Ingredients for Gum Making

• Gum is made from gum base, softeners, sweeteners and flavoring. Bellurget Jean Louis/Pixland/Getty Images

  Chewing gum comes in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and flavors but is always manufactured from the same set of ingredients: gum base, sweeteners and softeners. Once the main ingredients have been mixed together to form the chewing gum mix, manufacturers add flavorings to give the gum its particular taste.

Gum Base

• Gum base is the non-nutritive ingredient that forms the chewable substance of gum. To be used in consumer-grade chewing gum the base must follow a strict set of rules outlined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For example, the base must contain one or more of the ingredients deemed edible and safe by the FDA. These include plants from the Sapotaceae family (Chicle, Crown gum, and Nispero) and the Moraceae family (Niger gutta and Tunu). The gum base also commonly contains other core ingredients such as elastomers, to create the elastic, chewy texture, and fillers, resins, plasticizers and antioxidants, which maintain the gum's shelf life. Gum base can be bought from cooking stores, specialist outlets and pharmaceutical suppliers.

Sweeteners

• Sugar is used as the main sweetener for many chewing gum brands. Wrigley, for example, pack their chewing gum with pure powdered cane sugar, beet sugar and corn syrup. For brands that offer sugar-free chewing gum, there are several types of high-intensity and artificial sweetener; these include Aspartame, Maltitol, Sucralose, Sorbitol, Xylitol and Acesulfame K. The main benefit of sugar-free gum is that it prevents tooth decay.

Softeners

• Softeners--as the name suggests--soften the gum to ensure it remains chewable, flexible and comfortable for users. Softeners are made up from vegetable oil and glycerin.

Flavoring

• Chewing gum is commonly flavored with mint. menta image by ignacig from Fotolia.com

  Probably the most appealing ingredient of the chewing gum, flavoring gives the gum its signature taste. The most common flavor of chewing gum is mint and most gum manufacturers rely on fresh mint plants to provide a strong taste and refreshing sensation. Wrigley, for example, obtain its mint flavor from plants grown in the United States. After they are harvested, the mint plants are thoroughly distilled to extract the oils, which are in turn used with the gum base, softeners and sweeteners to form a chewing gum mix ready for shaping. For fruit-flavored gum, artificial or real essences are used.