WO1992008371A2

WO1992008371A2 - Chewing gum containing oligofructrose

Info

Publication number: WO1992008371A2
Application number: PCT/US1991/009632
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert J. Yatka; Lindell C. Richey; Marc A. Meyers
Original assignee: Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
Priority date: 1991-12-20
Filing date: 1991-12-20
Publication date: 1992-05-29
Also published as: CA2126193C; AU684437B2; AU7194896A; EP0674481A4; CA2126193A1; AU3467393A; EP0674481A1; WO1993012666A1; WO1992008371A3

Abstract

Chewing gums containing oligofructose (Inulin-oligosaccharides) and methods of making such gums are disclosed. In one embodiment, the gum comprises about 5 % to about 95 % gum base, about 0.1 % to about 10 % flavoring agent and oligofructose, the oligofructose being the only bulk sweetener. The oligofructose provides the gum with unique properties, and the gum is non-cariogenic. In other embodiments, the oligofructose is codried with other sweeteners or coevaporated with a plasticizing syrup to produce unique sweetening ingredients and syrups for gum. The oligofructose may also be provided in the form of a rolling compoud on the gum, or used to form a hard coating for a coated pellet gum.

Description

CHEWING GUM CONTAINING OLIGOFRUCTOSE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to improved compositions of chewing gum. More particularly, the invention relates to improving chewing gum by the use of specific bulking agents in sugar and non-sugar chew¬ ing gum products to give improved texture, moisture absorption properties, and improved shelf life proper¬ ties. The improved chewing gum compositions may also be used in a variety of chewing gum products such as confectionery coated chewing gum products.

In recent years, efforts have been devoted to replace sugar and sugar syrups normally found in chew¬ ing gum with other carbohydrates and noncarbohydrates. Non-sugar or sugar-free chewing gum, which is growing in popularity, uses sugar alcohols or polyols to re¬ place sugar and sugar syrups. The most popular polyols are sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol. New polyols are being developed using new technology to replace these polyols. New polyols have various unique properties which can improve the taste, texture, and shelf life properties of chewing gum for consumers.

The non-sugar polyols have the advantage of not contributing to dental caries of consumers, as well as being able to be consumed by diabetics. However, all polyols have the disadvantage of causing gastro¬ intestinal disturbances if consumed in too great of a quantity. Therefore it would be a great advantage to be able to use a carbohydrate or carbohydrate-like food ingredient for chewing gum that would act as a bulking agent, but not contribute to dental caries nor cause as severe gastro-intestinal disturbances.

One such bulking agent is called oligofruc¬ tose, or inulin-oligosaccharides. Oligofructoses are oligosugars whose fructose units are bonded to each other, often with a glucose molecule attached at the end. Inulin or oligofructoses belong to the group of fructoses which are naturally occurring in 30,000 dif¬ ferent plant species and which is, after starch, the most abundant non-structure (non-cellulosic) carbohy¬ drate.

Inulin is the long chain oligofructose found in the plant species. After extraction, inulin may be hydrolyzed enzymatically to lower molecular weight car¬ bohydrates, which are inulin oligosaccharides. Both the inulin and inulin-oligosaccharides are oligofruc¬ toses.

Another type of oligofructose is a material called fructooligosaccharide (FOS) . The difference between FOS and inulin oligosaccharides is that FOS is made by enzymatically adding fructose molecules to a sucrose molecule to obtain FOS, whereas inulin-oligo¬ saccharides are based on inulin from plants and where inulin is broken down or hydrolyzed to smaller oligo¬ fructoses. PCT Application Serial No. PCT/US91/07172 filed September 30, 1991, discloses the use of fructo- oligosaccharides (FOS) in chewing gum.

Oligofructose bulking agent is not approved for use in human food products or in chewing gum in the United States, but has a pending GRAS status. In Belgium, Luxemberg, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Japan, oligofructose is already considered a food stuff. Although a sugar, oligofructose may not contri¬ bute significantly to dental caries, contributes to dietary fiber, and does not significantly contribute to calories. Thus, this ingredient's use in chewing gum could be a definite improvement.

U.S. Patent No. 3,894,146 discloses a coupl¬ ing sugar called oligoglucosyl fructose derived from other sugars.

Fructosyl oligo ers and oligosaccharides are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,978,751, EPO Patent Publication No. 0 301 628 and EPO Patent Publication No. 0 337 889.

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,902,674; 4,987,124; and 5,032,579 as a method and composition for inhibiting the growth of Salmonella. Fructooligosaccharides are also disclosed in EPO Patent Publication No. 0 397 027 and Japanese Patent No. 3,095,102 as a method for killing pests.

Oligofructose type.of fructose compounds were first disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,782,123. The bulk sweetener is obtained from Jerusalem artichoke fibers which contain significant amounts (5-10%) of inulin. Also disclosed is the inulin treated by acid hydroly¬ sis.

U.S. Patent No. 4,681,771 discloses a low caloric, low cariogenic sweetener comprising oligosac¬ charides having from 1 to 4 molecules of fructose bound to sucrose. The use of the sweetener in chewing gum is described. The patent is assigned to the Japanese firm of Meiji Seika Kaisha, who have joined forces with Coors Biotech, Inc. to manufacture and market a FOS product under the trade name Neosugar.

Another company, Raffinerie Tirlemontoise SA, has developed an oligofructose from chicory root, which also contains about 5-10% inulin. The naturally occur¬ ring inulin is extracted from the root, purified, and dried. This product has the trade name Raftiline. A lower molecular weight material, called Raftilose, is made by enzymatic hydrolysis of Raftiline. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a method of produc¬ ing chewing gum with a new bulk sweetener, specifically oligofructose, as well as the chewing gum so produced. The bulk sweetener may be added to sucrose-type gum formulations, replacing a small or large quantity of sucrose. The formulation may be a low- or high-mois¬ ture formulation containing low or high amounts of moisture-containing syrup. The bulk sweetener, oligo¬ fructose, may also be used in low- or non-sugar gum formulations replacing sorbitol, mannitol, other polyols, or carbohydrates. Non-sugar formulations may include low- or high-moisture, sugar-free chewing gums.

The bulk sweetener, oligofructose, may be combined with other bulk sweeteners for use in chewing gum, including but not limited to sucrose, dextrose, fructose, maltose, maltodextrin, xylose, as well as sugar alcohols including but not limited to sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol, lactitol, palatinit, and Lycasin brand hydrogenated starch hydrolysates. The bulk sweetener, oligofructose, may be combined in the gum formulation or co-dried or blended with the other bulk sweeteners prior to use in the gum formulation. Co-drying may be done by various methods of spray drying, fluid bed coating, coacervation, and other granulating or agglomerating techniques. The bulk sweetener, oligofructose, may also be combined with high potency sweeteners including, but not limited to thaumatin, aspartame, acesulfame K, sodium saccharin, glycyrrhizin, alitame, cyclamate, stevioside, sucralose and dihydrochalcones.

This sweetener, oligofructose, when used according to the present invention, gives chewing gum an improved texture, an improved shelf life and unique flavor/sweetness quality. Even though oligofructose has properties like sucrose, it is not cariogenic, contributes to dietary fiber and does not significantly contribute to calories, giving a highly consumer-accep¬ table chewing gum product.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Oligofructose is a mixture of fructooligosac¬ charides composed of two or more fructose molecules, linked by a β- 1 , 2 bond. A glucose molecule often occurs at the end of the chain. The "degree of poly¬ merization" or DP gives the total number of molecules that are linked. As disclosed herein, oligofructose is defined as inulin and inulin-oligosaccharides.

Two oligofructoses or inulin-oligosaccharide materials are commercially available as products called Raftiline and Raftilose from Raffinerie Tirlemontoise ' (Tienon Sugar) . The Tienon Sugar/Sudzucker Group is the largest European sugar producer. Raftiline oligo¬ fructose is the natural carbohydrate inulin which comes from various plants. Raftilose is an inulin hydroly- zate, also called an inulin oligosaccharide, made by enzymatic hydrolysis.

Raftiline is inulin obtained from chicory roots and is a mixture of GF_n molecules where:

G = glucose F = fructose n = number of fructose units linked and ranging from about two to more than 50.

Raftilose, being the hydrolysis product from Raftiline, is composed of shorter length molecules of GF_n (glucofructosans) and F_m (fructosans) where "n" and "m" are about 2 to 9. The average DP of the oligofruc¬ tose in Raftilose is about 4.

Neosugar, which is a third type of oligo¬ fructose, also called a fructooligosaccharide (FOS) , contains mostly GF₂ (1-ketose) and GF₃ (nystose) , with some GF₄ (l,/_ -fructofuranosyl nystose) . However, since Neosugar is enzymatically prepared by recombining sucrose with fructose, it is not considered an inulin- oligosaccharide.

Raftilose is available from the supplier in both syrup and powder form. Three versions of the syrup, L60, L85 and L95, are available, the names indicating different purities.

The powdered form of Raftilose is designated P95. Raftiline, the inulin material, is only available in a powdered form.

Oligofructose may be added to chewing gum in its solid or syrup form. Its solubility in water is about 80% for Raftilose, but only about 12% for Raftiline at room temperature, but increases with in¬ creased temperature. Oligofructose may be used in chewing gum as a texture and flavor modifier, bulking agent, and may improve texture, flavor, and shelf life properties. Oligofructose may replace solids like su¬ crose, dextrose, or lactose when used in its powder . form, or may replace syrups when used in its liquid or syrup form. At levels of about 0.5% to about 25%, oligofructose may replace part of the solids in sugar gum or as a liquid, all or part of the syrup in sugar gum. At higher levels of about 25% to about 90% of the gum formulation, oligofructose may replace all of the solids in a chewing gum formulation.

Unique chewing gum formulations can be obtained when all bulk sweeteners are replaced with oligofructose powder and syrup. The relatively low sweetness intensity allows for use of unique flavor combinations. High intensity sweeteners may be added to increase sweetness to obtain more typical chewing gum formulations. Chewing gum formulations with oligo¬ fructose high in oligofructose solids would be softer but more hygroscopic than sugar-containing gum formu¬ lations. If a high level of oligofructose syrup is used in place of conventional syrup, the chewing gum formulations could be more hygroscopic and age to a softer product. Chewing gum formulations with oligo¬ fructose may contain a very low amount of moisture in the gum formulation, i.e., below about 2%, or may con¬ tain a medium amount of moisture, about 2-5%, and may even be a soft gum formulation containing 5% moisture or more.

Although oligofructose, specifically Rafti¬ lose, has some properties like sucrose, its anti-caries properties suggest it may be used in chewing gum formu¬ lations containing non-sugar ingredients. Non-sugar ingredients are alditols such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, lactitol, palatinit (Isomalt) , maltitol, and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates. These alditols are used in a variety of combinations to develop unique sugarless chewing gum formulations. Oligofructose may be used to replace the individual alditols or combina¬ tions of alditols. With partial replacement of one or more alditols, oligof uctose can be used at levels of about 0.5-25%. If oligofructose replaces a large amount or most of the alditols, this level may be about 25% to about 90% of the gum formulation.

The Raftilose oligofructose has properties similar to syrups, sugars, hydrogenated starch hydroly¬ sates, sorbitol and most other polyols in that it is highly water soluble with a low viscosity in water. Raftiline, on the other hand, is a long chain polymer and is less soluble in water and gives a high visco¬ sity. For this reason, Raftiline oligofructose should be used in formulas disclosed herein at about half the level or less that Raftilose would normally be used in.

Some sugar-free chewing gum formulations con¬ tain high levels of glycerin and are very low in mois¬ ture, i.e., less than about 2%. Oligofructose solids or syrup may replace part or all of the glycerin used in these types of formulations. At higher moisture levels (more than 2%) in sugar-free gum, a liquid sor¬ bitol (70% sorbitol, 30% water) is used. Oligofructose solids or oligofructose syrup may replace part or all of the sorbitol liquid. Sugar-free syrups like hydro¬ genated starch hydrolysates (HSH) , such as Lycasin brand HSH, may also be replaced in part or totally by oligofructose solids or syrup. The same product advan¬ tages found with hydrogenated starch hydrolysates syrups, such as improved product shelf life, improved texture, and improved aspartame and alitame stability, may also be found with the use of oligofructose solids or syrup.

Recent advances use HSH and glycerin pre- blended and co-evaporated to reduce moisture in some sugar-free gum formulations. Oligofructose solids and/or syrup may be used to replace part or all of the HSH/glycerin blends in chewing gum formulations. Aque¬ ous oligofructose solids and/or oligofructose syrup may also replace HSH in the pre-blend with glycerin and be co-evaporated with glycerin to obtain a low moisture, non-crystallizable blend. Combinations of oligo¬ fructose solids/syrup with alditols like sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol, lactitol and mannitol in aqueous form may also be blended with glycerin and co-evapora¬ ted for use in low-moisture, sugar-free gum.

In a similar manner, oligofructose solids/ syrup preblended in glycerin and co-evaporated may be used in conventional sugar chewing gum formulations. Oligofructose may be combined with other sugars like dextrose, sucrose, lactose, maltose, invert sugar, fructose and corn syrup solids to form a liquid mix to be blended with glycerin and co-evaporated. Oligofruc¬ tose solids/ syrup may also be mixed with conventional syrup and blended with glycerin and co-evaporated for use in a sugar chewing gum formulation.

Oligofructose bulk sweetener may also be co-dried with a variety of sugars such as sucrose, dextrose, lactose, fructose, and corn syrup solids and used in a sugar-containing gum formulation. Oligofruc- tose may be co-dried with a variety of alditols, such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol, palatinit and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, and used in a sugar- free gum^' formulation. Co-drying refers to methods of co-crystallization and co-precipitation of oligofruc¬ tose with other sugars and alditols, as well as co- drying by encapsulation, agglomeration, and absorption with other sugars and alditols.

Co-drying by encapsulation, agglomeration, and absorption can also include the use of encapsu¬ lating and agglomerating agents. Oligofructose may be mixed with other sugars or alditols prior to being re- dried by encapsulation or agglomeration, or may be used alone with the encapsulating and agglomerating agents. These agents modify the physical properties of the bulk sweetener and control its release from chewing gum. Since oligofructose is highly soluble in water as noted earlier, controlling the release of oligofructose modi¬ fies the texture and flavor of the chewing gum.

Physical modifications of the bulk sweetener ^' by encapsulation with another substrate will slow its release in chewing gum by reducing the solubility or dissolution rate. Any standard technique which gives partial or full encapsulation of the bulk sweetener can be used. These techniques include, but are not limited to, spray drying, spray chilling, fluid-bed coating and coacervation. These encapsulation techniques that give partial encapsulation or full encapsulation can be used individually or in any combination in a single step process or multiple step process. Generally, delayed release of bulk sweetener is obtained in multistep processes like spray drying the bulk sweetener and then fluid-bed coating the resultant powder.

The encapsulation techniques here described are standard coating techniques and generally give varying degrees of coating from partial to full coat¬ ing, depending on the coating composition used in the process. Also, the coating compositions may be suscep¬ tible to water permeation to various degrees. General¬ ly, compositions that have high organic solubility, good film-forming properties and low water solubility give better delayed release of the bulk sweetener. Such compositions include acrylic polymers and copoly- mers, carboxyvinyl polymer, polyamides, polystyrene, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl acetate phthalate, poly- vinyl-pyrrolidone, and waxes. Although all of these materials are possible for encapsulation of the bulk sweetener, only food-grade material should be consid¬ ered. Two standard food-grade coating materials that are good film formers but not water soluble are shellac and zein. Others which are more water soluble, but good film formers, are materials like agar, alginates, a wide range of cellulose derivatives like ethyl cellu¬ lose, methyl cellulose, sodium hydroxymethyl cellulose, and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, dextrin, gelatin, and modified starches. These ingredients, which are generally approved for food use, also give a delayed release when used as an encapsulant. Other encapsu- lants, like acacia or maltodextrin, can also encapsu¬ late oligofructose, but may increase the release rate of the bulk sweetener.

The amount of coating or encapsulating mate¬ rial on the bulk sweetener also controls the length of time for its release from chewing gum. Generally, the higher the level of coating the slower the release of the bulk sweetener during mastication. The release rate is generally not instantaneous, but gradual over an extended period of time.

Another method of giving a delayed release of the bulk sweetener is agglomeration of the bulk sweet¬ ener with an agglomerating agent which partially coats the bulk sweetener. This method includes the step of mixing the bulk sweetener and agglomerating agent with a small amount of water or solvent. The mixture is prepared in such a way as to have individual wet par¬ ticles in contact with each other so that a partial coating can be applied. After the water or solvent is removed,^' the mixture is ground and used as a powdered, coated bulk sweetener.

Materials that can be used as the agglomerat¬ ing agent are the same as those used in encapsulation mentioned previously. However, since the coating is only a partial encapsulation and the bulk sweetener is very water soluble, some agglomerating agents are more effective in delaying the sweetener release than oth¬ ers. Some of the better agglomerating agents are the organic polymers like acrylic polymers and copolymers, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinylpyrrolidone, waxes, shel¬ lac, and zein. Other agglomerating agents are not as effective in giving the bulk sweetener a delayed re¬ lease as are the polymers, waxes, shellac and zein, but can be used to give some delayed release. These other agglomerating agents include, but are not limited to, agar, alginates, a wide range of cellulose derivatives like ethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, sodium hydroxy- methyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, dex¬ trin, gelatin, modified starches, vegetable gums like guar gum, locust bean gum, and carrageenin. Even though the agglomerated bulk sweetener is only parti¬ ally coated, when the quantity of coating is increased compared to the quantity of the bulk sweetener, the release of the bulk sweetener can be delayed for a longer time during mastication.

The bulk sweetener may be coated in a two-step process or multiple step process. The bulk sweetener may be encapsulated with any of the materials as described previously and then the encapsulated swee¬ tener can be agglomerated as described previously to obtain an encapsulated/agglomerated/bulk sweetener product that could be used in chewing gum to give a delayed release of bulk sweetener. In another embodiment of this invention, oligofructose sweetener may be absorbed onto another component which is porous and become entrapped in the matrix of the porous component. Common materials used for absorbing the bulk sweetener include, but are not limited to, silicas, silicates, pharmasorb clay, spongelike beads or microbeads, amorphous sugars like spray-dried dextrose, sucrose, alditols, amorphous car¬ bonates and hydroxides, including aluminum and calcium lakes, vegetable gums and other spray dried materials.

Depending on the type of absorbent material and how it is prepared, the amount of bulk sweetener that can be loaded onto the absorbent will vary. Gen¬ erally materials like polymers, spongelike beads or microbeads, amorphous sugars and alditols and amorphous carbonates and hydroxides absorb about 10% to about 40% of the weight of the absorbent. Other materials like silica and pharmasorb clays may be able to absorb about 20% to about 80% of the weight of the absorbent.

The general procedure for absorbing the bulk sweetener onto the absorbent is as follows. An absor¬ bent like fumed silica powder can be mixed in a powder blender and an aqueous solution of the bulk sweetener can be sprayed onto the powder as mixing continues. The aqueous solution can be about 30% to 50% solids, and higher solid levels may be used if temperatures up to 90°C are used. Generally water is the solvent, but other solvents like alcohol could also be used if approved for use in food. As the powder mixes, the liquid is sprayed onto the powder. Spraying is stopped before the mix becomes damp. The still free-flowing powder is removed from the mixer and dried to remove the water or other solvent, and ground to a specific particle size.

After the bulk sweetener is absorbed onto an absorbent or fixed onto an absorbent, the fixative/ sweetener can be coated by encapsulation. Either full or partial encapsulation may be used, depending on the coating composition used in the process. Full encapsu¬ lation may be obtained by coating with a polymer as in spray drying, spray chilling, fluid-bed coating, coac- ervation, or any other standard technique. A partial encapsulation or coating can be obtained by agglomera¬ tion of the fixative/sweetener mixture using any of the materials discussed above.

The three methods of use to obtain a delayed release of bulk sweetener are: (1) encapsulation by spray drying, fluid-bed coating spray chilling and co- acervation to give full or partial encapsulation,

(2) agglomeration to give partial encapsulation and

(3) fixation or entrapment/absorption which also gives partial encapsulation.. These three methods, combined in any usable manner which physically isolates the bulk sweetener, reduces its dissolvability or slows down the release of bulk sweetener, are included in this inven¬ tion.

Oligofructose may act as an encapsulating or agglomerating agent. Oligofructose may also be used to absorb other ingredients. Oligofructose may be able to encapsulate, agglomerate or entrap/absorb flavors and high-intensity sweeteners like aspartame, alitame, cyc- lamic acid and its salts, saccharin acid and its salts, acesulfame and its salts, sucralose, hydrochalcones, thaumatin, monellin or combinations thereof. Encapsu¬ lation of high-intensity sweeteners with oligofructose may improve the sweetener's shelf life.

Oligofructose may be used with other bulk sweeteners and in combination give unique properties. Oligofructose may.be co-dried by various delayed re¬ lease methods noted above with other bulk sweeteners like palatinose, sucrose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, fructose, corn syrup solids, sorbitol, mannitol, xyli¬ tol, maltitol, palatinit and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates for use in sugar and sugar-free chewing gum. Ingredients, including flavors, co-dried, encap¬ sulated, agglomerated or absorbed on oligofructose may show faster release. However, encapsulation of flavors with oligofructose may improve the shelf-life of the flavor ingredient like other bulking agents.

Other methods of treating the oligofructose bulk sweetener to physically isolate the sweetener from other chewing gum ingredients may also have some effect on its release rate and its effect on chewing gum fla¬ vor and texture.- The bulk sweetener may be added to the liquid inside a liquid center gum product. The center fill of a gum product may comprise one or more carbohydrate syrups, glycerin, thickeners, flavors, acidulants, colors, sugars and sugar alcohols in con¬ ventional amounts. The ingredients are combined in a conventional manner. The bulk sweetener is dissolved in the center-fill liquid and the amount of bulk sweet¬ ener added to the center-fill liquid may be about 0.1% to about 20% by weight of the entire chewing gum formu¬ la. This method of using oligofructose bulk sweetener in chewing gum can allow for a lower usage level of the bulk sweetener, can give the bulk sweetener a smooth release rate, and can reduce or eliminate any possible reaction of the bulk sweetener with gum base, flavor components or other components, yielding improved shelf stability.

Another method of isolating the oligofructose bulk sweetener from other chewing gum ingredients is to add oligofructose to the dusting compound of a chewing gum. A rolling or dusting compound is applied to the surface of chewing gum as it is formed. This rolling or dusting compound serves to reduce sticking to machi¬ nery as it is formed, reduces sticking of the product to machinery as it is wrapped, and sticking to its wrapper after it is wrapped and being stored. The rolling compound comprises oligofructose bulk sweete¬ ner alone or in combination with mannitol, sorbitol, sucrose, starch, calcium carbonate, talc, other orally acceptable substances or a combination thereof. The rolling compound constitutes from about 0.25% to about 10.0%, but preferably about 1% to about 3% of weight of the chewing gum composition. The amount of oligofruc¬ tose bulk sweetener added to the rolling compound is about 0.5% to 100% of the rolling compound, or about 0.005% to about 5% of the chewing gum composition. This method of using oligofructose bulk sweetener in the chewing gum can allow a lower usage level of the bulk sweetener, can give the bulk sweetener a more con¬ trolled release rate, and can reduce or eliminate any possible reaction of the bulk sweetener with gum base, flavor components, or other components, yielding impro¬ ved shelf stability.

Another method of isolating oligofructose bulk sweetener is to use it in the coating/panning of a pellet chewing gum. Pellet or ball gum is prepared as conventional chewing gum, but formed into pellets that are pillow shaped or into balls. The pellets/balls can be then sugar coated or panned by conventional panning techniques to make a unique sugar-coated pellet gum. The bulk sweetener is very stable and highly water soluble, and can be easily added to a sugar solution prepared for sugar panning. Oligofructose may be com¬ bined with sucrose, or used alone in solution as the coating on pellet gum. Oligofructose can also be added as a powder blended with other powders often used in some types of conventional panning procedures. Using oligofructose sweetener isolates the sweetener from other gum ingredients and modifies its release rate in chewing gum. Levels of use of oligofructose may be about 1% to about 100% in the coating and about 0.5% to about 50% of the weight of the chewing gum product. The weight of the coating may be about 20% to about 50% of the weight of the finished gum product. Conventional panning procedures generally coat with sucrose, but recent advances in panning have allowed the use of other carbohydrate materials to be used in the place of sucrose. Some of these components include, but are not limited to, dextrose, maltose, xylitol, lactitol, palatinit and other new alditols or a combination thereof. These materials may be blended with panning modifiers including, but not limited to, gum arabic, maltodextrins, corn syrup, gelatin, cellu¬ lose type materials like carboxymethyl cellulose, or hydroxymethyl cellulose, starch and modified starches, vegetable gums like alginates, locust bean gum, guar gum, and gum tragacanth, insoluble carbonates like calcium carbonate or magnesium carbonate and talc. Oligofructose also acts as a panning modifier with other panning materials to mprove product quality. Antitack agents may also be added as panning modifiers which allow the use of a variety of carbohydrates and sugar alcohols to be used in the development of new panned or coated gum products. Flavors may also be added with the sugar coating and with the oligofructose bulk sweetener to yield unique product characteristics.

The previously described encapsulated, agglo¬ merated, or absorbed oligofructose bulk sweetener may readily be incorporated into a chewing gum composition. The remainder of the chewing gum ingredients are non- critical to the present invention. That is, the coated particles of bulk sweetener can be incorporated into conventional chewing gum formulations in a conventional manner. The oligofructose bulk sweeteners may be used in a sugar-free or sugar chewing gum to modify the sweetness thereof. The coated bulk sweetener may be used in either regular chewing gum or bubble gum.

In general, a chewing gum composition typically comprises a water-soluble bulk portion, a water-insoluble chewable gum base portion and typically water-insoluble flavoring agents. The water-soluble portion dissipates with a portion of the flavoring agent over a period of time during chewing. The gum base portion is retained in the mouth throughout the chew.

The insoluble gum base generally comprises elastomers, resins, fats and oils, waxes, softeners and inorganic fillers. Elastomers may include polyisobu- tylene, isobutylene-isoprene copolymer and styrene butadiene rubber, as well as natural latexes such as chicle. Resins include polyvinylacetate and terpene resins. Fats and oils may also be included in the gum base, including tallow, hydrogenated and partially hy¬ drogenated vegetable oils, and cocoa butter. Commonly employed waxes include paraffin, microcrystalline and natural waxes such as beeswax and carnauba. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the insoluble gum base constitutes between about 5 to about 95% by weight of the gum. More preferably the insoluble gum base comprises between 10 and 50 percent by weight of the gum and most preferably about 20 to about 35% by weight of the gum.

The gum base typically also includes a filler component. The filler component may be calcium carbo¬ nate, magnesium carbonate, talc, dicalcium phosphate or the like. The filler may constitute between about 5 and about 60% by weight of the gum base. Preferably, the filler comprises about 5 to about 50% by weight of the gum base.

Gum bases typically also contain softeners, including glycerol monostearate and glycerol triace¬ tate. Further, gum bases may also contain optional ingredients such as antioxidants, colors, and emulsi- fiers. The present invention contemplates employing any commercially acceptable gum base.

The water-soluble portion of the chewing gum may further comprise softeners, sweeteners, flavoring agents and combinations thereof. Softeners are added to the chewing gum in order to optimize the chewability and mouth feel of the gum. Softeners, also known in the art as plasticizers or plasticizing agents, gener¬ ally constitute between about 0.5 to about 15.0% by weight of the chewing gum. Softeners contemplated by the present invention include glycerin, lecithin, and combinations thereof. Further, aqueous sweetener solu¬ tions such as those containing sorbitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, corn syrup and combinations there¬ of may be used as softeners and binding agents in gum.

As mentioned above, the oligofructose solids/ syrup bulk sweetener of the present invention will most likely be used in sugar gum formulations. However, sugar-free formulations are also within the scope of the invention. Sugar sweeteners generally include sac- charide-containing components commonly known in the chewing gum art which comprise, but are not limited to, sucrose, dextrose, maltose, dextrin, dried invert sug¬ ar, fructose, levulose, galactose, corn syrup solids and the like, alone or in any combination.

The oligofructose solids/syrup bulk sweetener of the present invention can also be used in combina¬ tion with sugarless sweeteners. Generally sugarless sweeteners include components with sweetening charac¬ teristics but which are devoid of the commonly known sugars and comprise, but are not limited to, sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, hydrogen¬ ated starch hydrolysates, maltitol and the like, alone or in any combination.

Depending on the particular sweetness release, profile and shelf-stability needed, the oligofructose solid/syrup bulk sweeteners of the present invention can also be used in combination with coated or uncoated high-potency sweeteners or with high-potency sweeteners coated with other materials and by other techniques.

A flavoring agent may be present in the chewing gum in an amount within the range of from about 0.1 to about 10.0 weight percent and preferably from about 0.5 to about 3.0 weight percent of the gum. The flavoring agents may comprise essential oils, synthetic flavors, or mixture thereof including, but not limited to, oils derived from plants and fruits such as citrus oils, fruit essences, peppermint oil, spearmint oil, clove oil, oil of wintergreen, anise, and the like. Artificial flavoring components are also contemplated for use in gums of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that natural and artificial flavoring agents may be combined in any sen- sorally acceptable blend. All such flavors and flavor blends are contemplated by the present invention.

Optional ingredients such as colors, emul- sifiers and pharmaceutical agents may be added to the chewing gum.

In general, chewing gum is manufactured by sequentially adding the various chewing gum ingredients to a commercially available mixer known in the art. After the ingredients have been thoroughly mixed, the gum mass is discharged from the mixer and shaped into the desired form such as by rolling into sheets and cutting into sticks, extruding into chunks or casting into pellets.

Generally, the ingredients are mixed by first melting the gum base and adding it to the running mixer. The base may also be melted in the mixer it¬ self. Color or emulsifiers may also be added at this time. A softener such as glycerin may also be added at this time, along with syrup and a portion of the bulk¬ ing agent/sweetener. Further portions of the bulking agent/sweetener may then be added to the mixer. A fla¬ voring agent is typically added with the final portion of the bulking agent. A high-intensity sweetener is preferably added after the final portion of bulking agent and flavor have been added. The entire mixing procedure typically takes from five to fifteen minutes, but longer mixing times may sometimes be required. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many variations of the above de¬ scribed procedure may be followed.

EXAMPLES

The following examples of the invention and comparative examples are provided by way of explanation and illustration.

The formulas listed in Table 1 comprise vari¬ ous sugar-type formulas in which oligofructose can be added to gum after it is dissolved in water and mixed with various aqueous solvents.

EXAMPLE 1

Raftilose powder can be added directly to the gum.

EXAMPLE 2

An 100 gram portion of Raftilose can be dissolved in 100 grams of water at 40°C making a 50% solu¬ tion and added to gum.

EXAMPLE 3

Raftilose syrup at 80% solids can be added direc¬ tly to the gum.

EXAMPLE 4

A blend of 100 grams of Raftilose and 100 grams of water is mixed at 40°C. To this is added 100 grams of glycerin to give a mixture of 33% Rafti¬ lose, 33% water, and 33% glycerin, and added to gum.

EXAMPLE 5

To 140 grams of Raftilose syrup at 70% solids is added 60 grams of glycerin to give a 70% Raftilose syrup with 30% glycerin, and added to gum.

EXAMPLE 6

To 140 grams of Raftilose syrup of 70% solids is added 60 grams of propylene glycol giving a 70% Raftilose syrup with 30% glycerin and added to gum.

EXAMPLE 7

To 140 grams of Raftilose syrup at 70% solids is added 89 grams of corn syrup and blended giving a mixture of 61% Raftilose syrup and 39% corn syrup.

EXAMPLE 8

To a 200 gram quantity of corn syrup is added 100 grams of glycerin. To this mixture is added 75 grams of Raftilose and blended at 50°C. This mix¬ ture is added to gum.

In the next examples of sugar gum formu¬ lations, oligofructose can be dissolved in water and emulsifiers can be added to the aqueous solution. Ex- • ample solutions can be prepared by dissolving 15 grams of oligofructose in 70 grams water and adding 15 grams of emulsifiers of various hydrophilic-lipophilic bal¬ ance (HLB) values to the solution. The mixtures can then be used in the following formulas.

TABLE 2 (WEIGHT PERCENT)

EX. 9 EX. 10 EX. 11

SUGAR 50.7 50.7 50.7

BASE 19.2 19.2 19.2

CORN 12.9 12.9 12.9

SYRUP

GLY¬ 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 CERIN

DEX¬ TROSE M0N0HY- DRATE 9.9 9.9 9.9 9.9 9.9 9.9

PEPP. 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 FLAVOR

BULK SWEET¬ ENER/ EMUL- SIFIER/ WATER MIXTURE 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 None H__B=2 HLB=4 HLB=6 HLB=9 HLB=12

EXAMPLES 15-20

The same as the formulations made in Examples 9- 14, respectively, except that the flavor can be mixed together with the aqueous bulk sweetener solution and emulsified before adding the mixture to the gum batch.

Oligofructose bulk sweetener can also be blended into various base ingredients. A typical base formula is as follows:

The individual base components can be soft¬ ened prior to their addition in the base manufacturing process. To the presoftened base component, oligofruc¬ tose can be added and mixed, and then the presoftened base/bulk sweetener blend can be added to make the fin¬ ished base. In the following examples, oligofructose can be mixed first with one of the base ingredients, and the mixed ingredient can then be used in making a base. The ingredients blended with oligofructose can then be used at the levels indicated in the typical base formula above. EXAMPLE 21

The terpene resin used to make the base is 80% polyterpene resin and 20% Raftilose. EXAMPLE 22

The polyvinyl acetate used to make the base is 80% low M.W. polyvinyl acetate and 20% Raftilose.

Oligofructose may also be added to an otherwise complete gum base.

EXAMPLE 23

5% Raftilose can be mixed with 95% of a gum base having the above listed typical formula. The Raftilose can be added near the end of the pro¬ cess, after all the other ingredients are added. The samples of finished base made with oligofruc¬ tose added to different base components can then be evaluated in a sugar-type chewing gum formulated as follows:^'

TABLE 3

The theoretical level of oligofructose bulk sweetener is 1% in the finished gum.

The following Tables 4 through 11 are exam¬ ples of gum formulations that demonstrate formula vari¬ ations in which oligofructose, in the form of Raftilose (syrup or powder) , may be used. Raftiline powder may be used in all of the formulations in the following ex¬ amples at about half the level indicated for Raftilose.

Examples 24-28 in Table 4 demonstrates the use of oligofructose in low-moisture sugar formulations showing less than 2% theoretical moisture: TABLE 4 (WEIGHT PERCENT)

EX. 24

SUGAR 57.9

GUM BASE • 19.2

CORN³ SYRUP 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0

DEXTROSE MONOHY¬ DRATE 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0

LACTOSE 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.0 5.0

GLYCERIN^b 5.0 5.0 5.0 8.9 8.9

FLAVOR 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9

RAFTILOSE 1.0 5.0 10.0 25.0 50.0

"Corn Syrup is evaporated to 85% solids, 15% moisture ^bGlycerir_ and syrup may be blended and co- evaporated

Examples 29-33 in Table 5 demonstrate the use of oligofructose in medium-moisture sugar formulations having about 2% to about 5% moisture.

Examples 34-38 in Table 6 demonstrate the use of oligofructose in high-moisture sugar formulations having more than about 5% moisture.

TABLE 5

"Corn Syrup is evaporated to 85% solids , 15% moisture ^bGlycerin and syrup may be blended and co- evaporated

TABLE 6 (WEIGHT PERCENT)

Examples 39-43 in Table 7 and Examples 44-53 in Tables 8 and 9 demonstrate the use of oligofructose in low- and high-moisture gums that are sugar-free. Low- moisture gums have less than about 2% moisture, and high-moisture gums have greater than 2% moisture. TABLE 7 (WEIGHT PERCENT)

TABLE 8 (WEIGHT PERCENT)

*Sorbitol Liquid contains 70% sorbitol, 30% water

TABLE 9 (WEIGHT PERCENT)

* Lycasin brand hydrogenated starch hydrolyzate syrup ** Glycerin and HSH syrup may be blended or co-evaporated Table 10 shows sugar chewing gum formulations that can be made with oligofructose and various other types of sugars.

TABLE 10 (WEIGHT PERCENT)

Any of the sugars may be combined with oligo¬ fructose and co-dried to form unique combinations such as: EXAMPLE 66

Dextrose and Raftilose can be dissolved in water in a 2:1 ratio of dextrose:Raftilose and co-dried or co-precipitated and used in the formulas in Table 10. EXAMPLE 67

Raftilose and sucrose can be dissolved in water in a 1:1 ratio and co-dried or co-precipitated and used in the formulas in Table 10. EXAMPLE 68

Raftilose, sucrose, and dextrose can be dissolved in water in a 1:1:1 ratio and co-dried or co-pre¬ cipitated and used in the formulas in Table 10. EXAMPLE 69

Raftilose, sucrose, dextrose, and fructose can be dissolved in water at 25% of each ingredient and co-dried, and used in the formulas in Table 10. EXAMPLE 70

Raftilose, dextrose, fructose, and lactose can be dissolved in water at 25% of each ingredient and co-dried, and used in the formulas in Table 10. EXAMPLE 71

Raftilose, dextrose, maltose, and corn syrup sol¬ ids can be dissolved in water at 25% of each in¬ gredient and co-dried, and used in the formulas in Table 10. EXAMPLE 72

Raftilose, sucrose, dextrose, maltose and fruc¬ tose can be dissolved in water at 20% of each ingredi¬ ent and co-dried, and used in the formulas in Table 10. Multiple combinations of oligofructose^' with other sugars can be made in solution to form liquid concentrates that do not need to be co-dried, such as:

EXAMPLE 73

Raftilose, corn syrup and glycerin can be dis¬ solved in water at a ratio of 1:1:1, evaporated to a thick syrup and used in the formulas in Table 10.

EXAMPLE 74

Raftilose, dextrose, fructose and invert syrup may be dissolved in water at 25% of each ingredient and evaporated to a thick syrup and used in the formulas in Table 10.

EXAMPLE 75

Raftilose, dextrose, maltose and and corn syrup solids may be dissolved in water at 25 % of each component and evaporated to a thick syrup and used in the formulas in Table 10.

EXAMPLE 76

Glycerin is added to Example 74 at a ratio of 4:1 syrup to glycerin and evaporated to a thick syrup, and used in the formulas in Table 10.

EXAMPLE 77

Glycerin is added to Example 75 at a ratio of 2:1 syrup to glycerin and evaporated to a thick syrup, and used in the formulas in Table 10.

Multiple combinations of two or three sugars can also be made by melting a sugar at about 130°C, blending with oligofructose, cooling, and grinding to form powder blends such as: EXAMPLE 78

Dextrose is melted at 130°C and blended at a ratio of 1:1 with Raftilose, cooled, ground, and used in formulas in Table 10. EXAMPLE 79

Dextrose and fructose at a ratio of 1:1 are blend¬ ed and melted at 130°C. The melted blend is then mixed with Raftilose at a 2:1 blend:Raftilose ra¬ tio, is cooled, ground, and used in formulas in Table 10.

Table 11 shows chewing gum formulations that are free of sugar. These formulations can use a wide variety of other non-sugar alditols.

TABLE 11 (WEIGHT PERCENT)

Any of the alditols can be combined with oligofructose and co-dried to form unique combinations, such as:

EXAMPLE 92

Raftilose and sorbitol can be dissolved in water in a ratio of 2:1 sorbitol:Raftilose and co-dried and used in formulas in Table 11.

EXAMPLE 93

Raftilose, sorbitol, and mannitol can be dissolved in water at a ratio of 1:1:1, co-dried, and used in appropriate formulas in Table 11.

EXAMPLE 94

Raftilose, mannitol and xylitol can be dissolved in water at a ratio of 1:1:1, co-dried, and used in appropriate formulas in Table 11. EXAMPLE 95

Raftilose, sorbitol, and lactitol can be dissolved in water at a ratio of 1:1:1, co-dried, and used in appropriate formulas in Table 11.

EXAMPLE 96

Raftilose, palatinit, and sorbitol can be dissol¬ ved in water at a ratio of 1:1:1, co-dried, and used in appropriate formulas in Table 11.

EXAMPLE 97

Raftilose and palatinit can be dissolved in water at a ratio of 1:1, co-dried, and used in appropri¬ ate formulas in Table 11.

EXAMPLE 98

Raftilose, sorbitol, maltitol, and xylitol may be blended at 25% of each ingredient and dissolved in water, co-dried, and used in appropriate formulas in Table 11.

Multiple combinations of oligofructose with the various alditols can be made in solution to form liquid concentrates that do not need to be co-dried, such as: EXAMPLE 99

Raftilose, sorbitol, maltitol, and Lycasin brand HSH syrup may be dissolved in water at 25% of each ingredient, evaporated to a thick syrup and used in the appropriate formulas in Table 11. EXAMPLE 100

Raftilose, xylitol, sorbitol, and Lycasin brand HSH syrup can be dissolved in water at 25% of each ingredient, evaporated to a thick syrup, and used in the formulas in Table 11. EXAMPLE 101

Raftilose, sorbitol, lactitol, and Lycasin brand HSH syrup can be dissolved in water at 25% of each ingredient, evaporated to a thick syrup, and used in the formulas in Table 11. EXAMPLE 102

Raftilose, Lycasin brand HSH syrup and glycerin can be dissolved in water at a ratio of 1:1:1, evaporated to a thick syrup and used in the for¬ mulas in Table 11.

EXAMPLE 103

Glycerin is added to Example 99 at a ratio of 4:1 syrup to glycerin, evaporated to a thick syrup, and used in formulas in Table 11.

EXAMPLE 104

Glycerin is added to Example 100 at a ratio of 4:1 syrup to glycerin, evaporated to a thick syrup, and used in the formulas in Table 11.

EXAMPLE 105

Glycerin is added to Example 101 at a ratio of 4:1 syrup to glycerin, evaporated to a thick syrup, and used in formulas in Table 11.

Multiple combinations and combinations of one or two alditols with oligofructose can be made by melt¬ ing the alditols together at about 130°C, blending with oligofructose, cooling, and grinding to form powder blends, such as: EXAMPLE 106

Sorbitol is melted at 130°C, blended with Rafti¬ lose at a 1:1 ratio, cooled, ground and used in formulas in Table 11. EXAMPLE 107

Sorbitol and xylitol are blended at a 1:1 ratio and melted at 130°C. The blend is mixed with Raftilose at a 2:1 blend:Raftilose ratio, cooled, ground and used in formulas in Table 11.

High-intensity sweeteners such as aspartame, acesulfame K, or the salts of acesulfame, cyclamate and its salts, saccharin and its salts, alitame, sucralose, thaumatin, monellin, dihydrochalcone, stevioside, glyc-- yrrhizin, and combinations thereof may be used in any of the Examples listed in Tables 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 9, 10 and 11. Since oligofructose has less sweetness than some of the other sugars used in sugar gum, and some of the alditols in sugar-free gum, a high-intensity sweet¬ ener may be need to obtain the proper level of sweet¬ ness.

High-intensity sweeteners may also be modi¬ fied to control their release in chewing gum formula¬ tions containing oligofructose. This can be controlled by various methods of encapsulation, agglomeration, absorption, or a combination of methods to obtain ei¬ ther a fast or slow release of the sweetener. Sweeten¬ er combinations, some of which may be synergistic, may also be included in the gum formulations containing oligofructose.

The following examples show the use of high- intensity sweeteners in chewing gum formulations with oligofructose. EXAMPLE 108

Aspartame at a level of 0.2% may be added to any of the formulas in Tables 4 through 11 by replac¬ ing 0.2% of the Raftilose. EXAMPLE 109

Alitame at a level of 0.03% may be added to any of the formulas in Tables 4 through 11 by replacing 0.03% of the Raftilose. EXAMPLE 110

Sucralose at a level of 0.07% may be added to any of the formulas in Tables 4 through 11 by replac¬ ing 0.07% of the Raftilose. EXAMPLE 111

Thaumatin at a level of 0.02% may be added to any of the formulas in Tables 4 through 11 by replac¬ ing 0.02% of the Raftilose. EXAMPLE 112

Glycyrrhizin at a level of 0.4% may be added to any of the formulas in Tables 4 through 11 by replacing 0.4% of the Raftilose.

High-intensity sweeteners may also be com¬ bined with other high-intensity sweeteners, with or without encapsulation, agglomeration or absorption, and used in chewing gums of the present invention. Exam¬ ples are: EXAMPLE 113

Aspartame and acesulfame K at a 1:1 ratio may be added to any of the formulas in Tables 4 through 11 at a level of 0.15% by replacing 0.15% of the Raftilose. EXAMPLE 114

Aspartame and alitame at a ratio of 9:1 aspartame: alitame may be added to any of the formulas in Tables 4 through 11 at a level of 0.1% by replac¬ ing 0.1% of the Raftilose. EXAMPLE 115

Aspartame and thaumatin at a ratio of 9:1 aspartame:thaumatin can be added to any of the formulas in Tables 4 through 11 at a level of 0.1% by replacing 0.1% of the Raftilose. EXAMPLE 116

Sucralose and alitame in a ratio of 3:1 sucralose: alitame can be added to any of the formulas in Tables 4 through 11 at a level of 0.05% by replac¬ ing 0.05% of the Raftilose.

EXAMPLE 117

Alitame and glycyrrhizin in a ratio of 1:12 alitame:glycyrrhizin can be added to any of the formulas in Tables 4 through 11 at a level of 0.1% by replacing 0.1% of the Raftilose. EXAMPLE 118

Aspartame and glycyrrhizin in a ratio of 1:14 aspartame:glycyrrhizin can be added to any of the formulas in Tables 4 through 11 at a level of 0.3% by replacing 0.3% of the Raftilose.

As discussed above, the various types of oligofructose ingredients that are available are Rafti¬ lose L60, L85, and L95 clear syrup and P95 powder. Raftiline is available in powder form. These materials may be used as the exclusive sweetener in a variety of chewing gum formulations, as in Tables 12 and 13.

TABLE 12 (WEIGHT PERCENT)

^*Raftilose P95 powder, Raftilose L95 syrup, and Rafti¬ lose L60 syrup may also be preblended with glycerin and coevaporated to reduce moisture.

TABLE 13 (WEIGHT PERCENT)

EX. 124 EX. 125 EX. 126 EX. 127 EX. 128 EX. 129

GUM BASE - 25.5 25.5 25.5 25.5 50.0 70.0

GLYCERIN 2.0 2.0 7.0 15.0 2.0 1.0

RAFTILOSE P95 POWDER^* 51.0 61.0 46.0 43.0 35.5 20.0

RAFTILOSE L95 SYRUP^* 20.0 10.0 5.0 10.0 4.0

RAFTILOSE L60 SYRUP^* 15.0 15.0 2.0

FLAVOR 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 3.0

The formulations in Tables 12 and 13 do not contain other sugars or alditols. These formula¬ tions will give unique texture and flavor attributes. These formulations may also contain high-intensity, artificial sweeteners, from about 0.02% to about 0.1% for sweeteners like alitame, thaumatin, and dihydro¬ chalcone, and from about 0.1% to about 0.3% for sweet¬ eners like aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame, and sac¬ charin. The formulations in Tables 12 and 13 without the other types of sugars and alditols will also have good non-cariogenic and low caloric properties.

Oligofructose may also be codried with high intensity, artificial sweeteners by spray drying, fluid bed coating, spray congealing, or agglomeration, and used in the formulations in Tables 12 and 13 at active levels of the various high intensity sweeteners noted above.

It should be appreciated that the compo¬ sitions and methods of the present invention are capa¬ ble of being incorporated in the form of a variety of embodiments, only a few of which have been illustrated and described above. The invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from its spirit or essen¬ tial characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive, and the scope of the invention is the¬ refore indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

WE CLAIM:

1. A chewing gum composition comprising: a) about 5% to about 95% gum base; b) about 0.1% to about 10% of a flavoring agent, and c) oligofructose, the oligofructose being the only bulk sweetener in the gum.

2. The chewing gum composition of claim 1 wherein the oligofructose is in the form selected from the group consisting of powdered oligofructose, oligo¬ fructose syrup, non-purified oligofructose syrup and mixtures thereof.

3. A chewing gum product including oligofructose wherein the oligofructose is used as a dusting agent on the surface of the gum.

4. A coated chewing gum product comprising a gum pellet coated with a hard coating, the hard coating comprising oligofructose.

5. A method of making chewing gum comprising the steps of: a) coevaporating an aqueous solution compris¬ ing oligofructose and a plasticizing agent to form a syrup, and b) mixing the syrup with gum base, bulking agents and flavoring agents to produce a gum composi¬ tion.

6. A chewing gum composition sweetened at least in part by aspartame, the gum composition containing an effective amount of oligofructose to stabilize the as¬ partame against degradation into non-sweetening deriva¬ tives.

7. A chewing gum composition sweetened at least in part by alitame, the gum composition containing an

_\__

Nff effective amount of oligofructose to stabilize the ali¬ tame against degradation into non-sweetening deriva-

_ tives.

8. A method of making chewing gum comprising the steps ^"of: a) codrying a solution containing oligofruc¬ tose and another sweetener selected from the group con¬ sisting of sugar sweeteners, alditol sweeteners and high-potency sweeteners, and b) mixing the codried oligofructose/sweetener with gum base and flavoring agents to produce a gum composition.