Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2 1 7C863
_ WO95/07621 PCT~S93/08673
-- 1 --
HARD COATED CHEWING GUM WITH IMPROVED
SHELF LIFE, WITH XYLITOL AND POLYOL COATINGS
~C~GROUND OF THE Ihv~ ON
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hard-coated chewing
gum with xylitol and polyol coatings, having an extended
shelf life.
Discussion of Rel~ted Art
This invention relates to a hard-coated chewing
gum in which the hard coating is composed of xylitol and
another polyol, having an improved coating quality and
extended shelf life.
Specifically, this invention relates to a
chewing gum in pellet form, having one or more
sequentially added coats of xylitol and another polyol.
The hard pellets are prepared by coating a gum core with
syrups of xylitol and another polyol. The coated gum has
improved coating quality and longer shelf life.
Chewing gums, including pellet chewing gums,
are frequently enclosed with hard or soft coatings.
Coatings provide an opportunity for the manufacturer to
vary product characteristics such as taste, appearance
and nutritional value. In recent years, efforts have
been devoted to producing sugarless hard coatings for use
in chewing gum. Sugarless coatings which have been
investigated include coatings containing compounds such
as xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, and hydrogenated starch
hydrolysates.
Sugarless xylitol coated pellet gums have
become very popular as products are being manufactured in
Europe and Canada. The cost of xylitol is quite high,
and partial replacement of the xylitol in the coating
would be an advantage. Two polyols in the same coating
solution cause problems in the coating process, but
sequential coating of gum pellets with two solutions,
~ each containing a polyol, one of which is xylitol, was
. . r ~,
~.,
WO95/0762l PCT~S93/08673
_ - 2 -
a~ 708 6 3
found to be an acceptable process.
U.S. Patent 4,792,453, issued December 20,
1988, to Michael A. Reed, Mansukh M. Patel and Vasek J.
Kures, discloses a chewing gum having a sugarless chewing
gum center coated with a syrup containing hydrogenated
isomaltulose. The sugarless center may include various
constituents such as water, an insoluble gum base, a
bulking agent, a softener, an artificial sweetener, and a
flavoring agent. The sugarless chewing gum center of the
reference has a water content of less than about 2.5
weight percent, preferably less than about 1.5 weight
percent and most preferably less than about 1.0 weight
percent. The use of a center having a low water content,
is intended to prevent or reduce the tendency of the gum
center from being a water donor to the hard coating.
Sugarless gums coated with hydrogenated
isomaltulose-containing syrup possess excellent
appearance, taste, texture, mouth feel, and other
desirable properties of hard coated chewing gums. Also,
it has been found that the relatively anhydrous gum
center has the capability of pulling moisture from the
hydrogenated isomaltulose-containing coating, causing ~he
coating to exhibit superior hardness. This moisture-
pulling from the gum center is attributable, in large
part, to the use of glycerin as a softener in the gum
center. The moisture-pulling effect is the most
pronounced in hard coated chewing gums which contain
moderate or relatively high amounts of glycerin in the
chewing gum center, on the order of from about 5 to about
15 percent by weight of the chewing gum center.
The tendency of glycerin to pull moisture from
the hydrogenated isomaltulose-containing coating can
operate as a disadvantage in certain pellet-shaped hard
coated chewing gums which, due to their shape, are
2 ~ 7 ~ 8 ~ 3
WO95/07621 PCT~S93/08673
difficult to isolate from a moisture-containing
environment by packaging. For example, pellet gum which
is shaped like pillows is difficult to protect from
moisture because it is difficult to form a good quality,
low or non-moisture permeable package which is suitable
for these pellets.
Hydrogenated isomaltulose is a monohydrate. If
a hydrogenated isomaltulose-containing coating on a
pellet gum becomes too dry, e.g. due to the presence of
glycerin, the coating becomes more hygroscopic and
absorbs moisture from the surrounding atmosphere. This
continuous drying and absorption of moisture from the
atmosphere reduces the shelf life of the pellet gum by
causing the coating to soften and lose its desirable
texture, appearance and mouth feel. Thus, the coating
itself must be sufficiently shelf stable against moisture
absorption so as not to allow the coating to deteriorate
during its shelf life.
Coating with xylitol is described in U.S.
Patents 4,105,801, issued August 8, 1978, to Dogliotti;
4,127,677, issued November 28, 1978, to ~ronczowski et
al.; 4,146,653, issued March 27, 1979, to Mader et al.;
4,681,766, issued July 21, 1987, to Huzinec et al.;
4,786,511, issued November 22, 1988, also to Huzinec et
al.; and 4,828,845, issued May 9, 1989, to Zamudio-Tena
et al.
Patents and publications which discuss lactitol
include U.S. Patents 3,973,050, issued August 3, 1976, to
Hayashibara et al. (foods and drinks containing lactitol
as a sweetener); 4,973,486, issued November 27, 1990, to
Matsumoto et al. (formulation of lactitol-containing
2 1 70863
WO95/07621 PCT~Ss3m8673
- 4 -
food); and 4,999,058, issued March 12, 1991, and
5,160,546, issued November 3, 1992, both to Kawashima et
al. (production of lactitol trihydrate; use in chewing
gum, column 6 of each patent); British Patent 1,253,300,
Hayashibara, published November 10, 1971 (food materials
containing lactitol); PCT published Patent Applications
WO 90/06317, published June 14, 1990, and WO 92/16542,
published October 1, 1992, both in the names of Heikkila
et al. (preparation of crystalline lactitol and use as
sweetening agent; use in chewing gums mentioned at page
1, lines 10-11 of '317 and page 5, line 13 of '542); Ir.
I.H. Blankers, PURAC biochem bv, LACTY~ - A UNIQUE
REDUCED CALORIE ~W~ :N~ (October, 1992); CCA biochem
b.v., Application Information, Hard Panned Chewing Gum
(undated, 1 page); CCA biochem b.v., Application
Information, Starting Point Formulation for a Lacty0-
containing Chocolate and Chewing Gum (undated, 1 page);
CCA biochem b.v., INTERNATIONAL APPROVAL SITUATION FOR
LACTITOL (1988)(1 page); CCA biochem bv, LACTY~ / A NEW
REDUCED CALORIE SWEETENER (undated)(page 5, use in
chewing gum); CCA biochem b.v., Product Data, LACTY~-M
(undated, 1 page); Ir. C.H. den Uijl, CCA biochem bv,
LACTY~, PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS OF THIS NEW REDUCED
CALORIE ~W~ NER (1987); (anon.) Lacty~, A New Bulk
Sweetener, CONFECTIONERY PRODUCTION, p. 656 (September
1990); PURAC biochem, LACTY~ CONTAINING ~n~wlNG GUM
(undated, 1 page); and PURAC biochem, LACTY~ / A UNIQUE
REDUCED CALORIE SWEETENER (undated)(page 5, use in
chewing gum).
Patents and publications which discuss maltitol
include U.S. Patents 4,556,565, issued December 3, 1985,
to Arima et al. (sweetening compositions comprising
maltitol); 4,623,543, issued November 18, 1986, to Motegi
et al. (non-hygroscopic candies containing maltitol);
4,717,765, issued January 5, 1988, to Hirao et al.
(production and use of maltitol anhydrous crystals; used
in chewing gum in Example 12 in column 13); 4,840,797,
~ 8 ~ 3
WO9S/07621 PCT~Ss3tn8673
issued June 20, 1989, to Boursier (maltitol coating);
4,933,188, issued June 12, 1990, to Cherukuri et al.
(maltitol sweetening/bulking agent); 4,959,225, issued
September 25, 1990, to Wong et al. (sweetening
compositions comprising maltitol); and 5,120,551, issued
June 9, 1992, to Yatka et al. (maltitol syrup); European
Patent Pu~lication 0,390,299, published October 10, 1990,
in the names of Bakal et al. (foodstuffs containing
maltitol); and Japanese Patent Publications 53 (1978) -
127,858, published November 8, 1978 in the names of
Fukuda et al. (chewing gum which may include maltitol)
and 4 (1992) - 287,659, published October 13, 1992, in
the names of Shigeni et al. (low-calorie sweetener
containing maltitol).
Other patents and publications which may be of
interest include U.S. Patents 5,017,400, issued May 21,
1991, to Olinger et al. (non-cariogenic sweetener
containing xylitol and maltitol; used in chewing gums,
see Example I in columns 5-6); 5,135,761, issued August
4, 1992, to Dave et al. (coated chewing gum with
emulsifier subcoat); 5,144,024, issued September 1, 1992,
to Pepper et al. (shelf stable liquid xylitol
compositions comprising non-xylitol polyols such as
maltitol); 5,171,589, issued December 15, 1992, to Richey
et al. (coated chewing gum polished with colored wax);
and P~T published Patent Application WO 91/07100,
published May 30, 1991, in the names of Oravainen et al.
(hard candy containing xylitol and optionally maltitol or
l~titol).
S~MMARY OF THE lNv~.LlON
This invention is directed to a hard-coated
chewing gum such as a pellet chewing gum, whose pellet
shape does not lend itself to packaging of a type that
WOg5/07621 PCT~S93/08673
would protect the pellets from atmospheric moisture. The
hard-coated chewing gum is coated successively (i.e., not
simultaneously) with xylitol and another polyol. The
other polyol is preferably lactitol or maltitol, but
other polyols such as sorbitol may also be used.
Chewing gum pellets are subject to constant
exposure to atmospheric moisture during shelf storage.
The present invention provides a dual composition hard-
coated chewing gum which gives improved coating quality
and is shelf stable under these conditions.
The chewing gum of the invention includes a
center portion and an dual composition outer coating.
The outer coating consists of layers having two
compositions. One layer composition is all or primarily
xylitol; and the other is all or primarily lactitol or
maltitol (or another polyol, such as sorbitol),
hereinafter the non-xylitol polyol.
The outer coating preferably contains from
about 50 to about 100 weight percent xylitol and the non-
xylitol polyol. The outer coating may also include
sweeteners, whiteners, colorants, coating adjuvants and
flavors.
The total weight of the coating constitutes
from about 10 to about 65 weight percent of the coated
chewing gum product.
Any conventional chewing gum center formulation
may be used for the gum center. Preferably, however, the
gum center is sugarless and includes sorbitol, mannitol,
xylitol, lactitol, maltitol and/or hydrogenated starch
hydrolyzate, and an aqueous sorbitol liquid. The gum
~ ~ 7Q1863
_ WO9~/07621 PCT~S93/08673
-- 7
center constitutes from about 35 to about 90 weight
percent of the chewing gum product.
With the foregoing in mind, it is a feature and
advantage of the invention to provide a dual composition
hard coated chewing gum which retains its hardness,
texture, appearance and mouth feel during shelf storage
which involves constant exposure to the atmosphere.
It is also a feature and advantage of the
invention to provide a dual composition hard coated
shelf-stable chewing gum which does not absorb
significant quantities of moisture from the atmosphere.
It is also a feature and advantage of the
invention to provide a dual composition hard coated
shelf-stable chewing gum which is suitable for pellet gum
having pellet shapes which do not lend themselves readily
to protective packaging with respect to the atmosphere.
It is also a feature and advantage of the
invention to provide a method of making an improved dual
composition hard coated shelf-stable chewing gum.
The foregoing and other features and advantages
of the invention will become further apparent from the
following detailed description. The detailed description
is to be construed as illustrative rather than
limitative, with the scope of the invention being defined
by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
DETPTT~D DESCRIPTION
In accordance with the invention, a dual
composition hard coated chewing gum is provided which has
a dual composition hard outer coating and a softer
chewing gum center portion.
As noted in U.S. Patents 4,105,801; 4,127,677;
4,146,653; 4,681,766; 4,786,511; and 4,828,845, referred
to above, xylitol, a polyol sugar substitute, can be used
to coat various types of products, including chewing gum.
Xylitol makes a quality coating for chewing gum, and a
WO95/07621 ~! 7 n~ 6 3 PcT~sg3/n8673 ~
number of xylitol chewing gum products are currently on
the market in the United States and Europe. Although the
quality of product is good using a xylitol coating, the
cost of xylitol is high.
It has been found, according to the present
invention, that lactitol, maltitol and sorbitol are other
polyol sugar substitutes that can be used in coating hard
gum centers, in combination with xylitol; and in fact,
any edible polyol that can be crystallized to form a
quality coating on a pellet may be used with xylitol
according to this invention. Pure sorbitol may for
example be used, although pure sorbitol would not be
expected to reduce moisture sorption.
Another option is to first coat the gum center
with a combination of sorbitol and hydrogenated starch
hydrolyzate (lycasin) or a combination of polyols to
obtain a soft coating. A soft coating is like a jelly
bean coating and may be done with combinations of polyol
solutions and powders of polyol combinations. This soft
inner coating may then be coated with a hard shell
xylitol coating to obtain a unique product.
By combining a xylitol coating and a non-
xylitol polyol coating in this invention, the cost of
coating with xylitol can be significantly reduced, while
still maintaining some of the advantages of xylitol.
Also, by coating a chewing gum pellet with layers of both
xylitol and a non-xylitol polyol, both polyols may give a
significant shelf life improvement to the pellet gum.
Since lactitol, maltitol, and other polyol sugar
substitutes are less hygroscopic than xylitol, moisture
absorption of the pellet may be reduced, giving extended
shelf life to the product in unfavorable storage
conditions and packaging problems.
The invention involves first preparing a soft
(by comparison to the coating which is to follow) chewing
gum center portion, and forming it into gum pellets by
conventional means. The pelletized chewing gum centers
_ W O 95/07621 ~ ~ ~a ~ ~ 3 PCTrUS93/08673
_ g
are then coated with one or more sequentially applied
layers of xylitol and non-xylitol polyol coatings.
- The xylitol coating may be accomplished in a
traditional manner as disclosed by one of the
aforementioned U.S. Patents 4,105,801; 4,127,677;
4,146,653; 4,681,766; 4,786,511; and 4,828,845. A
preferred coating process, applicable to xylitol and to
non-xylitol polyols, is described below.
The preferred coating process uses a solution
of the material to be applied. The first solution used
for coating contains the non-xylitol polyol, which should
contain from about 50% non-xylitol polyol solids up to
the saturation point of the non-xylitol polyol in the
solvent, and preferably from about 60 to about 75 weight
percent non-xylitol polyol solids. The second solution
used for coating contains xylitol, which should contain
from about 50% xylitol solids up to the saturation point
of xylitol in the solvent, which is about 85% xylitol
solids in the case of a water solvent, and preferably
from about 60 to about 75 weight percent xylitol solids.
The syrups may comprise xylitol or a non-xylitol polyol
dissolved in water or any other food quality solvent in
an amount sufficient to yield a hard coating comprising
from about 50 to about 100 weight percent xylitol or non-
xylitol polyol. More preferably, however, the syrup will
comprise an amount of xylitol or non-xylitol polyol
sufficient to yield a hard coating comprising greater
than about 90 weight percent xylitol or non-xylitol
polyol. Furthermore, the syrups and thus the layers of
coating may contain both xylitol and a non-xylitol
polyol, and they may contain minor quantities of other
sugar substitutes such as sorbitol and mannitol in
addition to the primary non-xylitol polyol.
Each coating step adds a small amount of
xylitol or other polyol, depending on various factors
including chiefly the concentration of the xylitol or the
non-xylitol polyol in the coating syrup. Each individual
wosslo762l ~1 7 ~ 8 6 3 PCT~S93tO8673 _
-- 10 --
coating step adds roughly 1% to the then-current weight
of the pellet being coated.
The total amount of these xylitol and non-
xylitol polyol coatings may be from about 10% to about
65% by weight of the product obtained by the series of
coatings, i.e., after the last coating step, the product
contains from about 10% to about 65% xylitol and non-
xylitol polyol; and from about 35% to about 90% gum
center, by weight of the total product. Reaching this
weight of coating will typically require from about 10 to
about 65 individual coating steps. A preferred product
contains from about 20% to about 50% by weight of
combined xylitol and non-xylitol polyol coating, and from
about 50 to about 80% gum center.
It is preferred that the layers of non-xylitol
polyol be applied first, and after the non-xylitol polyol
coatings are completed, coatings of xylitol be applied in
a similar fashion over the non-xylitol polyol coatings.
The ratio of non-xylitol polyol to xylitol in
the coatings may vary widely, but the ratio is preferably
about 1:1.
The dual composition hard outer coating
includes layers of xylitol and non-xylitol polyol
coatings. Each of the two components of the dual
composition hard outer coating (i.e., the xylitol
component and the non-xylitol polyol component) may be
present as a single layer or as a plurality of layers.
The dual composition hard coating may be present in any
thickness or amount which is commercially acceptable.
Xylitol is a pentahydric alcohol having the
empirical formula C5HI20s, and a molecular weight of
152.15. Its structural formula is HO-CH2-CHOH-CHOH-CHOH-
CH2-OH. Xylitol is a crystalline compound. Its stabile
solid form melts at 93~-94.5~ C; the metastable form
melts at 61~-61.5~ C. The solubility in water of the
stabile form is 64.2 grams per 100 grams of solution at
room temperature. Its relative sweetness is about 90% of
2 1 70863
~_ WO95/07621 PCT~S93/08673
-- 11 --
that of sucrose. It is readily digested and is easily
metabolized by diabetics. It is commonly used as an oral
and intravenous nutrient, as a dietary additive, and in
anticaries preparations.
Lactitol and maltitol, preferred for use in the
present invention, are both polyols of the empirical
formula Cl2H24O~I, and are reduced (hydrogenated) lactose
and maltose, respectively. Lactitol and maltitol differ
from the disaccharide sugars lactose and maltose in that
one of the component sugars is reduced to a linear polyol
structure, rather than the ring structure of the
disaccharide sugar. Formal chemical names for lactitol
and maltitol are 4-O-(~-galactosyl)-D-glucitol and 4-O-
(~-glucoparanosyl)-D-glucitol, respectively. The
structural formula for lactitol is given in British
Patent 1,2S3,300, at page 2; in Ir. I.H. Blankers, PURAC
biochem bv, LACTY~ - A UNIQUE REDUCED CALORIE SWEETENER
(October, 1992), at pages 2 and 6; and elsewhere in the
LACTY~ trade literature. The structural formula for
maltitol is given in U.S. Patent 4,933,188, issued June
12, 1990, to Cherukuri et al., in column 5, and in
European Patent Publication 0,390,299, published October
10, 1990, in the names of Bakal et al., at page 3.
Lactitol is available from Purac America, Inc.
in the United States, or from PURAC biochem in the
Netherlands, under the trademark LACTY~. Maltitol is
available from Roquette Corporation. Both materials are
obtained in a crystalline powder form and since they are
very soluble in water, can form concentrated coating
solutions of 60-80% solids at high temperature.
Either the xylitol component, the non-xylitol
polyol component, or both components of the coating, may
also contain other ingredients such as flavoring agents,
artificial sweeteners and dispersing agents, coloring
agents, film formers, and binding agents. Flavoring
agents contemplated by the present invention include
those commonly known in the art such as essential oils,
WO95/07621 2 1 7 0 8 6 3 PcT~sg3/n8673 _
- 12 -
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. The flavoring agents may be added to
the coating syrup in an amount such that the coating will
contain from about 0.2 to about 1.2 weight percent
flavoring agent and preferably from about 0.7 to about
1.0 weight percent flavoring agent.
Artificial sweeteners contemplated for use in
the coating include but are not limited to synthetic
substances, saccharin, thaumatin, alitame, saccharin
salts, aspartame, sucralose and acesulfame-K. The
artificial sweetener may be added to the coating syrup in
lS an amount such that the coating will contain from about
0.05 to about 0.3 weight percent and preferably from
about 0.10 to about 0.15 weight percent artificial
sweetener.
Dispersing agents are often added to syrup
coatings for the purpose of whitening and tack reduction.
Dispersing agents contemplated by the present invention
to be employed in the coating syrup include titanium
dioxide, talc, or any other antistick compound. Titanium
dioxide is a presently preferred dispersing agent of the
present invention. The dispersing agent may be added to
the coating syrup in amounts such that the coating will
contain from about 0.1 to about 1.0 weight percent and
preferably from about 0.3 to about 0.6 weight percent of
the agent.
Coloring agents are preferably added directly
to the syrup in the dye or lake form. Coloring agents
contemplated by the present invention include food
quality dyes. Film formers preferably added to the
syrup, include~methyl cellulose, gelatins, hydroxypropyl
cellulose, ethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose,
carboxymethyl cellulose and the like and combinations
thereof. Binding agents may be added either as an
21 7û863
_ WO95/07621 PCT~S93108673
- 13 -
initial coating on the chewing gum center or may be added
directly into the syrup. Binding agents contemplated by
the present invention include gum arabic, alginate,
cellulosics, vegetable gums and the like.
The softer chewing gum center includes a water
soluble bulk portion, a generally water insoluble chewing
gum base and one or more flavoring agents. The water
soluble portion dissipates over a period of time during
chewing, while the gum base portion remains in the mouth
throughout the chewing process.
The insoluble gum base generally includes
elastomers, resins, fats, oils, waxes, softeners and
inorganic fillers. The elastomers may include
polyisobutylene, isobutylene-isoprene copolymer, styrene
butadiene rubber and natural latexes such as chicle. The
resins may include polyvinyl acetate, ester gums and
terpene resins. Low molecular weight polyvinyl acetate
is a preferred resin. Fats and oils may include animal
fats such as lard and tallow, vegetable oils such as
soybean and cottonseed oils, hydrogenated and partially
hydrogenated vegetable oils, and cocoa butter. Commonly
used waxes include petroleum waxes such as paraffin and
microcrystalline wax, natural waxes such as beeswax,
candelilla, carnauba and polyethylene wax. The present
invention contemplates the use of any commercially
acceptable chewing gum base.
The gum base typically also includes a filler
component such as calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate,
talc, dicalcium phosphate and the like; softeners,
including glycerol monostearate and glycerol triacetate;
and optional ingredients such as antioxidants, colors and
emulsifiers. The gum base constitutes from about 5 to
about 95% by weight of the chewing gum center, more
typically from about 10 to about 50% by weight of the
chewing gum center, and most commonly from about 25 to
about 35% by weight of the chewing gum center.
WO95/07621 ~ 7 0 a 6 3 PCT~S93/08673
- 14 -
The water soluble portion of the chewing gum
center may include softeners, bulk sweeteners, high
intensity sweeteners, flavoring agents and combinations
thereof. Softeners such as glycerin are added to the
chewing gum center in order to optimize the chewability
and mouth feel of the gum. The softeners, which are also
known as plasticizers or plasticizing agents, constitute
from about 0.5 to about 15% by weight of the chewing gum
center.
Aqueous sweetener solutions such as those
containing sorbitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates,
syrups of xylitol, lactitol, maltitol, hydrogenated
isomaltulose and other polyols, corn syrup and
combinations thereof, may also be used as softeners and
binding agents in the chewing gum center.
Bulk sweeteners constitute from about 5 to
about 90% by weight of the chewing gum center, more
typically from about 20 to about 80% by weight of the
chewing gum center and most commonly from about 30 to
about 60% by weight of the chewing gum center. Bulk
sweeteners preferably include sugarless sweeteners and
components. Sugarless sweeteners include components with
sweetening characteristics but are devoid of the commonly
known sugars. Sugarless sweeteners include but are not
limited to sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol,
xylitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, lactitol,
maltitol, hydrogenated isomaltulose, and the like, alone
or in combination.
High intensity sweeteners may also be present
and are commonly used with sugarless sweeteners. When
used, high intensity sweeteners typically constitute from
about o.OOl to about 5% by weight of the chewing gum
center, preferably from about 0.01 to about 1% by weight
of the chewing gum center. Typically, high intensity
sweeteners are at least 20 times sweeter than sucrose.
These may include but are not limited to sucralose,
aspartame, salts of acesulfame, alitame, saccharin and
21 7G8~
~_ WO95/07621 pcT~s93m8673
-- 15 --
its salts, cyclamic acid and its salts, glycyrrhizin,
dihydrochalcones, thaumatin, monellin, and the like,
- alone or in combination.
Combinations of sugar and/or sugarless
sweeteners may be used in the chewing gum center. The
sweetener may also function in the chewing gum in whole
or in part as a water soluble bulking agent. The
softener may also provide additional sweetness.
The flavoring agent should generally be present
in the chewing gum center in an amount within the range
of from about 0.1 to about 15% by weight of the chewing
gum center, preferably from about 0.2 to about 5% by
weight of the chewing gum center, most preferably from
about 0.5 to about 3% by weight of the chewing gum
center. 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 in the chewing gum center.
Natural and artificial flavoring agents may be combined
in any sensorially acceptable fashion.
Optional ingredients such as colors,
emulsifiers, pharmaceutical agents and additional
flavoring agents may also be included in chewing gum
center.
The chewing gum center is generally
manufactured by sequentially adding the various chewing
gum ingredients to any commercially available mixer known
in the art. After the ingredients have been thoroughly
mixed, the gum mass is discharged from the mixer and
shaped into the desired form such as by 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.
WO95/07621 2 1 ?08 6 3 PCT~S93/08673 _
- 16 -
The gum base may alternatively be melted in the mixer.
Color and emulsifiers can be added at this time.
A softener such as liquid sorbitol solution can
be added next along with syrup and part of the bulk
portion. Further parts of the bulk portion may then be
added to the mixer. The flavoring agents are typically
added with the final part of the bulk portion. The
entire mixing process typically takes from five to
fifteen minutes, although longer mixing times are
sometimes required. Those skilled in the art will
recognize that variations of this mixing procedure, or
other mixing procedures, may be followed.
After the chewing gum center has been
manufactured and shaped, the xylitol and non-xylitol
polyol-containing coatings can be applied. The coating
is initially present as a liquid syrup which contains
from about 30 to about 80 or 85 weight percent of the
coating ingredients previously described herein, and from
about 15 or 20 to about 70 weight percent of a solvent
such as water. In general, the hard coating process is
carried out in a rotating pan. Sugarless gum center
tablets to be coated are placed into the rotating pan to
form a moving mass.
The material or syrup which will eventually
form the hard coating, is applied or distributed over the
gum center tablets. Flavoring agents may be added
before, during and after applying the syrup to the gum
centers. Once the coating has dried to form a hard
surface, additional syrup additions can be made to
produce a plurality of coatings or multiple layers of
hard coating.
In the hard coating panning procedure, syrup is
added to the gum center tablets at a temperature range of
from about 100~F. to about 200~F. Preferably, the syrup
temperature is from about 150~F. to about 170~F. Most
preferably, the syrup temperature should be maintained at
about 158~F. throughout the process in order to prevent
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the polyol in the syrup from crystallizing. The syrup
may be mixed with, sprayed upon, poured over, or added to
the gum center tablets in any way known to those skilled
in the art.
S Each component of the coating on the gum center
tablets may be applied in a single hard layer or in a
plurality of hard layers. In general, a plurality of
layers is obtained by applying single coats, allowing the
layers to dry, and then repeating the process. The
amount of solids added by each coating step depends
chiefly on the concentration of the coating syrup. Any
number of coats may be applied to the gum center tablet.
Preferably, no more than about 75 coats are applied to
the gum center tablets. More preferably, less than about
60 coats are applied and most preferably, about 30 to
about 60 coats are applied. In any event, the present
invention contemplates applying an amount of syrup
sufficient to yield a dual composition hard coated
chewing gum product containing about 10 to about 65
weight percent coating. Preferably, the final product
will contain from about 20 to about 50 weight percent
hard coating.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that in
order to obtain a plurality of hard coated layers, a
plurality of premeasured aliquots of coating syrup may be
applied to the gum center tablets. It is contemplated,
however, that the volume of aliquots of syrup applied to
the gum center tablets may vary throughout the coating
procedure.
The present invention contemplates that a
flavoring agent may be added to the syrup, or applied to
the gum center tablets while the syrup coating is drying
or after the coating has dried. Furthermore, the
flavoring agent may be applied anywhere within the
sequence of coats, for example, after the third, twelfth,
eighteenth, etc., coats.
Wos~/o762l 2 ~ 7 0 8 6 3 PcT~sg3m8673 _
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Once a coating of syrup is applied to the gum
center tablets, the present invention contemplates drying
the wet syrup in an inert medium. A preferred drying
medium comprises air. Preferably, forced drying air
contacts the wet syrup coating in a temperature range of
from about 80~ to about 115~F. More preferably, the
drying air is in the temperature range of from about 90~
to about 105~F. The invention also contemplates that the
drying air possess a relative humidity of less than about
15 percent. Preferably, the relative humidity of the
drying air is less than about 8 percent.
The drying air may be passed over and admixed
with the syrup coated gum centers in any way commonly
known in the art. Preferably, the drying air is blown
over and around the syrup coated gum center at a flow
rate, for large scale operations, of about 2800 cubic
feet per minute. If lower quantities of material are
being processed, or if smaller equipment is used, lower
flow rates would be used. If a flavoring agent is
applied after a syrup coating has been dried, the present
invention contemplates drying the flavoring agent with or
without the use of a drying medium.
A wide range of changes and modifications to
the embodiments of the invention described above will be
apparent to persons skilled in the art. For example,
while the invention is described with respect to hard-
coated chewing gum, it will be appreciated that the dual
coating process is applicable to coating other food
products, such as candies, in which a combined xylitol
and non-xylitol polyol coating would have utility.
EXAMPLE8
The invention will now be illustrated with
Examples, which are not to be construed as imposing
limitations on the invention.
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Three gum center compositions, having the
formulas set out below, were made on production scale
equipment and used in the coating tests.
Center Center Center
Formula A Formula B Formula C
Sorbitol 48.06 43.64 44.06
Base 33.0 33.0 33.0
Calcium Carbonate 13.0 13.0 13.0
Glycerin 4.0 6.5 8.0
Peppermint Flavor 1.8 2.5 1.8
Water --- 0.8 ---
Color --- 0.2 ---
Encapsulated aspartame 0.14 0.36 0.14
TOTAL 100.00 100.00 100.00
COMPARATIVE EXANPLE 1 - ALL XYLITOL COATING
Using center formula C, pellets were coated
with two xylitol syrups which provided a coating of 91%
xylitol, 6.9% gum arabic, 1.2% peppermint flavor, and
0.9% titanium dioxide whitener, then polished with
carnauba wax. The first coating solution (used for the
first approximately 20 coats) contained an 80% xylitol
solids syrup, gum arabic as a 33% aqueous solution, and
titanium dioxide. The second coating syrup contained a
75% xylitol solids syrup, gum arabic as a 33% aqueous
solution, and titanium dioxide. The second coating
solution (used for the last approximately 20 coats)
contained half the amount of gum arabic as the first and
less xylitol solids, as indicated, but was otherwise the
same as the first solution. About 40 coats in total were
applied, with half the flavor added at the 5th coat, and
other half at the 10th coat. The product, which was
34.5% coating and 65.5% gum center, had a white, crunchy
hard shell coating typical of a xylitol coating.
WO95/07621 2 1 7 0 a 6 3 PCT~S93/08673
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EXAMPLE 2 - XYLITOL AND HYDROGENATED I80MALTULO8E COATING
Using center formula A, pellets were coated
with a xylitol syrup and a hydrogenated isomaltulose
syrup which provided a coating of 46% xylitol, 48.5%
hydrogenated isomaltulose, 3.4% gum arabic, 1.2%
peppermint flavor, and 0.9% titanium dioxide, then
polished with carnauba wax.
The first coating solution (used for the first
approximately 20 coats) contained a 75% hydrogenated
isomaltulose solids syrup, gum arabic as a 33% aqueous
solution, and titanium dioxide. The second coating syrup
contained an 75% xylitol solids syrup, gum arabic as a
33% aqueous solution, and titanium dioxide. The second
coating solution (used for the last approximately 20
coats) contained twice the amount of gum arabic as the
first and substituted xylitol for hydrogenated
isomaltulose, as indicated, but was otherwise the same as
the first solution. About 40 coats in total were
applied, with half the flavor added at the 5th coat, and
other half at the 10th coat, as in Example 1. The
product, which was 34.5% coating and 65.5% gum center,
had a white, crunchier, harder coating than the xylitol
coating of Example 1.
EXAMPLE 3 - XYLITOL AND LACTITOL COATING8
Using center formula A, 2500 grams of pellets
were coated with lactitol in the first coating syrup,
then xylitol in the second coating syrup. For the first
coating syrup a coating solution of 1200 grams of
lactitol, 66 grams of gum arabic, 10 grams Tio2, and 933
grams of water was prepared and heated to boiling, and
held at 160~F. During coating, half of 5.5. grams of
peppermint flavor was added to each the 12th and 20th
coats. With the initial piece weight at 1.04 grams,
pellets were coated with lactitol to a piece weight of
1.33 grams for a product which was 21.8% lactitol coating
and 78.2% gum center. For the second coating solution, a
_ WO95/07621 2 ~ 7 a ~ 6 3 PCT~S93/08673
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xylitol coating solution was prepared by mixing 420 grams
of xylitol, 38 grams of gum arabic, 10 grams Tio2, and 236
grams of water. A 1000 gram quantity of the lactitol-
coated gum was then coated with the xylitol coating
solution a piece weight of 1.58 grams, for a product
which was 34.1% lactitol and xylitol coating and 65.9%
gum center. The coating was white, slightly crunchier
and harder than the xylitol coating of Example 1.
EXAMPLE 4 - XYLITOL AND HALTITOL COATINGS
Using center formula B, 1500 grams of pellets
were coated with maltitol in the first coating syrup,
then xylitol in the second coating syrup. A coating
solution of 1200 grams of maltitol, 66 grams of gum
arabic, and 933 grams of water was prepared and heated to
boiling and held at 160~F. During coating, half of 6.6
grams of flavor was added to each the 9th and 12th coats.
With the initial piece weight of 0.94 grams, pellets were
coated with maltitol to a piece weight of 1.18 grams, for
a product which was 20.3% maltitol coating and 79.7~ gum
center. The xylitol coating solution was prepared as in
Example 3 and used to overcoat 750 grams of the maltitol
coated pellet to a piece weight of 1.44 grams, for a
product which was 34.7% maltitol and xylitol coating and
65.3% gum center. The coating was white, crunchier and
harder than the xylitol coating of Example 1.
MOISTURE SORPTION TEST8
Examples 1-4 above were evaluated in
accelerated shelf life tests to determine differences in
moisture sorption capabilities. Five pieces of each
sample were weighed in a dish and reweighed after storage
at a temperature of 85~F and 75% relative humidity.
Percentage moisture gain was as follows:
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WO95/07621 PCT~S93/08673 _
MOISTURE GAIN OF POLYOL/XYLITOL COATED GUM PELLETS
Example -> 1 2 3 4
Hours stored at
85~F / 75% R.H.
0 ----- -____ _____ _____
7 0.05 0.038 0.015 0.053
24 0.40 0.046 -0.002 0.056
31 1.01 0.039 0.011 0.037
49 2.64 0.051 0.025 0.043
3.25 0.024 -0.008 0.035
120 4.18 0.020 -0.880 0.028
127 4.39 0.013 -0.017 0.011
Results show that the dual coated products with
hydrogenated isomaltulose, maltitol or lactitol
overcoated with xylitol have much lower moisture gain
than an all-xylitol product. Previous moisture sorption
tests on all xylitol coated gum indicate the center
formula has only a minor effect on moisture gain, so the
significant reduction in moisture gain is believed to be
due to the dual coating of xylitol with hydrogenated
isomaltulose, maltitol or lactitol.
It will be appreciated that the addition of
some other ingredients, process steps, materials or
components not specifically included will have an adverse
impact on the present invention. The best mode of the
invention may therefore exclude ingredients, process
steps, materials or components other than those listed
above for inclusion or use in the invention.
