55 Brilliant Bubble Gum Facts For All Bubble Blowing Enthusiasts

Bubble gum is not a candy that is eaten and swallowed, but is instead chewed and discarded.

Bubble gum is referred to as such because, once soft, a person can inflate it into a large bubble by blowing air into it. But have you ever wondered why we chew gum in the first place?

Gum follows many of us everywhere we go. And it's easy and convenient to transport as we can carry it in our pockets and wallets. While the primary reason to have it is to freshen our breath, you will be surprised to know that it has other benefits. Some say chewing gum acts as an appetite suppressant, stress reducer, and thirst quencher. Few studies have claimed that chewing gum activates neural circuits that improve short-term and long-term memory. When we chew a piece of gum, our muscle tension is reduced and it helps us concentrate on the work we perform. Also, eating gum after a meal reduces acidity.

The world now has sugar-free gum, organic gum, natural gum, bubble gum, and chewing gum in a wide variety of flavors and colors. Whatever your favorites are, grab yourself a piece of gum and read on for more bubble gum facts.

The History Of Chewing Gum

Ancient people used substitutes to modern-day chewing gum to refresh their breath for thousands of years. Different civilizations kept munching tree resin gum, leaves, grains, sweet grasses, and waxes. Few people believed it was great as a breath freshener and good for quenching thirst and staving off hunger. Read on for more interesting history behind bubble gum.

• Archeologists found 5,000-year-old chewing gum with tooth imprints from Finland and Sweden.
• The Aztecs and the Mayans found the positive benefits of using tree resin as gum.
• The Mayans chewed the coagulated sap of the Sapodilla tree called the chicle.
• In the Aztec civilization, chewing gum in public was taboo, especially among men. Only children and single women could chew gum in public.
• Ancient Greeks were fans of chewing mastic gum made from the mastic tree.
• The North Americans preferred resin made from the sap of spruce trees to refresh their breath.
• In Africa, various tribes accepted large quantities of bubble gum as payment for a wife instead of ox and sheep.
• In 1848, John Curtis started the world's first chewing gum factory in Maine called the Curtis Chewing Gum Factory.
• John Curtis added cornstarch, powdered sweeteners to make it tasty, and paraffin to make it softer.
• The first commercial chewing gum was named the 'State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum'.
• In the 1860s, John Colgan created the first flavored chewing gum named Taffy Tolu.
• Amos Tyler received the first patent for chewing gum in July 1869. Still, William Finley Semple was honored using the first patent for manufacturing chewing gum in December 1869.
• Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna gave the idea to use chicle as a rubber substitute to Thomas Adams. But, Thomas Adams added flavor to the chicle and created the world's first modern chewing gum.
• The first mass-marketed chewing gum was Adams New York Chewing Gum.
• In 1871, Thomas Adams created a licorice-flavored gum called Black Jack that's still sold today.
• In 1880, Frank Fleer and Henry Fleer experimented with chicle from the sapodilla tree and named them Chiclets.
• Frank Fleer was the inventor of the world's first bubble gum called Blibber-Blubber gum.
• In 1888, Thomas Adams' chewing gum, Tutti-Frutti, was the first chewing gum sold from a vending machine in one New York City subway station.
• In 1892, William Wrigley Jr. founded Wrigley Chewing Gum.
• In 1914, William Wrigley and Henry Fleer added mint and fruit extracts to chewing gum with chicle, and Wrigley's Doublemint, a popular brand, was created.
• In 1928, an accountant for the Fleer gum company, Walter Diemer, accidentally invented pink bubble gum that was not sticky. He called it Dubble Bubble.
• By the '40s, bubble gum became so popular that it was included in the ration kits of U.S. soldiers.
• Until the mid-1900s, chicle was the main ingredient in chewing gum base.
• Due to a shortage of chicle, chewing gum manufacturers started switching to synthetic, petroleum-derived bases, thereby introducing Americans to the modern-day gums we chew today.

Flavors 

Most Americans crave minty freshness like spearmint, peppermint, and wintergreen for mouth freshening that also provides a light, refreshing taste. But throughout the 20th century, the flavors created in gum companies were much more unique and diverse.

An estimation shows Americans spend nearly half a billion dollars every year on chewing gums. So, keep reading to discover more details on the evolving flavors of chewing gum in America. 

• One of America's original chewing gums, Black Jack, was flavored with licorice in 1884.
• In the 1900s, fruit-flavored and spearmint gums became the industry standard.
• In the '60s, Thomas Adams' 'Sour Power' was a fruit-flavored gum with a uniquely-sour bite.
• Adams also invented an 'Ice cream-flavored' line of chewing gums, including chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.
• Today, there are around 20 popular flavors of chewing gum.
• Dubble Bubble gum has pink-lemonade, blue-razz, apple, sour cherry, grape, and watermelon flavors.
• Dubble Bubble Fizzers gumballs have orange, cherry, cherry-cola, grape, and root beer flavors.
• Wrigley's gum has Juicy Fruit, Spearmint, Doublemint, Big Red, Extra, and Winterfresh flavors.
• Hubba Bubba has five flavor combinations, strawberry-watermelon, sour blue raspberry, grape berry, cherry lemonade, and a new outrageous original.
• Bubblicious gum has blueberry, cotton candy, sour apple, cherry, grape, strawberry, and watermelon flavors.

Making Chewing Gum

The process of manufacturing gum is pretty simple. The basic steps include mixing the ingredients in a sigma mixer which kneads the gum until it takes a bread dough consistency. It is then extruded from the mixer, rolled into thin sheets, and finally cooled, cut, and packaged. So, let's explore the entire process:

• Gum base is made of three things: plant-based resin for chewiness, wax for softness, and elastomers that maintain its elasticity.
• Natural resin includes chicle, jelutong, gutta-percha, and pine resin.
• Modern chewing gum base uses only 10-20% natural resin, with synthetic rubbers such as polyethylene, butadiene-styrene rubber, and polyvinyl acetate taking up the rest.
• Natural and artificial waxes are combined to give the gum a better consistency.
• The next common ingredient in chewing gum is a sweetener that includes natural sugars like cane sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, and artificial sweeteners like saccharin or aspartame.
• Mint flavors such as spearmint and peppermint are usually provided by flavor oils extracted from aromatic plants.
• Fruit flavors are derived from artificial flavorings. For example, apple flavor comes from ethyl acetate and cherry from benzaldehyde.
• Preservatives such as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and softeners like refined vegetable oil are added to keep the gum fresh, soft, and moist.
• All the ingredients are then kneaded in large machines to make it soft and rubbery and then put on a rolling slab.
• After being dusted with powder sugar, gums are given their shape and are ready for packaging.

Health Implications 

Besides having numerous benefits, chewing too much gum has several side effects. Let us review the debilitating health hazards of chewing a piece of bubble gum:

• Frequent chewing on sugared gums damages the tooth enamel leading to tooth decay and cavities.
• Continuously chewing gum on one side of the mouth leads to earaches and toothaches, resulting in jaw muscle imbalance.
• Mannitol and Sorbitol in gums cause diarrhea, bloating, and cramps in a few people.
• While chewing gum, we swallow a lot of air, which leads to irritable bowel syndrome.
• Few gums contain mercury in them, which, when released to the body, causes neurological problems.
• Studies have shown that BHT used as a preservative for gums leads to stomach cancer.
• The artificial sweetener, aspartame, causes obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. It is also a potential carcinogen.
• Chewing a piece of gum on an empty stomach causes stomach cramps.
• After they finish chewing, gum chewers opt for junk snacks like potato chips to eat because fruits and vegetables taste bitter due to the minty flavor of gum.
• Studies also showed that continuous gum-chewing leads to chronic migraines in teens.
• Excessive chewing gum also leads to wear on tooth enamel leading to changes in bite alignment.

Chewing gum has been a favorite pass-time snack for people across the globe for decades. It is not necessarily a healthy habit to develop, and it is a mixed bag of good and detrimental effects on overall and dental health. This is why you should be conscious abotu the pros and cons of chewing gum.

FAQs

Why is bubble gum pink?

Bubble gum is pink because the inventor, Walter Diemer while experimenting with his new type of gum, found only pink to mix.

What was bubble gum originally made from?

Bubble gum was originally made from chicle, a gum from the sapodilla tree sap.

How do you blow a bubble with gum?

The correct method to blow bubbles with gum is to use slow, even breaths that allow the bubble to stretch and grow.

Who invented bubble gum?

Bubble gum was invented by Walter Diemer in 1928.

What does bubble gum taste like?

Though modern bubble gum has many flavors, most people say it tastes like fruits.

Where does bubble gum come from?

Bubble gum was first sold in Philadelphia.