Candy Dish Blog

Chewing gum is one of the oldest candies known to mankind. In fact, archeologists have discovered evidence of gum from prehistoric times. While gum chewing as a practice has endured the test of time, individual flavors of gum have extremely variable timelines. Some gum flavor lasts longer than others, or at least seems to.

An important aspect of gum flavor perception is actually the sweetness factor. Our brain cannot always distinguish between the signal for sweetness and the signal for a flavor. So, long lingering sweetness can prolong the perception of flavor. Gum can be made with either sugars or artificial sweeteners and typically, artificially sweetened gum maintains sweetness longer than sugary gum thus seeming to prolong flavor retention.

The type of flavoring used also determines the strength and length of gum flavor. Flavor chemicals each have a unique volatilization temperature that causes the flavor to dissipate. Usually fruity flavors volatilize at much lower temperatures than mint flavors, which is why these flavors loss potency most quickly. Other factors can also influence flavor duration. Flavors can be encapsulated or crystallized leading to increased chew-life.

Don’t believe me? You probably shouldn’t, as good scientists need to be skeptical. Answer your gum flavor questions yourself via simple experimentation. Select five of your favorite gums and at least three of your favorite friends (for statistical significance). Randomize the gum order and administer the gum in a double-blind fashion by having one person code the gum and another person distribute the coded samples. Chew until the flavor disappearance is observed and record the flavor length of each coded sample. Your results will leave you something to chew on.

You have always wondered; now you know.

Chewing gum has enjoyed a long history. Evidence of gum chewing dates back to prehistoric men and women who chewed on tree resin for enjoyment. Other ancient cultures around the world also are documented gum chewers.

Greek and Middle Eastern cultures routinely chewed resin from the mastic tree to freshen their breath. In Central America, the Mayans enjoyed chewing on chicle sap. This Central American tree resin was the basis for modern chewing gum.

In the United States, Native Americans and settlers first chewed on spruce tree resin and beeswax. In New England, spruce sap was used to make America’s first gum. In 1848, John Curtis used resin to make State of Maine Spruce Gum. He sold two hunks of the gum for a penny. As time went on, spruce gum became less popular and was replaced with a paraffin-based gum.

In the mid 1800s, a photographer named Thomas Adams befriended Mexican leader Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. The men discussed ways to use the chicle sap for profit. Santa Anna sent chicle from Mexico to Adams who mixed it with rubber to make a better tire.

Adams determined his mixture was useless and wanted to throw it out. Then he overheard a young girl asking for gum at a drug store. It dawned on him to turn the mixture into gum. Adams created a pure chicle gum and sold it for a penny.

After success with pure chicle gum, Adams tried to add flavor to it. He created a licorice-flavored gum called Black Jack. It was the first gum to be sold as a stick not in chunks, and was popular with the public. The gum had one drawback; it could not hold flavor.

The flavor issue was not fixed until 1880. A man named William White experimented with flavors after receiving a shipment of chicle. He solved the problem by adding sugar and corn syrup to the mix. The first flavor he used was peppermint and it stayed in the gum during chewing.

In the early 1900s, gum manufacturers relied on word of mouth and repeat customers. William Wrigley Jr., a former soap and baking soda salesman, new to the gum industry, saw other companies holding back on advertising and decided to advertise his gum products. Wrigley became a pioneer in advertising, and his ads were everywhere from billboards to magazines. The popularity of gum surged.

World War II brought modern gum to the world. Soldiers always carried gum on them. Some claim military men used gum to patch holes on equipment. It is uncertain whether these stories are true, but gum became a worldwide sensation due to the soldiers.

In the 1950s, manufacturers introduced sugarless and sugar-free gums allowing more people to enjoy gum. Today, sugarless varieties lead gum sales.