How to Make Chewing Gum

Chewing gum has been around in commercial form for over a century.

Even as far back at 5,000 years ago the act of chewing tree sap has been common in the americas.

This instructable will show you how to make chewing gum using chicle base and flavorings to make your own exciting gums.

We will cover sugared and sugar free gum (using stevia)

Step 1 Supply List

For this instructable you will need the following:

- Chicle Base (From Glee Gum) (Quick warning, Chicle is latex, if you have a latex allergy, please do not do this.)
- Sweetener
      -Sugar free version uses Stevia and Cornstarch
      -Sugar version uses powered sugar and rice syrup
- Wax Paper
- Container you don't care about
- Utensil you don't care about
- Pot with water
- Flavorings (We used LorAnn Oils)
- Citric acid (for fruity gums)

Comments

[Drisingr]

Where would I buy some chicle, in a small amount?

[praful777]

Great but consider a warning that chicle is latex (rubber) and most likely a real hazard to those with a latex allergy. That includes while it's being heated. Most chewing gums are synthetic these days.


chewing on mint or parsley

[vdrain]

Hey I noticed a lot of you were talking about the lack of choices in flavors and I just happened to find a site earlier. It's candyflavor.com and I know nothing about it except that they have a lot of flavors. Good Luck

[sricciardi]

im following your guide using lorann oils (it's been extremely helpful, thank you). But, precisely how much lorann flavoring did you add?

[superado221]

what kind of question is that^?

[legoboy1]

awsome thanks for the help

[kcls]

Nice 'ible. I can't believe there was no Altoids container at HQ!

[SGutshall]

There was no useless Altoids container.

[CoolKoon]

Just a note: cornstarch is a complex sugar, hence substituting powdered sugar with it won't make it "sugar-free" (i.e. suitable for diabetics for instance). I don't know of any suitable powdered agent though.

[frenzy]

maybe potato starch then? any ideas are welcome

[CoolKoon]

I suppose I wasn't clear enough: STARCH is a complex sugar, regardless of its origin (whether it's from corn, potato, wheat etc.). Check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starch So a suitable substitute would be some fatty acids, glycerol, anything which prevents the bubblegum from becoming sticky.

[RaNDoMLeiGH]

I'd be careful with the peanut butter...

[1aminstructable]

Great but consider a warning that chicle is latex (rubber) and most likely a real hazard to those with a latex allergy. That includes while it's being heated. Most chewing gums are synthetic these days.

[frenzy]

Thanks for the warning, i knew that. but not having a latex allergy i forgot to mention it.

[shortone]

chicle is latex? really? That could be why some kinds of gum don't get along with me, I guess... Does anyone know which gums contain chicle? I guess I can't eat them.

[frenzy]

Glee gum claims to be the only brand in the US to still use real chicle

[1aminstructable]

All I know is that I got really excited about a gum that has no artificial sweeteners (Nearly everything including doublemint does now) and it proved to be chicle! I was sick and highly disappointed. :-(

[MsViv]

BAZOOKA bubble gum does not contain artificial sweeteners. It's the only kind of gum I can chew

[1aminstructable]

Thank you so very much for the info. I always like BAZOOKA even though it can be hard and not last very long. The comics were always cool. Or are you referring to the big chewy pieces? Thanks again.

[shortone]

Thank you. I will avoid it then. :)

[saperlipo]

Super!

[lordzamiel]

Just a note about the "latex" comments and warnings, from Glee Gum's FAQ page: http://www.gleegum.com/faqs.htm#Is_the_chicle_in_Glee_Gum_safe_for_people_with_latex_allergies

Is the chicle in Glee Gum safe for people with latex allergies?

Yes, Glee Gum is safe for individuals with latex allergies. Although chicle is similar to latex, chicle is derived from the Manilkara sapota tree. Latex comes from the H. brasiliensis tree. People with latex allergies are allergic to the proteins of the H. brasiliensis tree, so they should have no problem with chicle.

[HollyHarken]

zack247 and atombomb1945, LorAnn doesn't make any of the flavoings that you want in a gum. It would be nice to have a real gum base that isn't based on latex. No wonder we aren't supposed to swallow gum, it's plastic!

[stotty]

Latex? Yuck! The original gum may have been made from Mastika which is a resin from the Pistacia lentiscus tree. Mastika today is only found on the Greek island of Chios. but It can be bought online and has been used for the treatment of many ailments. Could be worth a try.

[komecake]

I'm not a big gum eater, but this could be fun to do something. Maybe a chocolate rasberry flavor or buffalo wings! :D

[bowmaster]

Sweet, this is really cool. Now you can make 100% natural gum!

[quesoman]

Cool. I might try this sometime. How long does the flavor last?

[1aminstructable]

You are welcome/ Having a latex allergy, I worry about those who are unaware, Latex is sneaky in that each exposure increases the likelihood of a reaction.

[zack247]

if i make this i know i'll be adding a LOT of flavoring. gum with a lot of flavor is the best

[atombomb1945]

Flavors I have dreamed of for years: Coffee Rum Steak Ham Now, I can make my dreams come true.

[zack247]

dont forget about bacon, chicken and hamburgers!

[bruno13069]

Don't forget the Blueberry flavor that makes you into a big blue ball being rolled around by Oompa Loompas!

[TheChemiker]

How true.

[carljohn]

Nice!

[Culturespy]

Pretty awesome. :)

[lemonie]

Wow

[zascecs]

That's pretty neat. I'm so addicted to this stuff that I might as well make some myself...