JP3187263B2 - Low tack gum base and chewing gum - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a low-adhesive gum base and chewing gum which reduces the adhesion to teeth, dentures, dental fillers and floors, paved roads and the like during chewing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, chewing gum has a specific tackiness, so that it adheres to teeth, dentures, dental fillers and the like, causing discomfort to the user, and littering of gum due to violation of manners causes chewing gum on floors and pavements. It causes social problems such as adhesion.

[0003] In order to address such problems of chewing gum, various attempts have been made to reduce the stickiness of the chewing gum. Common means of reducing the stickiness of chewing gum include, for example, US Pat.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 74241, it is possible to selectively eliminate a gum base material having a high tackiness.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 091, a method of introducing a new material such as adding a slip agent to a gum base composition is employed, but the effect is insufficiently persistent or the tackiness is reduced. In most cases, the good properties inherent in chewing gum (particularly chewing comfort) are lost.

For example, when an ethylene polymer approved in the United States or the like is used for a gum base, the tackiness is relatively reduced, but this is a paraffin wax which is one of the gum base materials due to poor elasticity. And the feeling of biting is significantly degraded. Further, when the resin material is eliminated or replaced with another material, there is a disadvantage that the effect of reducing the tackiness is obtained but the taste is affected.

Another specific example of reducing the stickiness of chewing gum is US Pat. No. 3,255,018.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H11-157, discloses the addition of gelatin tannic acid deposits to chewing gum. However, since tannic acid is water-soluble, it elutes during chewing and has no permanent effect in preventing adhesion.

Similarly, US Pat. No. 2,273,425 discloses the use of ethyl cellulose, US Pat.
No. 0 uses a polyolefin resin containing fluorine,
U.S. Pat. No. 2,383,145 proposes the use of a mixture of terphenyls as non-adhesives, but these have also been found to have an adverse effect on chewing gum chewing or flavor.

In Japan, Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-53898
Discloses a non-tacky gum base consisting of a combination of elastic, inorganic aids, hydrogenated oils and fats, polyvinyl acetate, mono- or diglycerides of fatty acids of fatty acids. Although this technology has a good ability to prevent denture adhesion, it has a strong base feeling in chewing comfort, lacks softness, and is liable to oxidize hydrogenated oils and fats, which is an essential component, and therefore has low stability over time. It has the drawback of causing deterioration of flavor.

Further, Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-45141 uses lecithin and its derivatives as emulsifiers, non-adhesive rosins containing hydrogenated wood rosin glycerin ester as an elastic solvent, rosin derivatives and their polyhydric alcohol esters. Although non-adhesive chewing gums are disclosed, these components are gum base resin substances similar to those contained in natural elastic materials such as tickle, and chewing gums containing these substances because they have inherently strong tackiness. Has a limited ability to prevent adhesion to teeth and the like. In addition, lecithin and its derivatives have a peculiar odor, and have the disadvantage of deteriorating the flavor.

As a solution to the disadvantages of the prior art, the present applicant has already proposed a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-76901. In this method, a petroleum wax is used as a gum base material. . The petroleum waxes used in chewing gums are highly refined and have established safety, but because they are prepared directly from petroleum, some consumers have image resistance.

[0010] As described above, a versatile new material for the gum base is not easily found at present.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present inventors have conducted intensive studies to obtain a non-petroleum-based gum base material which reduces the stickiness without impairing the chewing feeling and flavor of chewing gum, and as a result, it has been found that pure chemosynthetic products have been produced. We concluded that it was better to use a certain ethylene-propylene copolymer, and completed the present invention. That is, ethylene / propylene copolymers have various physical properties depending on the difference in molecular weight and molecular structure. Among them, there are petroleum waxes such as microcrystalline wax and paraffin wax as gum base materials or vinyl acetate resin. Are similar in hardness and can be substituted for these. The present inventors have found that when the ethylene-propylene copolymer is used in place of the petroleum wax or the vinyl acetate resin in this way, the gum base does not have tackiness, and the chewing gum using the same has a flavor and chewing feeling that is a general gum. Although there is no difference from the above, it was found that the tackiness was reduced.

[0012]

The ethylene-propylene copolymer is a polymer developed by Petrolite Co., USA, obtained by copolymerizing an ethylene monomer and a propylene monomer, and is commercially available. Its properties are (1) stable quality, (2) products having various molecular weights, branch positions, lengths, and numbers can be freely adjusted (therefore, when used in chewing gum, various products can be produced). (3) it has the advantage that the melting point range is narrow, and the safety to the human body is high. Therefore, it can be easily used as a raw material for various products, and can be used in a variety of ways.

At present, ethylene / propylene copolymers are used as substitutes for microwax, additives for inks, cosmetics, adhesives for lamination, hot melt adhesives, additives for casting waxes, templates, and for flushing pigments. It is used.

The basic type of the ethylene / propylene copolymer is as follows:

Embedded image , But there are various types depending on the molecular weight and the difference in the number of side chains relative to the straight chain. The most desirable gum base material that can be physically replaced by the material is, as shown in Table 1 below, microcrystalline wax,
Petroleum wax such as paraffin wax and vinyl acetate resin.

[0015]

[Table 1]

Therefore, chewing gum is produced by using two or more kinds of ethylene-propylene copolymers having different specifications and using a gum base material in which a part or all of a petroleum wax and a vinyl acetate resin are substituted. Can be.

In the present invention, other gum base materials may be used as they are when producing ordinary chewing gum.

Preferably, the ethylene / propylene copolymer has an average molecular weight of 400 to 10,000 and an average number of side chains (the number of side chains per one molecule of the linear polymer) of 0.5 to 2
Use 0.0.

This ethylene / propylene copolymer is
It is blended into the gum base at a rate of ５０50% by weight. If the ethylene-propylene copolymer is blended at less than 5% by weight, the low tackiness, which is the object of the present invention, cannot be sufficiently achieved,
On the other hand, if it exceeds 50% by weight, the chewing comfort and the flavor are deteriorated, which is not preferable.

The production of the gum base and chewing gum may be carried out by a conventional method.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described specifically with reference to Examples, Control Examples and Test Examples.

[0022]

EXAMPLES Examples 1 to 6 The gum base of the present invention was produced by a conventional method, that is, using a kneader and melt-mixing at 120 ° C. with the gum base materials and the mixing ratio (% by weight) shown in Table 2 below.

Comparative Examples 1-2 As shown in Table 2, a conventional gum base was produced in the same manner as in Examples 1-6 except that the ethylene / propylene copolymer was not used. That is, Comparative Example 1 is a normal adhesive gum base, and Control Example 2 is a low adhesive gum base prepared by removing tickle and hydrogenated rosin ester gum from a gum base material.

[0024]

[Table 2]

Examples 7 to 12 25 parts (parts by weight, hereinafter the same) of the gum base of the present invention produced by the method of Examples 1 to 6, sugar 58 parts, crystalline glucose 6 parts, BX85 corn syrup 8 parts, glycerin 2
Parts and 1 part of peppermint flavor were used to produce the chewing gum of the present invention by a conventional method using a mixer. In addition, the gum base by the method of each of Examples 1 to 6,
Each corresponds to chewing gum according to the methods of Examples 7 to 12. That is, for example, the chewing gum of Example 7 is manufactured using the gum base of Example 1, and the chewing gum of Example 12 is manufactured using the gum base of Example 6.

Comparative Examples 3 and 4 Conventional chewing gums were produced in the same manner as in Examples 7 to 12, except that the conventional gum base produced by the method of Control Examples 1 and 2 was used. The gum base of Control Example 1 corresponds to the chewing gum of Control Example 3, and the gum base of Control Example 2 corresponds to the chewing gum of Control Example 4, respectively.

Test Examples Using the chewing gums produced by the methods of Examples 7 to 12 and Comparative Examples 3 and 4, a stickiness reduction effect test was carried out by a sensory evaluation and a physical property test.

(Sensory Evaluation) 3.2 g of the chewing gums of Examples 7 to 12 and Comparative Examples 3 to 4 were chewed by 10 panels having dentures (incisors, crowns) as molars, and the degree of adhesion to the dentures was measured. Comparative evaluation was performed. The evaluation criteria were such that the level at which no adhesion to the denture was felt was set to 0, and a score of 1 to 5 was given as the adhesion increased, and finally the scores of all panels were averaged. The results are as shown in Table 3.

[0029]

[Table 3]

In the sensory evaluation of taste and chewing comfort in the same panel, the chewing gums of Examples 7 to 10 were almost the same as those of Control Example 3, and the chewing gums of Examples 11 to 12 were almost the same as those of Control Example 4. The adhesiveness was reduced without impairing other properties.

(Physical Properties Test) The residue (bite) after chewing 3.2 g of the chewing gum of each Example and Comparative Example at a constant speed by a specialized panel was used as a sample, and the denture material adhesion and the floor material adhesion were measured with a rheometer. Was measured. A methacrylate floor resin adapter is used for adhesion of the denture material, and a ceramic tile adapter is used for adhesion of the floor material. The compression load is 9 kg and the sample stage speed is 270 mm.
The test was performed under the condition of / min. The results are as shown in Table 4. The chewing gum of the present invention has very low tackiness as compared with the conventional product.

[0032]

[Table 4]

[0033]

The chewing gum using the gum base of the present invention, which uses an ethylene / propylene copolymer, has almost the same flavor and chewing feeling as the conventional product, and has reduced tackiness.
Adhesion to teeth, dentures, dental fillers, floors and pavements can be prevented.

Further, since the ethylene / propylene copolymer is a purely chemically synthesized product, the problem of avoiding use of petroleum-derived materials can be solved.

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A gum base material having an average molecular weight of 4
00 to 10,000 and the average number of side chains (linear polymer 1 minute
A gum base comprising an ethylene-propylene copolymer having a ratio of 0.5 to 20.0 in the range of 0.5 to 20.0 in a proportion of 5 to 50% by weight. 2. A petroleum wax is used as a gum base material.
The gum base according to claim 1, wherein the gum base is further blended . The 3. A vinyl acetate resin as a gum base material
The gum base according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the gum base is further blended . 4. A gum base material having an average molecular weight of 4
00 to 10,000 and an average number of side chains of 0.5 to 20.0
Of ethylene-propylene copolymer in the range of 5 to 50
A chewing gum characterized by using a gum base blended in a ratio of% by weight. As wherein the gum base material petroleum wax
The chewing gum according to claim 4, wherein the chewing gum is further blended . 6. A vinyl acetate resin as a gum base material
The chewing gum according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the chewing gum is further blended .