Studies on Chewing Gum Base Made from Tannic Acid and Gelatin

Abstract

A mixture of tannic acid and gelatin was designed for use as a chewing gum base. The mixture was a chewable material like chewing gum on the market. The characterist ics of the mixture were found as follows. (1) The mixture formed chewing gum by applying repeating press and folding regularly in water. (2) During the above operation, the mixture absorbed water at first, some parts of tannic acid and gelatin were released from the mixture and the remains formed chewing gum. (3) When the ratio of tannic acid to gelatin was lower than O.2, the mixture did not form chewing gum but melted in water. When the ratio was near O.5, the mixture formed bubble gum. (4) The mixture containing much wat er was soft, but formed a tight chewing gum after the operation. (5) The mixture made from acid-processed gelatin formed chewing gum in a wider range of pH than the mixtur e made from alkali-processed gelatin.