Chewing Gum

Chewing gum might be considered quite a simple product. But producers depend on employees located in various countries around the world and a lot of care and skill goes into its manufacture.

Chewing gum consists of five main ingredients: chewing gum base, sugar, corn syrup, flavourings, and additives which make the chewing mass soft and elastic. Sugar-free chewing gum contains intense sweeteners and bulk sweeteners instead of sugar and corn syrup.

Information on the product group Chewing Gum at the BDSI is available by clicking here.

• What is chewing gum made of?
• What makes chewing gum so sticky?
• What is chewing gum base?
• Which beneficial effects of sugar-free chewing gum?

Chewing gum is made from five main ingredients: chewing gum base, sugar, corn syrup, flavourings, and additives which make the chewing mass soft and elastic. Sugar-free chewing gum contains intense sweeteners and bulk sweeteners instead of sugar and corn syrup.

The chewable base of the chewing gum is composed of food-grade polymers (long-chain molecules) and components ensuring pliancy and elasticity. They are the reason why chewing gum tends to stick to surfaces. It adapts exactly to surface structures and hence sticks to them. A separating layer, such as water or saliva in the mouth, can prevent these interactions – which is why chewing gum does not end up sticking to one’s teeth. Outside the mouth it sticks to surfaces more readily since the separating film of water is missing. The smoother the surface structure is, the easier it is to peel off the chewing gum again.

The base is the actual “gum” on which one chews. The natural chewable base consists of resins and the rubber and latex of certain trees growing predominantly in South America, Indonesia, and Malaysia. In South America, for example, the latex of the sapodilla tree is harvested to obtain “chicle”, a traditional and time-tested basis for chewing gum. Most chewing gums are made from synthetic gum bases. They guarantee the usual pleasant chewing experience, consistently high quality and safety. Food-grade polymers are legally classified as food in the European Union and in many other countries around the world and are therefore subject to strict regulations and controls.

Sugar-free chewing gum helps reduce tooth demineralisation. Tooth demineralisation is a risk factor in the development of dental caries. Sugar-free chewing gum helps neutralise plaque acids. Plaque acids are a risk factor in the development of dental caries. The beneficial effect is obtained with chewing of 2-3 g of sugar-free chewing gum for 20 minutes, at least three times per day after meals. Sugar-free chewing gum also contributes to the reduction of oral dryness when the chewing gum is used whenever the mouth feels dry.