Environmentally-friendly chewing gum.
Most large-scale manufacturers of chewing gum use synthetic rubber compounds for their base. These don’t biodegrade, thus making it impossible to justify any green credentials. However, by using a natural, biodegradable gum base like chicle, there could be an opportunity to reduce the environmental impact.
Data from Mintel shows that 35% more natural gum products have been released since the beginning of 2019, compared to the previous 8 years combined (Mintel 2020). This rise in popularity mirrors a broader consumer awareness of environmental and ethical issues. Trendsetting brands are capitalising on this.
Natural challenges
As many gum manufacturers will agree, creating natural gums is challenging. There are serious limitations on ingredients, making it extremely difficult to improve the function and texture of the gum base. Synthetic gum can be fine-tweaked to get the best qualities for a specific formulation. You can adjust softness and hardness, or you can tailor the gum to hold onto or release certain nutraceuticals. With natural gum – within reason – what you have is what you get.
Natural gum can also be limiting due to its inconsistency, both in quality and batch variation. TasteTech has a range of flavouring solutions that work with any kind of gum base. We source and encapsulate the highest-quality natural ingredients to provide benefits to both the manufacturer and consumer.
How TasteTech can help
Over the last few years, TasteTech has worked with several companies to develop natural gum that mimics the properties of synthetic versions.
A start-up chewing gum manufacturer approached TasteTech to improve the quality and flavour of their vegan biodegradable gum. We invited them to visit our site in Bristol to work with our gum experts to develop a range of possible solutions. After a full research and development day, including experiments with multiple flavours, sweeteners, acids and coolants, the customer had two concepts ready for consumer taste trials.
Having learned their specific requirements, our Confectionery Food Technologist, Oliver Semmence, continues to work closely with the customer. He provides ongoing support and opportunities to experiment with our product range, to create class-leading chewing gum products.
If you are developing a natural gum product and want to find out more, please get in touch.
