Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23G—COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
  • A23G4/00—Chewing gum
  • A23G4/06—Chewing gum characterised by the composition containing organic or inorganic compounds
  • A23G4/066—Chewing gum characterised by the composition containing organic or inorganic compounds characterised by the fat used
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23G—COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
  • A23G4/00—Chewing gum
  • A23G4/06—Chewing gum characterised by the composition containing organic or inorganic compounds
  • A23G4/08—Chewing gum characterised by the composition containing organic or inorganic compounds of the chewing gum base

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to chewing gum. More specifically, the present invention relates to improved formulations for chewing gum and bases.
• Chewing gum generally consists of a water insoluble gum base and a water soluble portion along with flavors. The water soluble portion and flavors dissipate during chewing and the gum base is retained in the mouth throughout the chew.
• the insoluble gum base generally comprises elastomers, resins, fats and oils, softeners, and inorganic fillers.
• Elastomers can include synthetic elastomers including polyisobutylene, isobutylene- isoprene copoly ers, styrene-butadiene copolymers, polyvinyl acetate, polyisoprene, polyethylene, vinyl acetate - vinyl laurate copolymers, and combinations thereof.
• Natural elastomers that can be used include natural rubber.
• the gum base can include elastomer plasticizers.
• elastomer plasticizers can include natural rosin esters, as well as other elastomer plasticizers.
• the gum base can include fillers/texturizers and softeners/emulsifiers.
• Softeners are added to chewing gum in order to optimize the chewability and mouth feel of the gum.
• Softeners/emulsifiers that are typically used include tallow, hydrogenated tallow, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, cocoa butter, glycerol monostearate, glycerol triacetate, lecithin, and combinations thereof.
• a typical chewing gum composition includes a water soluble 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 desirable attributes.
• the present invention provides improved chewing gum formulations and bases, as well as methods of producing chewing gum and bases.
• chewing gum is provided that includes polyglycerol esters (PGEs) .
• PGEs polyglycerol esters
• the PGEs can be used in the base and/or gum formulations as a plasticizer, softener, and/or emulsifier.
• PGEs are added to sucrose-type gum formulations replacing a small or large quantity of other fats, oils, and emulsifiers.
• the base formulations of the present invention may be conventional bases that include wax or are wax-free, tacky or non-tacky and/or bubble gum-type bases.
• the gum formulations can be low or high moisture formulations containing low or high amounts of moisture-containing syrup.
• PGEs can also be used in low sugar and non-sugar containing gum formulations made with sorbitol, mannitol, other polyols, and non-sugar carbohydrates.
• Non-sugar formulations can include low or high moisture sugar-free chewing gums.
• the PGEs are used as a softener and are combined with other base softeners for use in chewing gum base.
• Such other softeners include, but are not limited to, fats and oils, such as tallow, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, cocoa butter, mono- and di-glycerides, acetylated monoglycerides, softeners such as glycerol triacetate, waxes such as paraffin and microcrystalline waxes, and emulsifiers such as lecithin.
• the PGEs are used as a softener in chewing gum formulations to replace typical chewing gum softeners.
• the PGEs are used in the chewing gum formulation to replace typical plasticizers and emulsifying agents that are used in chewing gum formulations.
• the PGEs can be used to replace glycerin, lecithin, glycerol triacetate, acetylated monoglycerides, and mono- and di-glycerides.
• the PGE softener is used in a chewing gum formulation combined with other softeners, emulsifiers, and plasticizing agents.
• the PGEs can be used alone or combined with an inert material which may be added in a dry form.
• the PGE softener can also be added to the flavor as a carrier for its use in chewing gum.
• the PGE softener when used according to the present invention, affords the chewing gum an improved texture, improved shelf life, and improved flavor quality. Even though PGEs are similar to other fats and oils in some respects, PGEs have significant softening effects that create a resultant chewing gum product that has a high consumer-acceptability.
• the present invention provides a gum base comprising an elastomer and at least 0.02% by weight of fully esterified polyglycerol esters.
• the present invention provides a chewing gum formulation comprising an insoluble gum base, a water soluble portion, a flavor, and at least 0.01% by weight of fully esterified polyglycerol esters.
• a further advantage of the present invention is to provide an improved base that can be used to create chewing gum.
• Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides an improved chewing gum softener. Still further, an advantage of the present invention is that it provides an improved chewing gum plasticizer.
• an advantage of the present invention is that it provides an improved emulsifying agent for chewing gum. Moreover, an advantage of the present invention is that it provides an improved method for creating chewing gum.
• an advantage of the present invention is that it provides a chewing gum having improved texture.
• An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a chewing gum having an improved shelf life.
• an advantage of the present invention is that it provides a chewing gum having improved flavor quality.
• the present invention provides improved chewing gum formulations and base formulations.
• PGEs polyglycerol esters
• the polyglycerol esters can be used in chewing gum formulations and/or bases.
• the polyglycerol esters can be used as softeners, plasticizers, and/or emulsifying agents.
• Polyglycerol esters are a group of compounds that contain 2-10 glycerol oligomers esterified with various fatty acids. Polyglycerol esters are made by a two-step process. First, glycerol is polymerized by using heat and an alkaline catalyst with removal of the water that is formed. This is followed by reacting the polyglycerol with fatty acid to obtain the polyglycerol esters. Glycerol is polymerized at each of the end hydroxyl groups leaving only the middle hydroxyl to be esterified. If only one fatty acid is esterified in polyglycerol, this is called a monoester. If two molecules of fatty acid are esterified, then it is a diester, etc. If the end groups at each glycerol polymer were also esterified, this would give a fully esterified polyglycerol ester.
• polyglycerols from 2 to 10 glycerol oligomers, can be made, generally, those of triglycerol, hexaglycerol, and decaglycerol are more common.
• the fatty acids used for esterification may contain short chain (C 2 -C 4 ) acids, medium chain fatty acids (C 6 -C 12 ) , and long chain fatty acids (C 12 -C 22 ) . 6 PC--7US94/12761
• polyglycerol esters are made with palmitic, stearic, and oleic acids. Some of these compounds are: triglycerol monostearate; hexaglycerol distearate; decaglycerol hexaoleate; decaglycerol monopalmitate; and octaglycerol monooleate.
• polyglycerol esters are available in a line of products from Vanderbergh Foods, Inc. of Lisle, IL under the tradena e of Santone ® .
• polyglycerol esters are available in a line of products from Stepan Co. under the tradename of Drewpol ® and in a line of products from Witco Chemical Co. under the tradename of Witconol ® .
• Polyglycerol esters are FDA approved as food ingredients and covered under FDA 21 C.F.R. 172.854.
• polyglycerol esters are considered emulsifiers that can have a wide variety of emulsifying properties. This is due to three degrees of freedom in building polyglycerol esters. These variables are: 1) degree of glycerol polymeriza ion; 2) degree of esterification; and 3) choice of single or combination of fatty acids of varying chain length.
• HLB hydrophilic - lipophilic balance
• Polyglycerol esters that have a high HLB are more hydrophilic, and those with a low HLB are lipophilic. Generally, the longer polyglycerol oligomers with few fatty acids and more hydroxyl groups, such as monoesters, are more hydrophilic. Polyglycerol esters that have a low HLB are esterified with more fatty acids. Fully esterified polyglycerol esters (FEPGEs) are the most lipophilic, although they are still not as lipophilic when compared to fats and oils.
• FEPGEs Fully esterified polyglycerol esters
• Fully esterified polyglycerol esters are preferred in the present invention. Due to their low HLB and large molecular size, fully esterified polyglycerol esters have good potential for use in chewing gum as fat/lipid substitutes. Some of these materials are: triglycerol pentastearate; triglycerol pentamyristate; triglycerol pentapalmitate; triglycerol pentaesters of capric/caprylic acids; hexaglycerol octaesters of capric/caprylic acids; hexaglycerol octastearate; and hexaglycerol octaoleate.
• polyglycerol esters can be used in base formulations and/or chewing gum formulations.
• the polyglycerol esters can be used as softeners, plasticizers, and/or emulsifying agents.
• the polyglycerol esters can be used in a variety of different chewing gum and base formulations.
• chewing gum generally consists of a water insoluble gum base, a water soluble portion, and flavors.
• 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.
• 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 a GPC weight average molecular weight of about 10,000 to about 95,000, isobutylene-isoprene copolymer (butyl elastomer) , styrene-butadiene copolymers having styrene-butadiene ratios of about 1:3 to about 3:1, polyvinyl acetate having a 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 adhesive 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, often called estergums, 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 No. 5,286,500, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
• 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.
• 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, in addition to including polyglycerol esters, 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.
• Sorbitol can be used as a sugarless sweetener.
• sugarless sweeteners can include, but are not limited to, other sugar alcohols such as mannitol, xylitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, maltitol, and the like, alone or in combination.
• High intensity artificial sweeteners can also be used in combination with the above.
• Preferred sweeteners include, but are not limited to sucralose, aspartame, salts of acesulfame, alitame, saccharin and its salts, cyclamic acid and its salts, glycyrrhizin, dihydrochalcones, thaumatin, monellin, and the like, alone or in combination.
• 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.
• a low caloric bulking agent can be used.
• low caloric bulking agents include: polydextrose; Raftilose, Raftilin; Fructooligosaccharides (NutraFlora) ; Palatinose oligosaccharide; Guar Gum Hydrolysate (Sun Fiber) ; or indigestible dextrin (Fibersol) .
• other low calorie bulking agents can be used.
• a variety of flavoring agents can be used. The flavor can be used in amounts of approximately 0.1 to about 15 weight percent of the gum, and preferably, about 0.2 to about 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.
• Chewing gum is generally manufactured by sequentially adding the various chewing gum ingredients to commercially available mixers known in the art. After the ingredients have been thoroughly mixed, the chewing gum mass is discharged from the mixer and shaped into the desired form, such as by rolling into sheets and cutting into sticks, extruding into chunks, or casting into pellets. Generally, the ingredients are mixed by first melting the gum base and adding it to the running mixer. The gum base may alternatively be melted in the mixer. Color and emulsifiers can be added at this time. Polyglycerol esters in its liquid or solid form may be added to chewing gum during manufacture of the base.
• Polyglycerol esters may be added at any time during processing of the base, but preferably, near the end of the batch to act as a softener.
• Polyglycerol esters may be added to conventional bases that contain wax or are wax-free bases, that may or may not contain polyvinyl acetate or terpene resins, or bases that contain natural gums or synthetic bases, bases that are non-tacky, or are bubble gum bases.
• polyglycerol esters may replace some or most of the partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated vegetable oils, mono- and di-glycerides, acetylated monoglycerides, or other softeners used in the gum base.
• Polyglycerol esters may also be blended with the other softeners in the gum base and added during the base manufacturing process.
• a chewing gum base made with some polyglycerol esters will have greater oxidative stability due to the presence of polyglycerol esters, and will give chewing gum a cleaner taste due to a reduction of off-tasting fats and oils.
• Polyglycerol esters may also be added to a chewing gum formulation in its liquid or solid form or may be mixed with other gum or base softeners and added to a gum formulation during processing. Polyglycerol esters, may be added during the gum manufacturing at any time during processing, but preferably, early in the batch to allow thorough mixing with the gum base. Polyglycerol esters can be added to the chewing gum formulation so that they comprise approximately 0.01% to about 5% by weight of the chewing gum formulation. In a preferred embodiment, the polyglycerol esters comprise approximately 0.02% to about 2% and most preferably, about 0.05% to about 0.5% by weight of the chewing gum formulation.
• Polyglycerol esters may be blended with other softeners such as lecithin, glycerol triacetate, acetylated monoglycerides, mono- and di-glycerides, or other vegetable oils and fats that may be added to a gum formulation.
• polyglycerol esters may act as a carrier or solvent for the particulate lecithin.
• Lecithin when mixed with molten polyglycerol esters may allow for an easier dispersion of lecithin in a gum formulation. This should be contrasted with soy bean oil that is typically used as a carrier for lecithin.
• Polyglycerol esters may also be blended with a wide range of natural and artificial flavor oils and act as a carrier for flavor oils. Some polyglycerol esters can be an excellent carrier for flavors such as spearmint, peppermint, cinnamon, wintergreen, and fruit flavors. The level of polyglycerol esters mixed with flavors can vary over a wide range from approximately 1% to about 99% by weight since most gum flavors are oil soluble.
• Polyglycerol esters can also act as a carrier for artificial and natural colors such as in FD&C lake dispersions and natural colors like betacarotene. Some polyglycerol esters may eliminate the off-taste associated with fat/oil carriers and allows higher usage of color.
• Polyglycerol esters may also be used as a release agent for encapsulated flavors. Polyglycerol esters can be added to an encapsulating media to allow for faster and easier dissolution of the encapsulating media.
• Polyglycerol esters also known as emulsifiers, having various HLB values to have effects as a surface active agent.
• polyglycerol esters can be mixed with the flavor and carrier to provide an easier encapsulation of flavors.
• Polyglycerol esters may be any polyglycerol ester having a 2-10 glycerol oligomer with one or more fatty acid having short, medium, and long chain length.
• Examples 13-18 are the same as Examples 7-12 except that polyglycerol esters are pre-blended with the peppermint flavor and added to the gum formulation.
• the following Tables 4 through 11 give examples of gum formulations demonstrating formula variations in which polyglycerol esters, in the form of liquid or solid, can be used.
• Glycerin 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0
• Examples 24-28 in Table 5 demonstrate the use of polyglycerol esters in medium-moisture sugar formulations having about 2% to about 5% moisture.
• Glycerin and syrup can be blended and co-evaporated C PGE and Lecithin can be pre-blended. d Flavor and PGE can be pre-blended.
• Examples 29-33 in Table 6 demonstrate the use of polyglycerol esters in high moisture sugar formulations having more than about 5% moisture.
• Tables 8 and 9 demonstrate the use of polyglycerol esters in low- and high-moisture gums that are sugar-free. Low- moisture gums have less than about 2% moisture, and high- moisture gums have greater than 2% moisture. TABLE 7
• Lecithin and PGE can be pre -blended.
• **Lecithin and PGE can be pre -blended.
• Table 10 shows sugar chewing gum formulations that can be made with polyglycerol esters and various types of sugars.
• Table 11 shows chewing gum formulations that are free of sugar. These formulations can use a wide variety of other non-sugar alditols.
• Lycasin 5.0 5.0 5.0 10.0 10.0
• PGE 0.1 1.0 0.1 1.0 0.1 1.0 The following examples of the invention are also shown in Table 12 for natural and synthetic gum bases with wax, Table 13 for chewing gum bases that are wax- free and have some reduced tack properties, Table 14 for wax free bubble gum bases and Table 15 for wax-free gum bases having non-tack characteristics. These examples illustrate how polyglycerol esters can be added to a wide variety of chewing gum bases to partially replace some of the oils, fats, and base softeners.
• Microcrystalline Wax (MP 180°F) 6.0 3.1 8.5 Paraffin Wax (MP 135°F) 3.0 _____
• Microcrystalline Wax (MP 180°F) 15.2 6.8 6.1

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
• Confectionery (AREA)

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Citations (3)

• 1994
  • 1994-11-08 EP EP95902452A patent/EP0788315A4/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1994-11-08 AU AU11720/95A patent/AU1172095A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1994-11-08 WO PCT/US1994/012761 patent/WO1996013986A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1995
  • 1995-11-03 EP EP95943570A patent/EP0789515A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1995-11-03 CA CA002213406A patent/CA2213406A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1995-11-03 WO PCT/US1995/014185 patent/WO1996013987A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1995-11-03 AU AU45009/96A patent/AU4500996A/en not_active Abandoned

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