What Ingredients Is Chewing Gum Made Of?

• Most comercially-produced gum is made of the same basic ingredients. Jacqueline Veissid/Lifesize/Getty Images

  Although chewing gum companies protect the specific flavoring ingredients for their products, the basic ingredients used to make chewing gum are well-known. The gum base, softeners, sweeteners and flavorings give chewing gum the uniform texture and chewiness that makes it a favorite treat for many people.

Gum base

• The main ingredient in chewing gum is the gum base. This ingredient gives gum it's chewiness. Originally, the gum base contained chicle, which is the sap of the sapodilla tree, but modern chewing gum is made of food-grade polymers and waxes. The gum base binds the other ingredients together and provides the soft texture.

Softeners

• Softeners are added to chewing gum to retain moisture. Most softeners are made from glycerin or vegetable oils. Softeners prevent the gum from becoming hard and dry during chewing.

Sweeteners

• As the name implies, sweeteners are added to chewing gum to sweeten the product. Sweeteners are usually made from sugar or corn syrup; beet juice is sometimes used. Sugar-free gum uses synthetic sweeteners like as xylitol, aspartame, maltitol and sorbitol. Maltitol and sorbitol may cause mild laxative effects when consumed in large quantities, but this laxative effect is not harmful to the body, according to the International Chewing Gum Association.

Flavoring

• Flavor ingredients are added last and give chewing gum an intense, long-lasting flavor. The most popular flavors for chewing gum are mint, fruit, spearmint and menthol.