Chewing, Chewing All Day Long!

Have you ever tasted bubble gum? Bubble gum is one of a kind of chewing gum. It was created by Walter E. Diemer, an accountant who was experimenting with new gum recipes in 1928 for the Fleer Chewing Gum Company in Philadelphia, USA and named as Dubble Bubble originally. The gum is designed to be popped out from the mouth as a bubble for many times. The first bubble gum was made less sticky and stretched more easily with pink as its original colour, because Diemer only had a pink dye on hand and it was also his favourite colour.

            In addition to make it popular and increase the selling, Diemer taught the salespeople how to blow bubbles so they could teach the customers. Dubble Bubble remained the only bubble gum until Bazooka entered the market in 1950s.

In modern, Bubblegum uses butadiene-based synthetic rubber as the materials, including methyl phenylglycidate, isoamyl acetate fruit extracts and also other secret ingredients remain mystery to the customers. Gums that use vanilla, coconut, peppermint and almond extract are also available. These materials effect longer- lasting flavour, better texture and also a reduction on tackiness.

            The flavours of bubblegum in modern can be tasted as blue raspberry, lemon, strawberry, apple, cherry, watermelon, cinnamon, banana, peppermint, cotton candy, grape. Most of the flavours are made from chemicals such as Malic acid for making apple flavour, allyl hexanote for pineapple, ethyl propionate for fruit punch, cinnamic aldehyde for cinnamon and acetophenone for cherry. More unusual flavours include berry, cola, lemon lime, peach, tropical fruit, pineapple, orange fruit punch, bacon or popcorn are also available. But children tend to prefer strawberry or blue raspberry than other complex flavours. Because these flavours make them want to swallow the gum rather than continue chewing.

Bubble gum also made some contributes in records. In 1996, Bubblegum once has been blown 23 inches by Susan Montgomery Williams of Fresno, California and holds Guinness World Record. Another record is held by Chad Fell, the record for “Largest Hands-free Bubblegum Bubble” at 50, 8 centimetres, achieved on 24 April 2004.

Nowadays, there are some chewing gum brands such as:  Big League from Ford Gum Company in 1980, BigBabol from Perfetti Van Melle Company, Ice Breakers from Hershey in early 1960s, Maple Leaf Chewing from Maple Leaf Company and more than a thousand brands available at the stores around the world.  So, bubblegum is easy to get with cheap price, and can be tasted from everyone whose teeth are still be able to chew. 

Adapted from www.wikipedia.com