Non-sticky gum

Chewing gum is that sticky annoyance most of us could do without, but what if there was a way to make it non-sticky? Professor Elke Arendt from the University College Cork has developed a novel process for creating biodegradable chewing gum using cereal proteins as the main ingredients.

These natural proteins are modified using technologies and ingredients that increase the elasticity of the cereal proteins so they can be used as a base material for the production of chewing gum.

The base is usually a synthetic rubber which gives chewing gum its sticky properties. These rubbers are stretchy, have strong adhesive properties  and are resistant to many cleaning chemicals – making the task of cleaning chewing gum up a difficult task. The rubber base also determines commercially important features like the flavour, chewiness and shelf life, along with the added softeners, sweeteners and flavourings.

The technology – which came from other research in the area of gluten-free cereal products – has been patented, and UCC are looking for companies to commercialise the product. The work was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry under the FIRM program.