Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
11~5194 YD16b
The present invention relates to a long-lasting
flavored chewing gum which contains gum base, and a non-
sugar sweetener, such as a saccharin sweetener, coated or
codried with a filler, such as calcium carbonate, and to
a method for preparing such gum.
Conventional chewing gum generally includes gum
base composed of ester gum, polyvinyl acetate, latex
solids, fatty acids, natural and/or synthetic rubbers,
waxes and texturizers and bulking agents, water-soluble
flavoring and water-soluble sweeteners, for example,
various sugars such as sucrose and dextrose, and/or
artificial sweeteners such as sodium or calcium saccharin,
cyclamates, dihydrochalcones, glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhizinates,
emulsifiers such as lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, and
flavors. Such gum initially provides a desirable strong
sweet taste which declines rapidly during the first three
to five minutes of chewing to a very slight,
non-pe~ceptible level of sweetness and flavor. The
result is that after about five minutes of chewing all
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that remains in the mouth is an essentially tasteless wad
which provides little in the way of flavor, aroma or
sweetness. Accordingly, there clearly is a need and
long-felt want for a chewing gum which possesses long-
lasting flavor and sweetness.
It has ~een found thaL the sweetness and flavor
of chewing gums such as non-sour flavored (mint), fruit
flavored and sour chewing gums can be prolonged by codrying
or coating relatively small amounts of a non-sugar
sweetener, such as a saccharin sweetener, with relatively
large amounts of a filler, and then
substantially uniformly dispersing such combination
throughout the gum base. The non-sugar sweetener is
thereby substantially bound up and retained in the gum
base matrix and during chewing the non-sugar sweetener
undergoes slow and controlled release into the saliva.
The filler which also serves as a texturizer is substan-
tially insoluble and thus is not released from the gumduring chewing. In effect, the filler spreads out or
increases the surface area of the non-sugar sweetener;
thus when the codried combination is incorporated into a
chewin~ ~um, the release of the non-sugar sweetener fro~
the gum is si~nificantly slowed down. Furthermore,
1~51~
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inasmuch as the non-sugar sweetener-filler combinatlon
i.s buried in the gum base and, as will be seen herein-
after, only very small amounts of the non-sugar sweetener
are employed versus the relatively large amounts of filler,
only the non-sugar sweetener is released upon chewing;
the filler is substantially retained in the gum base even
durinq chewing.
In a Preferred embodiment of the invention, saccharin
or aspartame sweetener is codried with calcium carbonate
and/or magnesium trisilicate and the resulting combination
is dispersed in the gum base.
It is well known that fine pulverization of crystals
of poorly soluble materials or even slowly dissolving
materials of good solubility increases surface
area thereof, which, in turn, increases
51~1~
YD16b
--3--
solubility rate. However, it has been suprisingly and
unexpectedly found that finely divided artificial sweeteners,
such as finely powdered free saccharin acid or finely
powdered saccharin salts, when incorporated into chewing gum
base do just the opposite; the extraction rate of such
sweeteners from the gum base during chewing is reduced
with decreasing particle size~ so that the sweet taste and
flavor of the gum are porlonged. The codrying or coating of
the sweetener on the chalk or starch or other fillers has the
effect of increasing surface area of the sweetener (and thus,
in effect, reducing particle size thereof) thereby resulting
in controlled release of sweetener.
The terms "coat", "coated", "coating", "codried,
codrying" and these terms having other suffixes as employed
herein are intended to refer to the incorporation in or
application of the non-sugar sweetener to the filler by
dissolution, dispersion, integration, encapsulation or
any other conventional technique of physically combining
the artificial non-sugar sweetener and filler.
Conventional chewing gum provides initally a very
strong sweet taste which declines very rapidly in the first
3 or 4 minute~ of chewing to only a slight,
non-perceptible level of sweetness.
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11 ~5194
YDl6b
-4-
The chewing gum of the present invention, on the other hand,
which contains the non-sugax sweetener incorporated with the
inorganic or organic filler component, provides a chewing
gum whose sweetness corresponds to that of conventional
gum for the first 3 minutes but, thereafter, begins to drop
more slowly and stabilizes after about 5 minutes of chewing
at a desirable sweetness level. This sweetness level remains
essentially stable for 15 to 20 minutes. In
the chewing gum of the invention, during the first few minutes
of chewing, the perceived sweetness is due mostly to sugars
or sugar alcohols, or soluble artificial sweeteners ~not
combined with the filler) present in the chewing gum.
Thereafter, the non-sugar sweetener combined with the
filler is released, flavor is stabilized and the sweet
taste persists for extended periods of chewing of up to
20 minutes.
In view of the above, it will be appreciated that
by incorporating the non-sugar sweetener with the filler,
in accordance with the invention, the initial sweetness
impact of the sweetener is reduced or delayed. Thus, the
sweetener incorporated in the filler may be used in sugar
or sugar alcohol or artificial soluble sweetener-containing
chewing gums where a second burst of sweetness from the
non-sugar sweetener-filler combination is desired to produce
a long-lasting flavored gum which will not have the over-
powering sweetness which would normally result where
uncoated sweeteners and sugar are employed together.
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114S1~34
~5~ YD16b
In formin~ the non-sugar sweetener combination with
the filler, the non-sugar sweetener will be employed in a
~eight ratio to the filler of within the range of from about
1:100 to about 1:1, and preferably from about 1:100 to
about 1:10, so as to provide a concentration of non-sugar
sweetener in the filler preferably within the range of
from about 1% to about 10~ by weight of the filler.
The non-su~ar sweetener combined with the filler as
discussed below will be present in the chewing gum in an
amount within the range of from about 3 to about 0.2~ and
preferably from about 3% to about 0.5~ by weight of the gum
base, and will be present in the finished chewing gum in
amounts ranging from about 1% to about 0.04% and preferably
from about 0.6~ to about 0.1%. Examples of non-sugar
sweeteners suitable for use herein to be codried or coated
on the filler include free saccharin acid (free saccharin
acid may react with chalk to produce calcium saccharin),
sodium, calcium or ammonium saccharin, sugar alcohols such
as xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol or maltitol, cyclamate salts,
dihydrochalcones, glycyrrhizic acid and salts, L-aspartyl-L-
phenylalanine methyl ester (aspartame) and mixtures thereof.
The filler which is combined with the non-sugar sweetener
will be present in the gum in an amount within the range
of from about 5 to about 9S% by weight of the gu~ base and
preferably in an amount within the range of from about la
to about 30~. Examples of fillers suitable for use herein
include inorganic fillers such as calcium carbonate,
magnesium trisilicate, talc, diatomaceous earth, aluminum
oxide and mixtures thereof.
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It will be understood that the non-sugar sweetener
may be codried, coated, incorporated, entrapped, dissolved,
dispersed, or otherwise combined with the filler employing
conventional coating, drying or encapsulation technology.
In one embodiment, the non-sugar sweetener (e.g., Ca or Na
saccharin salt) is dispersed (and preferably solubilized)
in water, and mixed with filler such as chalk
to form a uniform paste which is then dried and
ground to a powder, for example less then 50 mesh, and
preferably less than 100 mesh. The powder can then be
incorporated with the gum base components or mixed with the
gum base as will be described hereinafter together with other
conventional chewing gum components to form a chewing gum.
It will also be appreciated that the non-sugar
sweetener-filler combination of the invention may be employed
in chewing gum which includes sugar and/or other uncoated
artificial water-soluble or poorly water-soluble sweeteners
such as free saccharin, saccharin salts, cyclamates, aspartame,
glycyrrhizinates, dihydrochalcones and the like.
In general, the gum base is prepared by heating and
blendi~lg various ingredients, such as natural gums, synthetic
resins, waxes, plasticizers, etc., in a manner well known
in the art. Typical examples of the ingredients found in a
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1145194
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chewing gum base are masticatory substancesof synthetic
origin such as styrene-butadiene copolymer, isobutylene-
isoprene copolymer, polyisobutylene, polyethylene, petroleum
wax, polyvinyl acetate, as well as masticatory substances
of natural origin such as rubber latex solids, chicle,
crown gum, nispero, rosidinha, jelutong, pendare, perillo,
niger gutta, tunu, etc. The elastomer or masticatory
substance will be employed in an amount within the range
of about 5 to about 15~, preferably from about 8 to about
12~, and optimally from about 9 to about 11~ by weight of
the gum base composition.
In addition, the gum base will preferably contain
a solvent for the elastomer which should have minimal
tackifying properties and will preferably comprise
hydrogenated ester gum, that is, glycerol ester of hydrogenated
rosin and/or dimerized ester gum. However, other solvents
may be employed such as pentaerythritol ester gum, polymerized
ester gum, and ester gum. The solvent will be employed in an
amount ranging from about 10 to about 40~, preferably from
about 18 to about 30%, and optimally from about 20 to about
25~ by weight of the gum base.
The gum base may also include a hydrophilic-type
detackifier which will sorb saliva and become slippery
and is incompatible with the elastomer and solvent for the
elastomer. E~amples of such materials suitable for use
herein will include vinyl polymers having a molecular weight
of not less than 20~0, such as polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl
butyl ether, copolymers of vinyl esters and vinyl ethers.
It will be appreciated that the chalk or any other material
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~5~4
--8--
which may be present in the gum base will not serve the function
of the inorganic or organic filler coating agent for the non-
sugar sweetener and that such filler must be separately combined
with the non-sugar sweetener; however, this fraction of the gum
base may be used for this purpose by combining the chalk or other
filler with the sweetener prior to its incorporation in the gum
base.
The gum base may also include hard waxes which serve as
lubricants and should have a melting point of above about 65C
and preferably above about 75C. Examples of such hard waxes in-
clude candelilla wax, paraffin wax, carnauba wax, ozokerite, ori-
cury, microcrystalline wax, and the like. The hard waxes will be
employed in an amount within the range of from about 0 to about
50% by weight of the gum base, preferably from about 17 to about
40%, and optimally from about 20 to 30% by weight. The preferred
hard waxes are candelilla wax and paraffin wax employed in com-
bination so that from 2 to about 8% (based on the weight of the
gum base~ of the candelilla is employed with from about 15 to
about 30~ (based on the weight of the gum base) of the paraffin
wax. The waxes are found to reduce the tackiness of the final
gum composition without significantly reducing cohesivity thereof.
The hydrophilic-type detackifier will be employed in an
amount within the range of from about 20 to about 40~ by weight
of the gum base, preferably from about 25 to about 35%, and op-
timally from about 28 to about 32% by weight of the gum base.
The gum base may also include a softening agent and lu-
bricant combination which may comprise one or more hydrogenated
vegetable or animal fats having a high melting point, that is
above about 22C, and preferably
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-9- YD16b
above about 50C; such softening agent and/or lubricant
may be employed in amounts ranging from about 0 to about 15%
by weight of the gum base, preferably from about 4 to about
12%, and optimally from about 5 to about 10~.
The gum base will also include an emulsifier to
impart hydrophilic properties to the gum base so that
saliva will be absorbed thereby making the gum base
slippery; the emulsifier will be employed in amounts
ranging from about 2 to about 12~ by weight of the gum
base, preferably from about 3 to about 8%, and optimally
from about 5 to about 7~. Examples of such emulsifiers
include glyceryl monostearate, phosphatides, such as
lecithin and cephalin, Tweens, Spans and mixtures thereof.
In addition, the gum base may include colorants
such as titanium dioxide, plasticizers, such as lanolin,
stearic acid, sodium stearate, potassium stearate and the like,
antioxidants, in an amount up to about 2000 ppm of the gum base,
~ . .
~ such as butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene,
. .
and propyl gallate.
The gum base may also contain particles of chalk (CaCO)3
as a bulking agent and texturizer (not combined with the
non-sugar sweetener) in amounts ranging from about 0 to about
50%, and preferably from about 0.2 to about 25% by weight
of the gum base.
: The water-insoluble gum base may consist of any of
the various bases disclosed for example in U. S. Patents
Nos. 3,052,552 and 2,197,719. Typical ingredients included
in gum base compositions are the following:
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ll~S~94
YD16b
--10--
Base I Parts by Weight
Ester gum 58
Chalk 30
Rubber latex solids 10
Lecithin 2
Base II
Ester gum 88
Rubber iatex solids 10
Lecithin 2
Base III
Chicle 20
Jelutong 40
Gutta soh 8.5
Lecithin 2
Chalk 2
Base IV
i Partially oxidized chicle 68
Lecithin 2
Chalk 30
~o Base V
;. Jelutong (dry) 60
Gutta siak 13
, Lecithin 2
f Chalk 25
~ The chewing gum of the invention may also include
J~: flavoring, such as sour or fruit flavoring or non-acid
or mint flavoring in an amount ranging from about 0.3 to
about 2.0% by weight, and preferably from about 0.5 to
. 30
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11~5194
-11- YD16b
about 1.2% by weight of the final g~ product. The
flavoring may comprise oils derived from plants, leaves,
flowers, fruit, etc. Representative flavor oils of this
type include citrus oils such as lemon oil, orange oil,
lime oil, grapefruit oil, fruit essences such as apple
essence, pear essence, peach essence, strawberry essence,
apricot essellce, raspberry essencc, cherry essence, plum
essence, pinea~ple essence, as well as ~he following
essential oils: peppermint oil, spearmint oil, mixtures
of peppermint oil and spearmint oil, clove oil, bay oil,
anise oil, eucalyptus oil, thyme oil~ cedar leaf oil,
cinnamon oil, oil of nutmeg, oil of sage, oil of bitter
almonds, cassia oil, and methylsalicylate ~oil of wintergreen).
Various synthetic flavors, such as mixed fruit, may also be
incorporated in the chewing gum of the invention with or
without conventional preservatives.
~ The chewing gum of the invention will optionally,
; and preferably, include an easily extractable or water-
soluble sweetener, the easily extractable sweetener being
` 20 present in an amount ranging from about 90 to about 0.05%,
preferably from about 90 to about 40% by weight of the final
produc to provide an initial burst o sweetness. Such
water-soluble sweeteners may include one or more sugars,
sugar alcohols, or sugar containing material, for example,
monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides, some
examples of which follow:
A. ~onosaccharides of 5 or 6 carbon atoms - arabinose,
xylose, ribose, glucose, mannose, galactose, fructose,
dextrose, or sorbose or mixtures of two or more of the
~- 30 foregoing monosaccharides.
-12~ S~94
s. Disaccharides - sucrose such as cane or beet sugar,
lactose, maltose or celloboise; and
C. Polysaccharides - partially hydrolyzed starch, dex-
trin or corn syrup solids.
The sugar alcohols include sorbitol, xylitol or manni-
tol.
In one embodiment, sorbitol will be included in combi-
nation with sugar as the water-soluble sweetener. In such case,
the sorbitol will be present in an amount within the range of
from about 2 to about 20% by weight of the chewing gum composi-
tion, preferably from about 5 to about 15%, and optimally from
about 8 to about 12%.
Furthermore, any of the water-soluble artificial or
natural sweeteners set out hereinbefore may be present together
with the non-sugar sweetener combined with the filler. In each
of the preferred embodiments of the chewing gum and method of
the invention, corn syrup will be employed as the plasticizer.
However, satisfactory results may be obtained, for example, by
employing sorbitol syrups, modified starches and the like, with-
out the use of and presence of corn syrup in the chewing gum.
The method for forming a long-lasting flavored gum in-
cludes the steps of admixing melted gum base containing the
filler-non sugar sweetener combination dispersed therein with a
plasticizer such as a syrupy substance such as corn syrup or a
modified starch syrup or sorbitol syrups and emulsifier such as
lecithin, at a temperature ranging from about 180 to about 210F,
` to form a base-syrup mix, and (where desired) adding flavor oil,
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~5194
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sugar, sorbitol, and other flavor to the mi~ with stirring.
The resulting mi~ is then formed into sticks or tablets of
chewing gum employing conventional techniques.
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The following Examples represent preferred embodiments
of the present invention. All temperatures are expressed
in F
Example l
Fifteen grams of sodium saccharin is solubilized in
lO0 ml of distilled water. The saccharin solution is added
to 270 g of chalk while mixing to form a uniform paste.
The mixed paste is dried to remove the moisture and ground
into a powder passing a sieve of lO0 mesh.
An amount of 1230 g of gum base containing 88 parts
ester gum, lO parts rubber latex solids, and 2 parts lecithin
is melted in a jacketed sigma mixer and 285 g of the chalk
and sodium saccharin are added. The mass is mixed thoroughly
for 30 minutes while maintaining the temperature at 140
to 180F. The chalk and saccharin containing gum base is
removed from the mixer and cooled.
The sodium saccharin is extracted from the gum base
in accordance with the following procedure.
An aliquot of 40 g of the gum base is taken and mixed
thoroughly in a Waring blender with 200 ml of distilled
water. During mixing, the gum base is reduced in size to
.a powder form so that an intimate contact is maintained
between the gum base and the water. After 5 minutes of
mixing, gum base is separated from the water by filtration
` and the aqueous filtrate is analyzed for sodium saccharin
using a standard W absorbance method. The gum base is
extracted again with 200 ml of distilled water for another
5 minutes and the aqueous portion separated and the sodium
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saccharin content determined. This same procedure is
repeated until four extractions are made. Results are
summarized below.
Percent of Original ~lative
Water Cumulative Saccharin ~xtracted Percent of Original
Extract Time (min.) in Each Water Extract Saccharin E.Ytracted
. _ .
1st 5 11.6 11.6
2nd 10 8.2 19.8
3rd 15 5.3 25.1
4th 20 6.0 31.1
Control A
In order to evaluate the retention of sodium saccharin
in gum bases a gum base is prepared containing 88 parts ester
gum, 10 parts rubber latex solids, 2 parts lecithin.
1.5 Kg of gum base is melted in a jacketed sigma blade
mixer. To this base 15 g of sodium saccharin of a particle
size of less than 471 microns and more than 337 microns are
added. The gum base is then mixed thoroughly for 30 minutes
while maintaining the tempèrature between 140 and 180F.
The gum base is removed from the sigma blade mixer,
cooled and stored.
The sodium saccharin is then extracted from the gum
base using the procedure outlined in Example 1.
Results are summarized below.
Percent of Original Cumulative
WaterCumulativeSaccharin ExtractedPercent of Original
ExtractTime (min.)in Each Water ExtractSaccharin Extracted
1st 5 67.7 67.7
2nd 10 13.6 81.3
3rd 15 5.1 86.4
4th 20 2.4 88.8
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Thus, after the first five minutes, more than half
of the original saccharin is extracted to the water phase.
A comparison of the data of Example l and Control A
clearly indicate that the extraction rate of saccharin from-
the gum base is slowed down by co-drying of saccharin on
chalk.
Example 2
Fifteen grams of sodium saccharin is solubilized
in 100 ml of distilled water. The solution is added to
135 g of chalk and 135 g of magnesium trisilicate and mixed
thoroughly to a smooth paste. The paste is dried and the
dry solids are pulverized and passed through a 100 mesh
sieve. An amount of 285 g of this mixture is added to
1230 g of gum base containing 88 parts ester gum, 10 parts
rubber latex solids, 2 parts lecithin. The preparation of gum base
and extraction are carried out as outlined in Example 1.
Extraction data are as follows:
Percent of Original Cumulative
Water Cumulative Saccharin Extracted Percent of Original
Extract Time (min.) in Each Water Extract Saccharin Extracted
1st 5 19.7 19.7
2nd 10 19.7 39.4
3rd 15 13.6 53.0
4th 20 7.8 60.8
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1~5~94
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Example 3
A chewing gum is prepared using the gum base described
in Example 1. The chewing gum composition is as follows:
Parts by Weight
Gum base (containing sodium saccharin
co-dried on chalk as per Example 1) 21
Corn syrup 17
Sugax 49.8
Sorbitol 10
Artificial flavor
Gum arabic coated flavor
Lecithin 0.2
In preparing the above composition, the gum base is
melted and the corn syrup and lecithin are added and mixed.
The artificial flavor is added and mixed for 3 minutes,
and the sugar is added and mixed for an additional 3 minutes.
The sorbitol is then added, mixed for 2 minutes, and the gum
arabic coated flavor is added, mixed for one minute. The
mass is removed from the kettle, rolled and cut into desired
shapes.
Chewing gum prepared by this method is chewed for
5 minutes and the residual saccharin in the bolus is compared
with that of commercial sugar-free gums after the same length
of chewing.
The saccharin is extracted from the bolus and measured
using a standard UV spectrometric technique. Results are
as follows:
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5~94
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Percent of original saccharin retained in bolus of
sugar-free commercial gums after 5 minutes of chewing = 7.8~.
Percent of original sodium saccharin retained in bolus
of the Example 3 gum after 5 minutes of chewing = 10.1%.
Example 4
Twenty-five grams of sodium saccharin are solubilized
in approximately 500 g of water. To this solution 500 g
of acid modified, thin cooking corn starch (Flojel 65
"National Starch and Chemical Corp.") are added and thoroughly
mixed to produce a uniform paste. The paste is frozen and
then freeze-dried. The dried material is ground in a
laboratory grinder to pass 100 mesh sieve.
Three hundred eighty-two grams of the starch containing
the co-dried sodium saccharin are intimately mixed with
1922 grams of melted gum base while the temperature is
maintained at 180F. In order to affect uniform distribution,
mixing is continued for 15 minutes. This gum base contains
1.0~ sodium saccharin.
The gum base is used to prepare a chewing gum according
to the following composition:
Parts by Weight
Gum base (containing sodium saccharin
co-dried with starch) 22
Sugar 48.8
Corn syrup 17
Sorbitol 10
Lecithin 0.2
Spearmint flavor oil
30 Spearmint spray-dried flavor
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5194
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The gum base is melted and cooled to 180F. To this
the corn syrup and lecithin are added and mixed for 2 minutes.
The flavor oil is then added and the mass is mixed for 3 minutes.
The sugar is added and mixed, followed by the addition of
ssrbitol and the spray-dried flavor.
The chewing gum is removed from the kettle, rolled,
scored and cut into sticks.
The abo~e chewing gum is presented to an Expert
Sensory Panel.
For comparison, the panel is given a control gum
(Control B) prepared in the same fashion, only the sodium
saccharin is merely pre-mixed with starch prior to its
incorporation into the gum base.
The panel is presented with coded samples of the Control B
and Example 4 gums. The testing procedure is as follows.
Panelists chew one of the gums for 5 minutes, at which
time the bolus is removed and put aside in a paper cup.
Panelists then chew the other gums for the same length of
time and put the boluses in another cup.
Panelists then rinse their mouths with water and
consume crackers to remove residual flavor in the oral
cavity. This rinsing and rest period lasts one minute.
Then panelists taste each of the boluses and rate the
level of sweetness and flavor on 0-8 hedonic scale.
This same procedure is repeated after lO, 15 and 20
minutes of chewing.
For the purpose of this test, the quality attributes
are defined as follows:
Sweetness: The sweet sensation perceived in the
oral cavity by the taste buds.
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11~51~4
-20- YDl6b
Overall Flavor: The overall flavor sensation per-
ceived in the oral cavity.
The scale used is described as follows:
0 - none
2 - perceptible
4 - definite
6 - strong
8 - very strong
Average scores of Example 4 and Control B gums are
summarized below:
Time (min.)
15 20
Example 4 Sweetness 4.63.4 2.0 1.2
Gum Overall Flavor 4.2 3.21.8 1.1
Control B Sweetness 3.62.4 1.2 0.5
Gum Overall Flavor 3.4 2.41.1 0.6
The data are subjected to statistical analysis
which indicates that the Example 4 gum has significantly
longer sweetness and flavor duration than the Cantrol
gum.
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