How bubble gum is made

How Is Bubblegum Made? It’s More Complicated Than You’d Think

A whole new bubble of knowledge.

Gabriella Agnello

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I’ve had a few bad run-ins with chewing gum. The worst was when I got it stuck in my hair and my mom had to give me the worst haircut of my life. All 12-year-old me could think about was what makes gum so sticky and how this pink glob was made. After some research, I’ve uncovered the truth for all of us asking how is bubblegum made so we can finally know what we’re putting into our mouths (and hair, if you’re unlucky like I was).

Ingredients

Before the 1940s, the main ingredient in bubblegum was a substance called chicle, which is a latex sap that comes from a tree in Central America. After World War II, chemists developed a synthetic rubber that has the same chemical properties as chicle. Additional sugars and flavorings are added during the process, which are released as the gum is chewed.

Step 1: Preparing the Chicle

This step is only necessary if natural chicle is used to make the bubblegum. The chicle is tapped from a tree and collected into buckets. It is then strained and put into large kettles, and the chicle is then boiled down to about 2/3 of its original volume so that it’s more concentrated. It’s then put into greased wooden molds and shipped to a manufacturing facility.

Step 2: Mixing and Drying the Latex

The gum, whether natural or artificial, is ground down to a coarse grain and then mixed together to ensure a uniform consistency. The mixture is then packed into a warm room, where it is left to dry out for a day or two.

Step 3: Cooking and Purifying the Base

In this step, the gum base is cooked at 243ºF until it liquefies. The liquefied gum is passed through a screen to filter out any impurities and is then spun down in a high-speed centrifuge. The liquid gum base is then passed through a series of finer screens to remove smaller and smaller impurities.

Step 4: Blending Other Ingredients

It is in this step that the additives are added to the gum. First, fine powdered sugar and corn syrup are added to the base to make the gum taste more sugary. Second, flavorings and softeners are added, which makes it taste better and easier to chew. After the gum is uniformly mixed, the gum base is poured into long sheets and left to cool.

Step 5: Kneading and Rolling

Step 6: Cutting and Seasoning

Step 7: Packaging

Once the gum has finished seasoning, the individual sticks are wrapped in aluminium foil or wax paper, and placed in their proper packaging and shipped off to stores across the nation.

For those of you wondering how is bubblegum made, most people don’t like the fact that it is made from latex sap or a combination of chemicals. However, all of the ingredients that go into bubblegum are natural, aside from the flavorings. Despite the fact that bubblegum is made from a form of rubber, it still goes hand in hand with many American traditions, and I’ll continue to chew it ’til the end of time.

This Is How Bubble Gum Is Really Made

Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying that the sticky treat known as bubble gum is an iconic part of American culture. In, Statista reports that about 160 million Americans chewed gum in 2020 alone. From the 1978 film «Grease,» which saw Frenchy blow enormous pink bubbles on the silver screen, to most major league baseball players, who chomp on the stuff whilst in the dugout, gum has been Americans’ go-to candy for about as long as anyone can remember. Its popularity goes back even further. During World War I and World War II, gum had become such an integral part of daily life that every soldier received regular rations of gum while they were overseas (via National Archives). It’s since become a popular culinary treat, including brands like Bubble Tape and Bubble Yum.

But have ever you ever wondered what ingredients are in the beloved confection? And how does it get transformed into those little sticks that are packaged and sold in most grocery and convenience stores? As it turns out, gum’s appearance is deceptively simple, and there’s actually a lot that goes into each and every piece of gum. This is how bubble gum is really made.

Gum has been around since the Stone Age

While gum, as we know it today, was developed during the 20th century, people have been chewing gum long before major gum brands hit the scene. Paleolithic people used birch pitch, a sticky substance that’s made from heating the bark of birch trees, hundreds of thousands of years ago to affix stone blades to handles (via National Geographic). At some point, they discovered they could chew pitch to soften it beforehand, as archaeologists have found remnants of pitch with human teeth marks at ancient toolmaking sites. Recently, researchers have begun to utilize this gnawed-upon birch pitch as a source of genetic data to learn more about ancient peoples (via CNN).

Gum chewing has been utilized by multiple cultures and for a variety of purposes for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence suggests that ancient Europeans chewed birch bark 9,000 years ago for pleasure, while Mesoamericans also used it to alleviate tooth pain. The ancient Mayans and Aztecs chewed on a gum-like substance called chicle, a resin harvested from the sapodilla tree, according to Smithsonian Magazine. While the Mayans boiled the sap into «cha,» which they chewed to satisfy both thirst and hunger pangs, the Aztecs used it to freshen their breath. Similarly, the ancient Greeks gnawed on a plant-derived substance called mastich, and Native Americans chewed spruce tree resin, which European settlers later picked up on and monetized.

Santa Anna brought gum to the United States

Antonio López de Santa Anna is probably best known as the Mexican general who waged a 13-day siege in 1836 at the Alamo in modern-day San Antonio, Texas. Ultimately, Mexico lost control of Texas during the Battle of San Jacinto a month later (via History). But even history buffs might be surprised to learn that Santa Anna helped introduce modern-day chewing gum to the U.S.

A disgraced politician, Santa Anna was forced into exile in the 1850s, during which time he drifted between Cuba, Colombia, and Jamaica, according to Atlas Obscura. He eventually traveled to New York City, where he hoped to raise money for an army so he could take Mexico City back. But it turned out to be a fool’s errand. Eventually, the 74-year-old Santa Anna was living in a modest home in Staten Island after being swindled out of tens of thousands of pesos.

Modern gum is basically rubber and plastic

According to How Stuff Works, chicle-based chewing gum was the norm until World War II. As chicle became more expensive and less available, chemists began to swap it with artificial bases derived from synthetic rubber compounds. Few modern gum companies use natural chicle anymore.

Today, most major gum brands list «gum base» as one of their main ingredients, and while gum companies aren’t required to disclose specifics — in fact, the ingredients are proprietary secrets — gum bases may include a cocktail of any number of FDA-approved additives (via the U.S. Food & Drug Administration). Oftentimes, one of the main ingredients in modern-day gum is polyisobutylene, also known as butyl rubber, the same material used to manufacture inner tubes (via Science Focus).

If the idea of chewing on rubber turns your stomach, you’re not alone. The Economist reported that younger generations have little interest in chewing or popping bubble gum because of its unsustainable ingredients. In fact, gum sales plummeted by 14 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year. It’s no wonder why since there is no law that requires gum to include an expiration date because the product is so shelf-stable, Serious Eats reported.

The secret to gum’s distinctive chewy texture lies precisely in its plastic and rubber ingredients found in the gum base. The gum base also includes elastomers for increased flexibility, which helps users blow bubbles. Although bubble gum is designed to be extra stretchy compared to the average stick of gum, you’ll blow the biggest bubbles if you wait until all the flavor has disappeared. That’s because sugar molecules weaken the bubble (via Science World).

According to Treehugger, talc and calcium carbonate are used to give gum its characteristic density. Meanwhile, softeners like vegetable oil are employed to make sure gum stays pliable.

In addition to the gum base, a myriad of other ingredients are mixed in to make gum a sweet-tasting treat. Without substances like artificial colors, preservatives, and sugar, the experience of chewing on gum would be a lot like chewing on a rubber band — flavorless and elastic (via Treehugger). Aside from sugar, popular artificial sweeteners for gum include xylitol, sucralose, and sorbitol.

Arguably, the most important part about gum all comes down to its taste. Manufacturers flavor gum using both natural and artificial ingredients (via Mental Floss). Although gum was originally flavorless, there is no shortage of gum flavors today, from peppermint and watermelon to cinnamon and citrus.

Manufacturing bubble gum is pretty complicated

The exact ingredients in gum might be a secret, but the process to make it is public knowledge and relatively standard across the industry. Although the process varies depending on the type of gum being produced, gum manufacturing is generally divided into three categories: mixing, shaping, then cooling and wrapping the final sweetened, chewy product (via Confectionery Production).

The steps necessary to mass-produce gum are reminiscent of Willy Wonka. According to Business Insider, production begins with the gum base, which is dumped into an enormous mixer. Then, colorings and flavoring agents are added, followed by liquid and powdered sweeteners and softeners. The ingredients are blended for about 20 minutes until melted by the friction of the stirring.

When the gum is mixed, it bears an uncanny resemblance to the giant pink creature from the 1958 horror film The Blob. Then, it’s carted away to a machine called the pre-extruder. This squirts the gum through a tiny opening that transforms the colossal loaf into thin ribbons. Each strip is compressed into the thickness of a piece of bubble gum. Since this process heats up the gum, it’s next transferred into the cooling chamber and blasted with cold air for 15 minutes. When the gum comes out, another machine cuts the strip into bite-sized pieces and then wraps each into its packaging in seconds.

You can potentially make gum at home

Here’s a thought to chew on: Gum doesn’t require massive fancy machinery or factory workers. With just a few simple ingredients and some technical know-how, anyone can whip up a batch of homemade gum in the comfort of their own kitchen. Even though gum is cheap and easy to come by, making your own gum can be a fun at-home experiment to test out interesting flavors like rosewater, lemongrass, cinnamon, and more. The possibilities are practically endless.

According to Science World, individual recipes may vary, but for the most part, the ingredients are more or less the same. They require a gum base, citric acid, corn syrup, and icing sugar. Most recipes will also call for glycerin or flavorings to taste. First, you’ll mix the ingredients together and then melt the gum base in a double boiler or a microwave until it’s very sticky and gooey. After the mixture cools, you’ll add flavorings and colorings to the gum base, mix, and then knead the gum base for about 15 or 20 minutes. This last step is important, as it makes sure the gum doesn’t fall apart as it’s chewed. Finally, you’ll cut the strip into bite-sized pieces and wrap each piece in wax paper, candy foil, or parchment before storing it in a plastic bag.

Gum can have a serious impact on the environment

If you’ve ever stepped on a wad of gum while walking down the street, then you’ve probably already realized that gum isn’t biodegradable (via HuffPost). Since gum is now often made from synthetic plastics and rubbers, it doesn’t break down in the environment. The exception to this rule is chicle-based gum made from natural materials.

Even though there’s no denying gum is deliciously sweet, its ingredients mean gum has a sticky impact on the environment. In fact, there’s a spot in Seattle called the Seattle Gum Wall where people travel from all over the world to walk through an alley decorated with pieces of chewed gum. While this might seem like a harmless tourist attraction, city officials elsewhere disagree. In fact, in New York City, so-called «GumBusters» regularly clean the city streets of discarded gum, per The New York Times. In Singapore, gum was banned in 1992 by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew after the sticky menace clogged subway doors, walls, and streets (via The Guardian).

There is a silver lining, however. As consumers have taken strikes to buy more responsibly, more companies are making products that are plant-based and biodegradable compared to «traditional» gum options. If you can’t part with more mainstream labels like Wrigley’s and Trident, you can at least carefully wrap and dispose of every piece of gum to help ensure sidewalks stay clean of gum litter.

«Chicleros» carry on the tradition of natural gum

As gum popularity soared in the U.S., demand wore down the Central American rainforests, where sapodilla trees are found (via Smithsonian Magazine). Sapodilla trees aren’t ideal for mass production, but demand was unyielding. Farmers turned to unsustainable harvesting methods, resulting in the loss of about a quarter of the sapodilla trees in Mexico by the 1930s.

Synthetic ingredients have since eased the pressure, but some gum companies still use this natural and very sticky ingredient. As the Sierra Club reports, skilled laborers called chicleros trek into secluded areas of the wilderness, looking for chicle trees. Then, they shimmy up the trunk and make a series of swift, diagonal cuts to the bark with a machete. The white sap seeps out and runs down the tree through grooves cut with the machete, collecting at the bottom of the tree in a bag. At the end of the day, chicleros go back and collect the sacks.

A bonus of chicle-based gum is that it’s biodegradable, helps to preserve the rainforest when it’s harvested sustainably, and provides a potentially serious source of income for local populations (via The Guardian).

Why bubble gum flavors don’t last long

While no one has quite figured out yet how to recreate the 3-course-dinner gum recipe of Willy Wonka fame, gum manufacturers are constantly looking for new ways to make gum flavors last longer. About 66 percent of gum chewers don’t feel like the flavor in gum lasts long enough (via The New York Times). All told, most gum flavors today last a pretty paltry five minutes.

But why does gum flavor disappear, anyway? According to the American Chemistry Society, as you chew, your saliva dissolves the sweeteners and flavorings on your tongue, which you then swallow. However, saliva doesn’t cause the gum itself to break down, which is why the flavor fades, but the chewy base stays.

There may be a gross ingredient lurking in your gum

Sorry to burst your bubble, but gum isn’t just bright colors and sweet flavors. Sometimes gum is made with an ingredient called lanolin, the oily secretion sheep produce to help waterproof their wool. After sheep are sheared, the raw wool is processed and put through a centrifuge that extracts the lanolin (via Healthline). According to Science Direct, lanolin is similar to sebum, or the skin oil that humans naturally produce, and is made up of 170 fatty acids.

But why the heck would bubble gum brands put sheep sebum in something people eat? These oily secretions are commonly found in beauty products, from skin and hair care to makeup, where they’re used as emollients to soften skin and retain its moisture. As it turns out, lanolin performs a similar function in gum. Ultimately, it is there so that gum doesn’t harden as it’s chewed.

Naturally, you may be now wondering if it’s safe to consume what is essentially sheep grease. The answer is «mostly yes» since gum only uses a tiny amount. Lanolin is also approved for use in food products by the FDA, although experts caution against lanolin oil poisoning, which can rarely happen if someone swallows too much, according to Healthline. People who are allergic or sensitive to wool may also want to steer clear of many bubble gum brands, just to be safe.

Gum doesn’t stay inside you for years

Melissa McCarthy once elicited a chorus of laughter for her impression of then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer on «Saturday Night Live,» particularly his habit of swallowing whole packs of gum each day (via Vox). This brought on the age-old question: Is it safe to swallow gum?

An old wives’ tale many people grew up hearing is that it takes a staggering seven years to digest gum. But it turns out that this is just a myth. Although swallowed gum isn’t digestible, it doesn’t possess any special properties that get it stuck in your stomach or other parts of your digestive system. Gum moves its way through your gastrointestinal tract relatively intact until it exits your body. In fact, swallowed gum generally doesn’t stay in one’s body for more than seven days, much less seven years, as Scientific American reports.

But even if gum doesn’t linger in your digestive system, that doesn’t mean it’s entirely risk-free, especially when it comes to children. In 1998, the journal Pediatrics reported three cases of children who swallowed gum that formed a lump of undigested material in their gastrointestinal tracts. Side effects included constipation and some seriously expensive medical procedures, though all three kids survived.

For adults, gum swallowing seems to be mostly safe, but natural or artificial sweeteners that are used in sugar-free gums can lead to nasty symptoms if you regularly swallow the stuff, such as severe diarrhea and dangerous weight loss (via WIRED).

Recycled chewing gum is on the rise

Unfortunately, most gum winds up on the sidewalk or stuck to the bottom of people’s shoes. Only an estimated 10 to 20 percent of all chewing gum is disposed of properly. In fact, gum generates about 100,000 tons of pollution yearly, and some local governments spend millions of dollars a year scraping up hardened wads of gum from city streets (via Fast Company). Some airports don’t sell gum, Singapore requires a prescription for the stuff, and Disney theme parks don’t sell gum, all to save on cleanup costs. But what if chewed gum could be given a second chance at life and turned into something useful that wouldn’t tarnish the environment?

That’s exactly what some innovative entrepreneurs are trying to accomplish. One British designer has developed a way to recycle chewing gum into moldable plastic, which in turn makes it so gum can be reused into new products, including coffee cups and sneakers (via The Verge).

In France, dezeen reports that design students have figured out how to turn used gum into brightly colored, recycled plastic skateboard wheels. They installed collection boards throughout urban areas for pedestrians to dispose of gum rather than discarding them to the streets.

How bubble gum is made

Many manufacturers of chewing gum and gumballs choose to keep the specific ingredients of their sweet confections a secret. Yet, the process for making gum is standard throughout the industry.

1. Preparing the Gum Base

When natural rubber is used as the gum base, it must first be harvested and processed. Sapodilla trees are scored with a series of shallow Xs, which allows chicle to flow down the tree and into a bucket. After collecting a significant amount, the chicle is strained and placed into large kettles, where it is stirred constantly as it boils and reduces. The chicle is then poured into greased wooden molds and shipped. Both synthetic latex and natural gum bases are ground into a coarse meal and then dried. As the mixture dries, hot air is continuously blown onto it to help cook and sanitize the base.

2. Adding Flavor

Next, the gum base is heated to approximately 240 degrees Fahrenheit in large, steam-jacketed kettles until it melts into a thick, syrupy substance. The syrupy gum base is then filtered through a series of fine mesh screens and a high-speed centrifuge to further filter and clarify it. Next, while it is still hot, the chewing gum base is placed into large mixers with slowly revolving blades and flavoring ingredients are added, including fine sugar, corn syrup and other flavorings. Softeners are also added at this time. Once it is smooth, the chewing gum base is passed onto cooling belts and blasted with cool air to reduce its temperature.

3. Increasing Gum Chewiness

Once the gum is cool, it is then gently kneaded by special machines called extruders for several hours, which makes the gum smooth and rubbery. Large sections of gum are then cut and flattened by rollers until they reach the proper thickness. The thickness of the sheets is determined by the type of gum; stick gum requires the thinnest sheets while candy-coated gum needs thicker sheets and bubble gum requires the thickest sheets of all. When scored stick gum emerges from the rollers, it also gets sprinkled with pure powdered sugar to prepare it for cutting. The gum is then put aside to rest and set in a chilled room for at least 48 hours. Candy-coated gum is sometimes, after the storage period, undercoated to help the coating adhere more firmly.

4. Cutting and Packaging

Cutting machines score the chewing gum sheets in a pattern of rectangles, squares or pellets depending on the type of gum. The gum is then broken from its sheet into the correct shape and wrapped into their packaging (aluminum foil, wax or other paper), placed into packs and sealed. It is important to note that the packaging takes place under immaculate conditions as does the rest of the manufacturing process to ensure the gum products reach the consumer with all of its quality and purity fully protected.

Ever wonder how gum is made? Check out this video courtesy of the Science Channel:

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How is bubble gum made (passive voice)

LESSON OVERVIEW

This new worksheet instead of being based on TED Talks is based on TV series from Science Channel called How It’s Made. The lesson focuses on Present Simple Passive Voice and lets students learn how to use the passive voice to describe processes.

WARM-UP

At the beginning, there is an introductory task that brings students closer to the topic of food production. This is followed by a video which students need to watch to identify the steps in the bubble gum production process. The video includes some vocabulary from the manufacturing industry, such as extruder. However, the video can be understood without knowing these specific words. Make sure that students understand the meaning of the sentences describing this process (exercise 2). You may watch it twice if needed.

GRAMMAR – PASSIVE VOICE

Next, there is a brief table with some explanation of passive voice and its comparison with active voice. It is designed in such a way that students must deduce the rules and forms from examples. If you prefer explaining this grammar point on your own way then skip that task or leave it for reference. Exercise 4 refers to the bubble gum production process. In this task, students need to transform the steps from exercise 2 into the passive.

PASSIVE VOICE SPEAKING PRACTICE

The last two activities are less controlled production tasks. In ex. 5, each student receives either Process A or Process B (TV page 3) and based on active sentences they need to explain the process using passive voice. You may need to show students how it should be done. Some of the steps require students to create new sentences rather than just transforming what they get. The last task is a free production activity, there is a list of some common processes which need to be described using passive voice where applicable.

Remember that processes in exercises 4 and 5 were prepared for adult professionals and relate to technology and work environment. If you teach young adults, check whether they are familiar with such processes or just add some other simpler ones.

WORKSHEETS

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Do You Have Any Idea How Bubble Gum is Actually Made?

Bubble gum is a favorite with kids as well as adults. This article elucidates how, when, and why this was made.

Bubble gum is a favorite with kids as well as adults. This article elucidates how, when, and why this was made.

Bubble gum has a history which goes way back to 1900. Frank Fleer, owner of a candy company, thought of making a gum, out of which bubbles could be blown. Despite the large number of trials he took, he had to settle with a sticky gum which did not make much profit. It was in 1928, when Walter Diemer, who worked for Fleer, stumbled upon a recipe, which was a lot more stretchable and less sticky. He took it to a grocery store, where it was sold very easily. It was named as the ‘Double bubble gum’. Diemer had a nice time teaching his colleagues and little kids to blow bubbles from the gum. ‘Double bubble gum’ ruled the market solely till the entry of ‘Bazooka bubble gum’.

The basic recipe of bubble gum used by different manufacturers remains almost the same. Little variations in the color or flavor are made in order to rank higher in the competitive market.

Ingredients

Gum base

Gum base is the key ingredient of bubble gum. It contains ‘chicle’ which is a rubber like substance obtained from sapodilla tree. Chicle acts as an elasticizer which lets the gum stretch easily without tearing, and the bubbles don’t burst easily. Other gum bases used are jelutong, gutta-percha, and pine rosin. Use of synthetic rubber bases like polyethylene, polyvinyl acetate, and butadiene-styrene rubber is increasing these days.

Sweeteners

About 79% of sugar is present in a single stick of gum. Natural sugar or corn syrup are used in order to give the gum a sweet taste. It also enhances the texture of the gum. Artificial sweeteners like saccharin and aspartame also serve the same purpose.

Flavors

A lot of bubble gums have a fruity taste which is liked by everyone. Natural fruit extracts or synthetic fruit flavoring agents are used for this purpose. There are other flavors like peppermint, spearmint, and cinnamon which are quite strong and last for long.

Softeners

Softeners are generally made from vegetable oils. They blend the bubble gum ingredients well and also give a smooth texture to the gum. Some preservatives like butylated hydroxytoluene are also added to retain the freshness of the gum.

Colors

Pink is the most popular color of bubble gums. But these days they are available in many different colors.

Process of Making Bubble Gum

Step 1

The gum base ingredients are mixed together in a large machine with rotating blades.

Step 2

The ingredients when blended well are heated till they melt.

Step 3

Sugar, softeners, color, and flavoring agents are added slowly to it and mixed thoroughly. The gum begins to thicken and appears like bread dough.

Step 4

Then, the gum has to be flattened. It is passed through huge rollers to get thin sheets of it.

Step 5

The flattened gum can be cut into small pieces or shaped into any desired form. The small gum pieces are sprinkled with powdered sugar and kept for cooling for about 48 hours, so that it sets well. Once it sets properly, it remains fresh for a long time.

Step 6

It is then wrapped with waxed paper, and covered with plastic wrappers.

The large-scale manufacturing of bubble gum is done in clean, hygienic, and air conditioned rooms, where the temperature and humidity can be controlled. Quality control plays an important role in this process. All the ingredients as well as the finished products are checked for purity and quality. Any material which does not fit into the prescribed standards is rejected immediately.