which is a bubble gum composition.
13. In a filled non-styrene-butadiene based chewing gum composition having high film-forming and good sustained softness characteristics in cud form and comprising a total of about 12 to 44 weight % of inert inorganic filler and formed form a flavorant composition comprising uncoated acidic or non-acidic sweetener, flavorant and colorant, and a preformed gum composition comprising elastomeric non-styrene-butadiene component, resinous component, plasticizer and inert inorganic filler, the improvement which comprises forming said gum without solvents, slip agents or thickening agents and by adding said total amount of filler to said gum by adding about 2 to 14 weight % of uncoated filler in said base gum composition and about 10 to 30 weight % as uncoated filler in said flavorant composition and uncombined with said sweetener, and with the proviso that where said sweetener is an acidic sweetener, said filler is other than calcium carbonate.
14. A composition as in claim 13 which is a bubble gum composition.
15. A composition as in claim 13 in which a nonacidic sweetener is used.
16. A composition as in claim 15 in which CaCO.sub.3 is employed as said filler.
17. A composition as in claim 13 in which an acidic sweetener is used.
18. A composition as in claim 15 in which a sugar based sweetener is used.
19. A chewing gum composition having high film forming and good sustained softness characteristics in cud form and essentially formed from about 10 to 40 weight % of a gum base composition and about 60 to 90 weight % of a flavorant composition, said chewing gum composition containing about 12 to 44 weight % inorganic filler, said gum base composition consisting essentially of, in weight % thereof, about 5 to about 20% of elastomeric masticatory substance other than styrene butadiene elastomer and/or about 2 to about 25 % of non-elastomeric masticatory substance, about 2 to about 15% of plasticizer about 20 to about 35% of uncoated inorganic filler about 0 to about 18 % of lubricating wax about 0 to about 10% of emulsifier, and up to about 1000 ppm of each of colorant, pigment and anti-oxidant, and said flavorant composition containing sweetener and consisting essentially of, in weight % of said chewing gum composition, about 0 to about 70% sugar about 0 to about 15% sugar alcohol about 0 to about 1.5% uncoated intense sweetener, about 0.2 to about 3% of flavorant about 10 to about 30% of uncoated inorganic filler about 0 to about 4% emulsifier, and about 0 to about 2% coloring agent.
20. In a method of preparing a non-styrene-butadiene base chewing gum composition having high film forming characteristics, a high inorganic filler content in an amount of from about 12% to about 44% based on the weight of said overall gum composition, a non-styrene-butadiene based gum base in an amount of from about 15% to about 30% by weight of said gum composition, and water-soluble sweeteners, the improvement comprising: preparing a non-styrene-butadiene based gum base which includes filler in an amount of from about 2% to about 14% by weight based on the weight of said chewing gum composition, forming a chewing gum composition with said gum base by mixing therewith other chewing gum components including inert inorganic filler in an amount of from about 10% to about 30% by weight based on the weight of said chewing gum composition whereby the overall amount of water-soluble sweeteners is reduced without reduction in the level of perceived sweetness, a high cud volume is retained during chewing, and high softness is achieved .