© Atomic Elephant Science & Toy Co.
How would you describe your favorite gum? Is it fruity? Extra chewy? Does it leave you with “minty” fresh breath? Have you ever stopped chewing long enough to speculate how that gum was made? If you have, you’re in luck. You’re going to find out everything you wanted to know… and maybe a little more. If you haven’t, pop in a piece of your gum of choice and enjoy the read.
If you stretch to think of things you have in common with the ancient Greeks, stretch no further – they liked to chew gum too! They would chew the resin (a sticky, gummy material) from trees in their area. It’s definitely not the same gum we’re used to chewing. Even the Mayans chewed gum! Once it turned into a solid mass, they chewed the sap from a Sapodilla tree. Americans directly gained their knowledge of gum from Native Americans, who chewed the resin from Spruce trees. In fact, it was this type of gum that was first sold commercially.
Things are a bit different today. Since we’re all very picky and we all like our own specific types of gum, scientists have to make synthetic substances to comprise the composition of our favorite chewy treats. That means that most of the time, these substances are not naturally found in nature. Although the exact recipes of the different types of gum vary, they are all made of the same basic ingredients: gum base, corn syrup, sugar. The gum’s precise flavoring is also added. Naturally, gum manufacturers are very secretive when it comes to the exact recipes of their product. Now the ingredients have to be mixed together to form the composition of your gum of choice.
First, the gum base has to be melted into the form of a thick liquid consistency. Once it has reached this point, it’s put in a high powered centrifuge to get rid of anything that shouldn’t be in the product that reaches your mouth, such as dirt or bark (if the gum is from a natural substance). Once the gum base has been thoroughly cleaned, it’s added to the mixers. At this point, powdered sugar and corn syrup are added. The powered sugar helps the gum remain stretchy, and the corn syrup aids in keeping the gum moist and chewable. Softeners and flavoring are also added to the mixture.
Once the concoction is blended, it is laid on belts as it cools down. While this is happening, rollers smooth the gum down. The rollers can make the gum as thin as desired, depending on the type of gum that is being made. Obviously, sticks of gum are going to be thinner than gum balls. Once the preferred thickness is reached, the gum is cut. Stick gum is cut up into sticks (Who’d have thought?) and sent to another machine for individual wrapping. If the gum is being coated with candy, like gumballs, it is cut into the shape of a pencil and then processed through machines that put it into its ball form.
Have you ever been told that if you swallow a piece of gum it’ll get stuck inside your digestive track for years? It’s actually not true! Research shows that this is simply wrong and just an old wives tale. The gum you chew is an indigestible substance, which means that it cannot be broken down in our bodies. However, this doesn’t mean that the gum you swallow is forever stuck in the pits of your stomach. It’s just going to leave your body in the same condition that it came!
The next time you reach for your favorite piece of gum, think of the chemistry behind its making. Without the exact amounts of its ingredients, it wouldn’t taste the same or even have the same consistency. Want to try it out for yourself? Try the Bubble Gum Fun Suitcase and start making your own gum recipes. With the Ultimate Gum Kit, you can make up to 15 different flavors of gum! Who knows? Maybe your creation will be the next thing everyone wants to chew!
References:
Behind Chewing Gum. Kidz World. 22 Jan 2008. www.kidzworld.com/article/1057-go-figure-bursting-the-bubble-on-chewing-gum.
"How is Chewing Gum Made?." Cool Quiz. 22 Jan 2008. www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/gum.asp.
"The Seven Year Glitch." Snopes. 2 Jan 2005. www.snopes.com/oldwives/chewgum.asp.
"The Story of Gum." Ford Gum. 22 Jan 2008. www.fordgum.com/story.html.
