WO1998003077A1

WO1998003077A1 - Novelty chewing gum and method of manufacturing same

Info

Publication number: WO1998003077A1
Application number: PCT/US1996/012016
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ronald L. Ream; Christine L. Corriveau; Tamara Halle
Original assignee: Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
Priority date: 1996-07-19
Filing date: 1996-07-19
Publication date: 1998-01-29
Also published as: AU6591496A

Abstract

The invention provides a chewing gum having a first part and a second part. The first part includes a water insoluble base, a water soluble portion, a flavor, and a carbonate salt. The second distinct part has a water insoluble base, a water soluble portion, flavor, and a food grade organic acid. The first and second parts may have different colors. The gum product may square or rectangular.

Description

S P E C I F I C A T I O N

TITLE

"NOVELTY CHEWING GUM AND

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME" BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to confectionery products, such as chewing gums. More specifically, the present invention relates to novelty chewing gums. It is, of course, known to provide chewing gums having a variety of different flavors. It is also known to provide novelty chewing gums.

For example, it is known to provide chewing gums that include specific flavoring agents. Such flavoring agents include: fruit essence; peppermint oil; spearmint oil; clove oil; wintergreen oil; anise; and the like.

For example, U.S. Patent Application Serial No.

08/081,477 entitled: "CHEWING GUM AND CANDY PRODUCTS," provides a confectionery product that includes either coffee or tea. The product therefore provides the user with a coffee or tea taste flavor. Additionally, it is known to use artificial flavoring agents to provide flavors to chewing gum.

In a similar vein, it is known to provide confectionery products that, in addition to providing flavor, due to their structure or packaging provide a unique or novelty product. For example, it is known to provide a chewing gum product including a liquid center that upon chewing of the gum expresses the liquid into the mouth of the user. It is also known to provide chewing gum in different forms such as bubble gum tape or shredded bubble gum. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a novelty chewing gum. To this end, the present invention provides a chewing gum that, when chewed by the consumer, will foam and grow in the mouth of the chewer. This will provide the chewer with a fizzing sensation in the mouth, as well as a sensation that the chewing gum is growing.

In an embodiment, the present invention provides a chewing gum comprising: a first part having a water insoluble base, water soluble portion, flavor, and a carbonate salt; and a second distinct part having a water insoluble base, water soluble portion, flavor, and a food grade organic acidulant.

In an embodiment, the carbonate salt comprises approximately 1 to about 12% by weight of the first part.

In an embodiment, the food grade organic acidulant comprises approximately 1 to about 8% by weight of the second part.

In an embodiment, the first and second parts have different colors.

In an embodiment, the water insoluble base is a bubble gum base.

In an embodiment, the carbonate salt is sodium bicarbonate. In an embodiment, the chewing gum has a rectangular shape.

In an embodiment, the chewing gum has a rope shape.

In an embodiment, the chewing gum has a square shape. In an embodiment, the food grade acidulant is chosen from the group consisting of malic acid, citric acid, and tartaric acid. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for producing a novelty chewing gum comprising the steps of: providing a two part chewing gum product including a first part having a first component and a second part including a second different component. Upon mastication, the first component and second component are mixed causing the components to react, increasing the size of the chewing gum product in the mouth of the chewer. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a chewing gum product comprising a first part including: approximately 1% to about 8% by weight food grade organic acid; approximately 16% to about 24% by weight gum base; and approximately 0.5% to about 7.0% by weight flavor. The gum includes a second distinct part comprising: approximately 1% to about 12% by weight carbonate salts; approximately 15% to about 24% by weight gum base; and approximately 0.5% to about 2.0% by weight flavor. In an embodiment the carbonate salt is a bicarbonate salt.

An advantage of the present invention is to provide a new chewing gum product.

Additionally, an advantage of the present invention is to provide a new novelty confectionery product.

Still further, an advantage of the present invention is to provide a method for making a novelty chewing gum product.

Additionally, an advantage of the present invention is to provide a chewing gum product that is different than commercially available chewing gum products.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from. the detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments and from the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a plan view of a chewing gum product of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a top elevational view of the chewing gum product of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of another chewing gum product of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a top elevational view of the chewing gum product of Figure 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides improved confectionery products and specifically, chewing gum products. To this end, a new novelty chewing gum product is provided as well as methods of making same. As set forth in detail hereinafter, the chewing gum product of the present invention comprises two parts. The two parts are mixed when the gum is chewed. Due to the interaction of the components that are contained in each of the separate parts of the chewing gum, this mixing causes the gum to grow and fizz in the consumer's mouth.

To this end, the present invention provides a two part chewing gum. The first part of the chewing gum includes standard chewing gum components such as a water insoluble base, water soluble portion, and flavor.

However, the first part will also include carbonate salt.

A second distinct part is provided having a water insoluble base, a water soluble portion, flavor, and a food grade organic acidulant. The growing action of the gum is initiated by mastication. Upon chewing the gum, the two halves are mixed together and saliva solubilizes the bicarbonate salt and acid. The acid and bicarbonate salt react to produce gas making the gum grow and fizz. The reaction is entirely initiated by mastication.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 , an embodiment of the chewing gum 10 of the present invention is illustrated. As illustrated, the chewing gum 10 preferably includes two parts 12 and 14. However, the gum can include a number of parts as long as it provides means for separating the bicarbonate salt and organic acidulant. It should also be noted that the two parts can be provided as a single unit of gum or as two or more separate individual units of gum.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first part 12 includes a water insoluble base, water soluble portion, flavor, and carbonate salt. In an embodiment, the carbonate salt, e.g., sodium bicarbonate, comprises preferably approximately 1 to about 12% by weight of the first part 12 of the gum composition. The remaining portion of the first part 12 is approximately 15 to 24% by weight gum base, 0.5 to 2.0% by weight flavor, and color. In addition to sodium bicarbonate other carbonate salts can be used. Such salts include potassium bicarbonate, ammonium carbonate and calcium carbonate. If desired, rather than carbonate salt, other appropriate food grade bases can be utilized. The second part 14 of the chewing gum 10 includes a water insoluble base, a water soluble portion, flavor, and a food grade organic acidulant. In an embodiment, the second part 14 includes approximately 1 to 8% by weight organic acid, approximately 16 to about 24% by weight gum base, and approximately 0.5 to 2.0% by weight flavor and color.

Any organic acidulant that will react with carbonate salt to produce carbon dioxide can be utilized in the present invention. Examples of such organic food grade acidulants include: citric acid; malic acid; and tartaric acid.

In a preferred embodiment, the first and second parts 12 and 14 are constructed from two different colors. For example, the two parts 12 and 14 of the chewing gum 10 can be constructed from red and blue and accordingly, when chewed, the product creates a purple growing gum. Of course, other colors can be used such as, e.g., yellow and red to make an orange growing gum. If desired, however, the two parts 12 and 14 can be constructed from the same color.

In a similar vein, each of the parts of the chewing gum can include different flavors to provide a difficult taste to the consumer. Of course, if desired, the two parts of the chewing gum can include the same flavors.

The chewing gum 10 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 has a square shape. However, the chewing gum can be of any shape. For example, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the gum 20 can be extruded in an elongated stick form. The stick 20 includes a first part 22 and a second part 24 that includes an organic acidulant and carbonate salt, respectively.

Likewise, for example, the gum can be extruded from two separate extruders into a rope shape. Two rope shaped pieces of gum can then be pressed together to make a biformula elongated rope chewing gum. If desired, the gum can be co-extruded. The chewing gum formulations that can comprise the two parts of the chewing gum product, aside from the carbonate salt and food grade organic acidulant, may be a variety of different chewing gum formulations that are known. For example, the chewing gums can be low or high moisture, sugar or sugarless, wax containing or wax free, low calorie (via high base or low calorie bulking agents) , and/or may contain dental agents.

Chewing gum generally consists of a water insoluble gum base, a water soluble portion, and flavors. The water soluble portion dissipates with a portion of the flavor over a period of time during chewing. The gum base portion is retained in the mouth throughout the chew. The insoluble gum base generally comprises elastomers, resins, fats and oils, softeners, and inorganic fillers. The gum base may or may not include wax. The insoluble gum base can constitute approximately 5 to about 95 percent, by weight, of the chewing gum, more commonly, the gum base comprises 10 to about 50 percent of the gum, and in some preferred embodiments, 20 to about 35 percent, by weight, of the chewing gum.

In an embodiment, the chewing gum base of the present invention contains about 20 to about 60 weight percent synthetic elastomer, 0 to about 30 weight percent natural elastomer, about 5 to about 55 weight percent elastomer plasticizer, about 4 to about 35 weight percent filler, about 5 to about 35 weight percent softener, and optional minor amounts (about one percent or less) of miscellaneous ingredients such as colorants, antioxidants, etc.

Synthetic elastomers may include, but are not limited to, polyisobutylene with GPC weight average molecular weight of about 10,000 to about 95,000, isobutylene-isoprene copolymer (butyl elastomer) , styrene-butadiene copolymers having εtyrene-butadiene ratios of about 1:3 to about 3:1, polyvinyl acetate having GPC weight average molecular weight of about 2,000 to about 90,000, polyisoprene, polyethylene, vinyl acetate-vinyl laurate copolymer having vinyl laurate content of about 5 to about 50 percent by weight of the copolymer, and combinations thereof. Preferred ranges are, for polyisobutylene, 50,000 to 80,000 GPC weight average molecular weight, for styrene-butadiene, 1:1 to 1:3 bound styrene-butadiene, for polyvinyl acetate, 10,000 to 65,000 GPC weight average molecular weight with the higher molecular weight polyvinyl acetates typically used in bubble gum base, and for vinyl acetate-vinyl laurate, vinyl laurate content of 10-45 percent.

Natural elastomers may include natural rubber such as smoked or liquid latex and guayule as well as natural gums such as jelutong, lechi caspi, perillo, sorva, massaranduba balata, massaranduba chocolate, nispero, rosindinha, chicle, gutta hang kang, and combinations thereof. The preferred synthetic elastomer and natural elastomer concentrations vary depending on whether the chewing gum in which the base is used is abhesive or conventional, bubble gum or regular gum, as discussed below. Preferred natural elastomers include jelutong, chicle, sorva and massaranduba balata.

Elastomer plasticizers may include, but are not limited to, natural rosin esters such as glycerol esters of partially hydrogenated rosin, glycerol esters polymerized rosin, glycerol esters of partially dimerized rosin, glycerol esters of rosin, pentaerythritol esters of partially hydrogenated rosin, methyl and partially hydrogenated methyl esters of rosin, pentaerythritol esters of rosin; synthetics such as terpene resins derived from alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, and/or d- limonene; and any suitable combinations of the foregoing, the preferred elastomer plasticizers will also vary depending on the specific application, and on the type of elastomer which is used.

Fillers/texturizers may include magnesium and calcium carbonate, ground limestone, silicate types such as magnesium and aluminum silicate, clay, alumina, talc, titanium oxide, mono-, di- and tri-calcium phosphate, cellulose polymers, such as wood, and combinations thereof. Softeners/emulsifiers may include tallow, hydrogenated tallow, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, cocoa butter, glycerol onostearate, glycerol triacetate, lecithin, mono-, di- and triglycerides, acetylated monoglycerides, fatty acids (e.g. stearic, palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids) , and combinations thereof.

Colorants and whiteners may include FD&c-type dyes and lakes, fruit and vegetable extracts, titanium dioxide, and combinations thereof. The base may or may not include wax. An example of a wax-free gum base is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 08/098,706, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

In addition to a water insoluble gum base portion, a typical chewing gum composition includes a water soluble bulk portion and one or more flavoring agents. The water soluble portion can include bulk sweeteners, high intensity sweeteners, flavoring agents, softeners, emulsifiers, colors, acidulants, fillers, antioxidants, and other components that provide desired attributes.

Softeners are added to the chewing gum in order to optimize the chewability and mouth feel of the gum. The softeners, which are also known as plasticizers and plasticizing agents, generally constitute between approximately 0.5 to about 15% by weight of the chewing gum. The softeners may include glycerin, lecithin, and combinations thereof. Aqueous sweetener solutions such as those containing sorbitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, corn syrup and combinations thereof, may also be used as softeners and binding agents in chewing gum.

Bulk sweeteners include both sugar and sugarless components. Bulk sweeteners typically constitute 5 to about 95% by weight of the chewing gum, more typically, 20 to 80% by weight, and more commonly, 30 to 60% by weight of the gum.

Sugar sweeteners generally include saccharide- containing components commonly known in the chewing gum art, including, but not limited to, sucrose, dextrose, maltose, dextrin, dried invert sugar, fructose, levulose, galactose, corn syrup solids, and the like, alone or in combination. Sugarless sweeteners include, but are not limited to, sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, maltitol, and the like_f alone or in combination.

High intensity artificial sweeteners can also be used, alone or in combination with the above. Preferred sweeteners include, but are not limited to sucralose, aspartame, salts of acesulfa e, alitame, saccharin and its salts, cyclamic acid and its salts, glycyrrhizin. dihydrochalconeε, thaumatin, monellin, and the like, alone or in combination. In order to provide longer lasting sweetness and flavor perception, it may be desirable to encapsulate or otherwise control the release of at least a portion of the artificial sweetener. Such techniques as wet granulation, wax granulation, spray drying, spray chilling, fluid bed coating, coacervation, and fiber extension may be used to achieve the desired release characteristics. Usage level of the artificial sweetener will vary greatly and will depend on such factors as potency of the sweetener, rate of release, desired sweetness of the product, level and type of flavor used and cost considerations. Thus, the active level of artificial sweetener may vary from 0.02 to about 8%. When carriers used for encapsulation are included, the usage level of the encapsulated sweetener will be proportionately higher.

Combinations of sugar and/or sugarless sweeteners may be used in chewing gum. Additionally, the softener may also provide additional sweetness such as with aqueous sugar or alditol solutions.

If a low calorie gum is desired, a low caloric bulking agent can be used. Example of low caloric bulking agents include: polydextrose; Raftilose, Raftilin; Fructooligosaccharides (NutraFlora) ; Palatinose oligosaccharide; Guar Gum Hydrolysate (Sun Fiber) ; or indigestible dextrin (Fibersol) . However, other low calorie bulking agents can be used. A variety of flavoring agents can be used, if desired. The flavor can be used in amounts of approximately 0.1 to about 15 weight percent of the gum, and preferably, 0.2 to 5%. Flavoring agents may include essential oils, synthetic flavors or mixtures thereof including, but not limited to, oils derived from plants and fruits such as citrus oils, fruit essences, peppermint oil, spearmint oil, other mint oils, clove oil, oil of wintergreen, anise and the like. Artificial flavoring agents and components may also be used. Natural and artificial flavoring agents may be combined in any sensorially acceptable fashion.

The chewing gum of the present invention can be manufactured by a variety of methods. In manufacturing chewing gum, generally, the ingredients are mixed by first melting the gum base and adding it to a running mixer. The gum base may alternatively be melted in the mixer. Additional chewing gum ingredients are then added to the mixer and the base.

By way of example, and not limitation, an example of the chewing gum of the present invention will now be given.

The chewing gum includes two parts, an acid half and a base half. The parts have the following composition:

Red, Acid Half Ingredient Gra^s Percent

Gum Base 257.6 18.42237

Powdered Sugar 870 62.21841 Glucose 126 9.010942

Glycerine 43.4 3.103769

Lecithin 7 0.500608

Red #40 1.6 0.114425

Malic Acid 74.2 5.306444 Fruit Flavor 18.5 1.323035

1398.3 100 Blue, Base Half

Inσredient Grams percent

Gum Base 273 19.085571

Powdered Sugar 870 60.82215

Glucose 126 8.808725

Glycerine 43.4 3.034116

Lecithin 7 0.489374

Blue #2 1 0.069911

Sodium Bicarbonate 94.5 6.606544

Fruit Flavor 15.5 1.083613

1430.4 100

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.

Claims

E CLAIM:

1. A chewing gum comprising: a first part having a water insoluble base, water soluble portion, flavor, and a carbonate salt; and a second distinct part having a water insoluble base, water soluble portion, flavor, and a food grade organic acidulant.

2. The chewing gum of Claim 1 wherein the carbonate salt comprises approximately 1 to about 12% by weight of the first part.

3. The chewing gum of Claim 1 wherein the food grade organic acidulant comprises approximately 1 to about 8% by weight of the second part.

4. The chewing gum of Claim 1 wherein the first and second part have different colors.

5. The chewing gum of Claim 1 wherein the carbonate salt is a bicarbonate salt.

6. The chewing gum of Claim 1 wherein the first and second parts are provided as separate, individual units.

7. The chewing gum of Claim 1 wherein the chewing gum has a rectangular shape.

8. The chewing gum of Claim 1 wherein the chewing gum has a square shape.

9. The chewing gum of Claim 1 wherein the first and second parts each include a different flavor.

10. The chewing gum of Claim 1 wherein the food grade acidulant is chosen from the group consisting of malic acid, citric acid, and tartaric acid.

11. A method for providing a novelty chewing gum comprising the steps of: providing a two part chewing gum product including a first part including a first component and a second part including a second different component; and upon chewing, the first component and second component are mixed causing the components to react increasing the size of the chewing gum product in the mouth of the chewer.

12. The method of Claim 11 wherein the two parts have different colors.

13. The method of Claim 11 wherein the first component is a carbonate salt.

14. The method of Claim 13 wherein the bicarbonate salt comprises approximately l to about 12% by weight of the first part.

15. The method of Claim 11 wherein the second component is a food grade organic acidulant.

16. The method of Claim 15 wherein the food grade organic acidulant comprises approximately 1 to about 8% by weight of the second part.

17. A chewing gum product comprising: a first part comprising: approximately 1% to about 8% by weight food grade organic acid; approximately 16% to about 24% by weight gum base; and approximately 0.5% to about 2.0% by weight flavor; and a second distinct part comprising: approximately 1% to about 12% by weight bicarbonate salts; approximately 15% to about 24% by weight gum base; and approximately 0.5% to about 2.0% by weight flavor.

18. The chewing gum of Claim 17 wherein the first and second part have different colors.

19. The chewing gum of Claim 17 wherein the first part includes at least one flavor not included in the second part.

20. The chewing gum of Claim 17 wherein the chewing gum contains sugar.