Long Lasting Gum - How?

January 21, 2008 8:22 PM

What has changed chemically in the process of these "long lasting gums?" Before a piece of gum would be flavorful for like 10 minutes tops. Now, I can chew on these newer gums like an hour before they are not flavorful. What happened?
posted by bigmusic to Food & Drink (3 answers total)

Probably like timed-release medicines, there are tiny "pieces of flavor" that dissolve at different rates.
posted by gjc at 8:33 PM on January 21, 2008

There are little capsules that dissolve at different times to release their flavors. I believe the process is called 'microencapsulation'.
posted by ikkyu2 at 8:42 PM on January 21, 2008

I believe artificial sweeteners, specifically NutraSweet, are part of the scheme. Now, it's very difficult to find gum that doesn't contain NutraSweet (a.k.a. aspartame), and I've been told that it's partly because the sweetness will last longer, so gum manufacturers are adding it to all their products.
posted by amtho at 8:51 PM on January 21, 2008