The main childhood question about what chewing gum is made of has long ceased to be a secret to you. A pleasant chewable mixture of rubber or polymers with added flavors and sweeteners is a long-time favorite children's treat, and if you decide to cook something with your child, then more suitable recipe You certainly won’t find a recipe for making homemade chewing gum.
How to make chewing gum at home?
If before today If you thought that chewing gum prepared at home was just your child’s fantasy, then you were very mistaken. Popular for over 50 years chewing gum You can completely cook it yourself, together with your child. If the child is not yet old enough and is already asking for chewing gum, you can replace it with special marmalade, which is similar in texture to chewing gum, but the child will be able to swallow it without risk to health.
Ingredients:
- fruit juice– 100 ml;
- gelatin – 1 package (20 g);
- starch – 1 teaspoon;
- water – 100 ml;
- sugar syrup– 300 ml;
- lemon juice– 5 tbsp. spoons
Preparation
Heat the fruit juice slightly in microwave oven and pour gelatin into it, leave until it swells. You can use any juice for the recipe, depending on the taste you want in the end.
Pour the sugar syrup into a bowl and heat it slightly, at this stage you can add a dye or flavoring agent, or you can simply add a little grated zest or spices such as cinnamon or vanilla. When the syrup becomes warm, add swollen gelatin and starch to it, stir the mass until smooth, and then strain through a sieve.
Our chewing marmalade can be poured into molds and refrigerated for 6-8 hours.
Chewing gum recipe
The chewing gum recipe is quite suitable for older children. To prepare real chewing gum, the first step is to purchase a special gum base, which can be found on the shelves of some supermarkets or ordered online. All other ingredients are likely to be found in your refrigerator.
Ingredients:
- base for chewing gum – 1 tbsp. spoon;
- corn syrup - 1 teaspoon;
- starch - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- flavoring - to taste;
- dye – 2 drops.
Preparation
Before you do homemade chewing gum, the base must be heated in the microwave for about 90 seconds or until it becomes comfortable to work with. 
When the base softens, you can add syrup and knead the mass, trying to make it as homogeneous as possible. When you achieve homogeneity, place the future chewing gum on a pile of starch and start mixing as if you were preparing dough. Has the mass become smooth and elastic? This means it’s time to add flavoring and coloring and mix everything thoroughly again.
Now the chewing gum can be cut into strips, stars, hearts, pads - basically whatever you want, and then put in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
Dirol chewing gum appeared in Russia in October 1993. The Danish family company Dandy first established distribution, and six years later built a plant in Veliky Novgorod to produce chewing gum here. The Dirol and Stimorol brands passed from one company to another several times: in 2003, Dandy was bought by the British confectionery company Cadbury Schweppes, then the plant was transferred to the Russian branch Kraft Foods, which became part of the international company Mondelēz International in 2013. The Village went to the production facility in Veliky Novgorod to see how chewing gum was made.
Photos
Ivan Anisimov
Production
The plant where Dirol is made is located on the outskirts of the city, but you can get there from the Novgorod Kremlin in five minutes. Danish entrepreneurs from the company Dandy have invested more than 2 billion rubles here to initial stage, and funding over the past six years has amounted to about 1 billion rubles. The metallic-colored industrial complex with large windows looks modern and technologically advanced - the authors of the building project even received an award for the architectural design, but this is not what we notice. The smell stretches throughout the entire territory of the plant - not strong, sweetish and very pleasant. I want to immediately go inside to feel it more clearly.
After the briefing, we put on gowns, gloves, special shoes, tuck our hair under plastic caps and plug earplugs on a string into our ears. In front of the entrance to the production there is a sign with the number “1333” - this is the number of days without accidents, which reminds employees to comply with safety regulations at work. The walk begins from the warehouse, where raw materials are being received at this time. The forward-thinking Danes built the plant in one line in order to be able to lengthen or expand the complex if necessary, which was done three years ago. So, in fact, we go from workshop to workshop in a straight line.
Raw materials arrive at the unloading area every day, and almost all materials are delivered from Europe and America, domestic ones - only honey, talc and maltitol syrup (molasses).
Mondelez International plant
Location: Veliky Novgorod
Opening date: 1999
Employees: 350 people
Factory area: 15,000 m2
Power: up to 30,000 tons of chewing gum and candies per year
What is chewing gum made of?
Chewing gum consists of a rubber base, sweeteners and flavorings. Previously, chewing gum was produced on the basis of natural rubber, but this was a complex and expensive process - now almost no one does this. The synthetic base is made in Ireland and Poland, comes in large bags and looks like small hailstones. It is this that gives the chewing gum its elasticity, ductility and long-lasting taste. There are about ten types of bases - harder and softer; a combination of two types can be used in one chewing gum.
All the scary names on the packaging - isomalt, sorbitol, maltitol, aspartame and acesulfame - are powdered sweeteners that replace sugar. Sweeteners are much more expensive than sugar itself and are produced outside of Russia.
Flavors are divided into liquid and dry (they are stored in two different rooms), as well as synthetic and natural. So, all fruit flavors are synthetic, and mint flavors are extracted from plants. It turns out that nice smell It comes from the flavor warehouse. There is no single flavor that conveys a specific taste, such as watermelon. Each flavor is achieved by mixing different ingredients- up to 30 ingredients can be used to obtain a specific taste. Components different tastes Dirol and Stimorol chewing gums have more than 300. They have shelf life from three months to five years. A limited quantity is transferred to the workshop, which corresponds to the recipe for a certain taste.
There is an opinion that chewing gum can have a negative impact on the body. “Chewing gum is a food product, pastry. The same high requirements are applied to its quality and safety for consumer health as for any other food product. If we talk about the composition of chewing gum, it uses only ingredients approved for use in food products,” says Andrey Samodin, press secretary for Mondelēz International in Russia.
All flavors undergo a compliance verification process Customs Union. In addition, the proportion of flavors in chewing gum is very small. "We use both natural flavors, and identical to natural ones. The difference between the two types of flavors is only in the method of production: they are absolutely identical in composition and structure,” says Samodin. According to him, food colorings in the same way, they are certified and approved for use in food products. However, Dirol and Stimorol chewing gums do not contain sugar, since this ingredient is associated with the formation of caries. Sweeteners may cause laxative effect with excessive one-time use, but for the possible occurrence of such an effect, it is necessary to consume a large amount of chewing gum at once. Acesulfame is not recommended to consume more than one gram per day, but to get this amount from chewing gum, you need to consume about one kilogram of chewing gum per day (more than 70 packs).
It is really not recommended to chew gum for more than 15 minutes and on an empty stomach to avoid increased formation of gastric juice. “It’s also important to remember that chewing gum is not a substitute for brushing your teeth. Its purpose is to freshen your breath, get pleasant taste and sensations,” notes Samodin.
Chewing gum like a pie
“The production of chewing gum is similar to the production of pies,” says quality control manager Irina Tsareva. - How do we prepare pies? First, we mix the ingredients, roll out the dough, rest it a little, put it in the oven, take it out and pack it.”
From the moment the necessary powders arrive at production until the moment a person chooses the Dirol flavor at the supermarket counter, at least a week passes. Chewing gum production is a technologically complex and nonlinear process with interruptions at almost every stage. There are a total of 15 processing and packaging lines operating here.
The plant has implemented a recipe system: operators who prepare components for mixing receive a recipe, which determines how much and what needs to be taken. In the first room, liquid flavors are mixed - this happens manually: the operator finds the container using a metal tag and adds required quantity contents into a large tank. The smell we smelled at first becomes much stronger here.
When we move to the room where the ingredients are weighed, it becomes so strong that it hurts our eyes and sores our throats. “You can’t come to any production facility and not smell a specific smell. Any production smells, but ours smells quite pleasant,” Irina answers my question whether such a concentration is harmful. The same team is working here as at the previous site. All workers are wearing respiratory masks - operator Vitaly measures out the required amount of powder, checking the recipe, weighs it and adds it to plastic buckets. This creates a mixture of two to six ingredients, which is then sent to a large mixer.
From mixer to conveyor
In mixers, the mixture of base, flavors and sweeteners takes up to 40 minutes and is heated to a certain temperature. In front of us, a worker opens the mixer after the “session” - it turns out to be a mass that really looks like dough. Each time after unloading the mass, the mixer is cleaned - this takes a lot of effort from the workers. “We cannot allow one taste to mix with another, so the worker must clean the surface - he does it manually, unfortunately, no one in the world has yet figured out how to quickly and efficiently remove chewing gum,” says Irina.
The dough is unloaded into a special container, which goes further - to the pre-extruder and extruder. These machines mix the mass again, and then roll out the layers like a mechanical rolling pin. After a certain thickness is reached, the dough is cut with longitudinal and transverse rollers. The output is plates that can be easily divided into pads. At the factory they are usually called “core” or “bark”. I slow down at the extruder in the hope that now I will get at least one pad, but they are taken to the measurement control point. Foreman Vadim measures the length and width of a random sample of pads using scales and an electronic caliper - they must pass between the minimum and maximum boundaries of the required parameters. The dimensions of one Dirol pad are approximately 19.5 mm by 11.8 mm. An extra hundredth of a millimeter - and the entire batch will be sent for recycling. Recycling is commonplace here. If the pads are not the right size or shape or are not as smooth as desired, they are sent for recycling from any stage of production.
Dirol has the X-Fresh line with a powder center, which is produced differently from chewing gum in strips and pads. The beginning is the same: the base and sweeteners are loaded into the mixer, the mass is mixed and delivered to the extruder. But it doesn't come out from there flat dough, but a “sausage” into the center of which powder is injected. To prevent the dough from sticking to surfaces, oil or talc is used.
If the parameters are checked, the core is sent to a cold warehouse. There the bark is kept for about three days and hardens. After that, she is sent to a machine with the working title “Rumble,” which, by vibrating, breaks the sheets into individual tablets. Next they will have to undergo the panning process.
The coating machine looks like a washing machine. You can look into the drum and see how the suspension is fed into it - water, sweetener and flavorings. A powerful flow of dry air removes the water, and the suspension covers the core in approximately 40 layers. This is how chewing gum acquires its final appearance and consistency.
The packaging workshop is automated. “If earlier workers manually put packs of chewing gum into boxes, now this happens automatically,” says Irina. The operator, sitting on the conveyor, must once or twice an hour check the parameters of the pads, the operation of metal detectors and make appropriate notes. Employees are prohibited from chewing gum in production, but this does not apply to those sitting in the packing room. Here, the operators' responsibilities include testing the chewing gum to taste. Employees must know the entire line of Dirol and Stimorol - for this they undergo special training and sensory tests. Chewing gum is packaged in water- and airtight foil, in blisters and in packs of two pads, and then in boxes.
How are chewing gum flavors invented?
“Variety of flavors is one of the things people expect from chewing gum. Now we want watermelon, then mint flavor, then something else. The assortment adapts to all occasions: some tastes come, some go away and sometimes then return, says company press secretary Andrei Samodin. - Of course, we monitor sales dynamics and conduct market research. Then the concept development begins: what the taste is for, what need it satisfies, how it will fit into the current assortment. The R&D department then prepares the recipes. If we make tangerine-flavored chewing gum, then the final result will be five flavors with different shades - some a little more sour, some sweet. Experts have an understanding of which tastes the market is more inclined to, but the final say lies with the consumer.”
Usually it takes from a year to a year and a half to develop a new taste. Recently, as part of the “Brazilian Flavors” concept, Dirol introduced two new flavors - mango and passion fruit. And for several years, the leader among Russian consumers has been the taste of watermelon and melon.
“Each country has its own preferences. In Turkey they like chewing gum without flavors and practically without sweeteners - they chew almost the same base. We used to supply licorice chewing gum to France. But this taste didn’t work in Russia, although I really liked it. In some African countries they prefer chewing gum with sugar rather than with sweeteners,” says Irina Tsareva.
Now in stock at Russian market Stimorol and four Dirol formats are presented (classic pads, blister pads, plates and Dirol XXL), which in total give a choice of 26 flavors.
The plant produces almost 20 million chewing gum pads per day, finished products Doesn't stay in stock for long. Chewing gum is delivered to distribution warehouses in Russia, and is also sent to the CIS countries, the Baltic states, Morocco, Lebanon, Greece, and Turkey.
Chewing gum is an indispensable element in order to ensure fresh breath or remove food debris from the mouth, and perhaps simply to pay tribute to such a fickle fashion. No matter what epithets are awarded to it, it nevertheless fully fulfills its functions and in many ways makes our existence easier. Who wondered - is it possible to make chewing gum at home? And if so, how justified is this action?
A little history
If we recall ancient times, we can be convinced that chewing gum is modern analogue its more primitive ancestor. Everywhere, most ancient peoples used it useful remedy– ancient Greeks, Finns, Mayans, Indians. However, their “chewing gum” was very different from modern ones. Most of the substances that our ancient ancestors chewed were only beeswax, resin, tree sap, or rubber, as well as a mixture of various leaves, tobacco specially designed for these needs. Gradually, the prototype of modern chewing gum was created and now it has arrived on the shelves of our stores.
At one time there was a fashion for chewing tobacco, however, this unique way of getting pleasure still has its admirers.
What is chewing gum? Its capabilities and disadvantages
But, at the same time, chewing gum also has significant benefits:
- the chewing process helps to concentrate;
- salivation increases, which helps clean the teeth;
- chewing muscles receive a balanced and uniform load, corresponding to the capabilities of the physical, mechanical and plastic properties of chewing gum;
- Gum massage, to some extent, can be a prevention of periodontal disease.
Dentists advise using chewing gum only after meals and preferably for no more than five minutes a day. Otherwise, it can promote the release of gastric juice into an empty stomach, and this provokes the development of gastritis and ulcers. But still, after eating in people with heartburn, chewing gum can help relieve its symptoms, because the saliva that is released when chewing it has an alkaline reaction. When it enters the esophagus, its acidic contents are neutralized.
Naturally, there are components of chewing gum that are harmful to the body if they enter it in large quantities. For example, sorbitol, a popular sugar substitute, can have a laxative effect, but manufacturers warn about this on the packaging.
But, at the same time, there is always the opportunity to create your own analogue of improved chewing gum that is more adaptive to your tastes and preferences and is less harmful to the body. What is he?
If you are looking for products that provide benefits
In this case, the most acceptable option would be ordinary, natural products.
- It can be an ordinary resin, it has been used since ancient times and it can bring invaluable benefits to your oral cavity: it will freshen your breath, destroy germs, create a beneficial atmosphere and promote the secretion of gastric juice.
- Beeswax is often used to replace chewing gum; it has not only good chewing characteristics, but also invaluable benefits for the whole body.
- Propolis is another good disinfectant for chewing and direct consumption.
Which would you prefer? Despite your taste preferences and beliefs about a healthy lifestyle, you should remember that the usual chewing gum will not be replaced by any natural analogues, otherwise it simply would not have been born.
Make chewing gum at home from natural ingredients
This is quite possible, and in order to realize such a desire, you don’t need much; to prepare fruit chewing gum you will need:
- your favorite crushed fruits or berries – 5 liters;
- granulated sugar – 5 tablespoons;
- gelatin – 1 sachet;
- water – 1 glass.
In order to prepare such chewing gum, you should take absolutely any fruit or berries available in season, then chop them, place them in a container and leave for a while, giving them the opportunity to release juice. Then add half a glass of water to them and simmer for up to half an hour. The liquid should be drained, pour sugar into the bowl, and cook until thickened. Add gelatin, previously dissolved in half a glass of water, according to the attached instructions. Prepare the surface (board, table or baking sheet), grease and lay out the boiled mass. Then you should leave it for a while to harden. The chewing gum is ready - try and enjoy and remember that, unlike regular gum, you can swallow it without fear!
Chewing gum, almost like in a store
If you prefer chewing gum that is similar in all its qualities to store-bought gum, you can try making a “latex” version.
For this you will need:
- chewing mass (or gum base) – 1 tablespoon;
- honey – 1 teaspoon;
- sugar – 2 tablespoons;
- flavoring to taste – 1 teaspoon;
- food coloring - a pinch.
To prepare, place the chewing base on water bath, heat over low heat, stirring constantly for 10 - 20 minutes. After this, add honey, add flavoring, sugar and coloring if desired, mix everything. Remove from heat, let cool. After this, you can portion the resulting mixture in powdered sugar, give it the desired shape and serve.
A very simple way to make chewing gum
You don't need too much to do this, but the taste of the resulting chewing gum will really surprise you. And what is certain is that its quality will be in no way inferior to store-bought.
In order to prepare it, you will need:
- adhesive plaster without impregnation - 1 roll;
- toothpaste, preferred taste and quality - 2 tablespoons;
- water – 1 liter.
To prepare this chewing gum, pour water into a container and place it on the fire. Place an adhesive plaster there, and when the water boils, give it 15 - 20 minutes. After this, remove the adhesive plaster from the water and separate the fabric base from the viscous mass. Build a ball from the latter and place it in water again. Add toothpaste and boil the mixture for another 15 minutes.
Please note that making chewing gum at home is quite simple. What does that require? Just a viscous or rubber base is the most important component of any toffee. All other ingredients depend on your tastes and preferences. If you like sweets, add more sugar; if you prefer pronounced flavors, give preference to flavorings, preferably natural ones or fruit or berry ones.
Tired of buying chewing gum at the store? Why don't you make it at home? It's very fun and educational, you can make it with everyone at home.
How to make chewing gum at home simply
There are several ways to prepare it yourself. The advantage of this delicacy is that you can add any taste and aroma. We would like to introduce you to two different recipes.
Recipe #1 – Without Gum Base
We want to warn you right away that you will not get the same chewing gum as in the store if you prepare it according to this recipe. Since it is difficult to find the base in stores, use this recipe:
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. powdered sugar
1 tbsp. corn or maple syrup
A pinch of lemon ( citric acid)
10 drops glycerin
4-5 drops of flavoring
How to cook:
First you need to mix the syrup, lemon juice, glycerin together and mix well. Now pour the mixture into a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1 minute at maximum temperature.
Take out the mixture and add flavoring and, if desired, food coloring. If the mixture has not melted or become liquid, microwave it for another minute.
Place the powdered sugar on a wooden board and pour the resulting mixture into it and mix well. You should have a fairly thick and dense chewing gum. If the mixture is runny, add a little more powdered sugar.
Roll the gum into a sausage and cut it, sprinkle with powder.
How to make chewing gum at home
Recipe No. 2 – chewable
Thanks to this recipe, the chewing gum will turn out almost like store-bought gum, just as elastic and tasty.
Ingredients:
8 tsp chewing gum basics
1 tbsp. corn syrup
½ tsp. glycerin
1 drop citric acid
¼ cup powdered sugar
2-4 drops food coloring and flavoring
Preparation:
Mix everything in a plate except flavoring, dye and powder. Stir and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir until you have a sticky mixture.
Once the mixture becomes sticky and liquid, add coloring and flavoring, it should acquire a uniform color.
When the mixture has cooled, mix it with powdered sugar, knead and make small chewing gums. Decorate with a pretty wrapper.
How to make homemade chewing gum: video
Thanks to this master class, you will be able to make the delicacy yourself, at home. Well, let's get started!
However, it is possible to prepare delicious chewing gum at home. If you prepare similar chewing gum for children, then you can be sure that the chewing gum will be much more useful for them than store-bought ones.
Making fruit marmalade gum.
An excellent substitute for chewing gum made on the basis of chemical elements in a factory, this is chewing gum made at home, based on ordinary marmalade. Marmalade is tasty and absolutely harmless. This chewing gum can be given even to children, without risk to their health. In its texture it is similar to regular, but in fact it is more gummy candy. If a child swallows such candy, then nothing bad will happen.
For cooking this recipe take:
- Fruit juice (any you wish) - 100 ml.
- Gelatin - 1 sachet;
- 10 g starch;
- 200 ml. water;
- sugar syrup - 300 ml;
- lemon juice - 5 tablespoons
Pour fruit juice into a saucepan or other container. Warm it up a little (on the stove or in the microwave). Add gelatin to the juice and set aside to swell.
Heat the sugar syrup separately. If you wish, you can add food coloring or various flavorings to the syrup, such as lemon zest, cinnamon, vanilla and others.
As soon as the syrup warms up a little, pour the starch into it and add the gelatin swollen in the juice. Stir the mixture over low heat until smooth. After this, strain the marmalade mass through a sieve, distribute evenly among the molds and leave to cool in refrigeration chamber for a few hours.
As soon as the marmalade hardens, the chewing gum is ready.
Making chewing gum using a purchased gum base.
You can prepare another version of chewing gum at home, closer to the original, using a special purchased gum base. This base can be found in large supermarkets, or ordered in specialized stores.
You will need:
- 1 tablespoon gum base,
- large spoon of corn syrup,
- about 30 g starch,
- food colorings,
- as well as flavoring additives and fillers to taste.
Gently heat the base in the microwave until softened, add the syrup and stir until smooth.
Pour the starch into a mound and lay it out homogeneous mass for starch. Knead the gum into the starch as if you were kneading dough.
At the final stage, add coloring and flavorings and mix the mixture thoroughly again.
After this, cut your gum into pads or strips and leave to cool in the refrigerator.
Natural chewing gum made from natural ingredients.
As an alternative, you can always try natural gums such as honeycomb with pieces of ginger or cardamom seeds.
You can also cook simple chewing gum from fruit tree resin and powdered sugar.
Natural chewing gum is tasty and at the same time very healthy.
You can experiment with various options and derive your optimal chewing gum formula experimentally.
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