Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Normally noningestible chewable material or process of...
Patent
1999-05-27
2000-06-27
Corbin, Arthur L.
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Normally noningestible chewable material or process of...
426 5, A32G 330
Patent
active
060804327
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to methods for producing chewing gum. More particularly the invention relates to producing chewing gum containing sodium glycinate, which has been discovered to be a bitterness inhibitor.
Chewing gum compositions often contain ingredients that impart a bitter taste to the chewing gum. Caffeine gives a bitter taste when used in gum. Some typical chewing gum flavoring agents, such as menthol, spearmint oil and peppermint oil, give a bitter taste. Medicants sometimes added to chewing gum also give a bitter taste to the gum.
There are many known bitterness inhibitors, and many of them have been suggested for use in chewing gum, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,822,597 and No. 5,192,563, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 91-251533. Also, the use of flavoring ingredients which have been modified to reduce bitterness have been used in chewing gum, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,009,893; No. 5,372,824 and No. 5,523,105. Still there is a need for a better bitterness inhibitor which can be used in chewing gum to reduce the bitterness of the taste of some chewing gums.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises, in a first aspect, a chewing gum composition comprising about 5% to about 95% gum base; about 5% to about 95% bulking and sweetening agents; about 0.1% to about 15% flavor; and about 0.02% to about 5% sodium glycinate.
In another aspect, the present invention comprises a method of making a chewing gum product with reduced bitterness comprising the steps of mixing about 5% to about 95% gum base, about 5% to 95% bulking and sweetening agents, and about 0.1% to about 15% flavor to form a chewing gum composition, the chewing gum including an ingredient which gives the chewing gum composition a bitter taste; while making the gum composition, adding sodium glycinate in an amount sufficient to provide the gum composition with suppressed bitterness.
Chewing gum made with sodium glycinate gives a flavor that is less harsh and less bitter. This sodium salt seems to have a greater impact on reducing bitterness than other sodium salts. At levels of 0.02% to 5%, sodium glycinate has been found to act as a bitterness inhibitor without imparting a salty taste.
In addition, it has been discovered that sodium glycinate acts as a gum softener during early and intermediate chew stages. Lower levels are better to inhibit bitterness and higher levels give softener gum.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As used herein, the term "chewing gum" also includes bubble gum and the like. All percentages are weight percentages unless otherwise specified.
Sodium glycinate is made by reacting glycine with sodium hydroxide to form the salt. A purified food grade sample of sodium glycinate was obtained from Seltzer Chemicals, Inc. 5927 Gerger Court, Carlsbad, Calif. Since other sodium salts have been found to reduce bitterness in food products, and since glycine is an aminoacetic acid and is a sweet protein, it was speculated that sodium glycinate may have some unique properties for bitterness reduction. Sodium glycinate has been used in pharmaceuticals and some dentifrices, but has found only limited use in food products such as meats. Its use in food and pharmaceuticals is generally related to it being an alkalinizer. It has been discovered that when sodium glycinate is added to chewing gum at levels of about 0.02% to about 5%, preferably about 0.05% to 2%, and most preferably about 0.1% to 1%, the product has an improved flavor quality and a softer texture. This sodium salt improves flavor by reducing bitterness of the flavor ingredients such as menthol and physiological cooling agents. If bitter stimulants or pharmaceuticals such as caffeine were used in the gum, sodium glycinate would also reduce this bitterness.
Like mono-sodium glutamate (MSG), which is also a sodium salt of an aminocarboxylic acid, sodium glycinate has an effect on taste properties. However, unlike sodium glutamate, which has its own characterist
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Tyrpin Henry T.
Wolf Fred R.
Corbin Arthur L.
Shurtz Steven P.
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
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