Gum composition containing dispersed porous beads containing active chewing gum ingredients and method

• US 5,154,927 A
• Filed: 06/22/1990
• Issued: 10/13/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WM Wrigley Jr Company (Mars Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WM Wrigley Jr Company (Mars Incorporated)
• Inventors: Zibell, Steven E., Greenberg, Michael J., Song, Joo H., Broderick, Kevin, Record, David W., Schnell, Philip G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Page, Thurman K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROUILLETTE, D GABRIELLE
• Application Number:
  US07/542,741
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 424/440, 424/485, 424/488, 424/48, 426/5
• US Class Current: 424/440
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 4/02 Apparatus specially adapted for manufacture or treatment of chewing gum
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 4/06 characterised by the composition containing organic or inorganic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 4/08 of the chewing gum base
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 4/20 Composite products, e.g. centre-filled , multi-layer, laminated

Abstract

A chewing gum that contains porous polymeric beads impregnated with active gum ingredients together with a method of making such a chewing gum.

Claims

1. A chewing gum, comprising:

a chewing gum base having dispersed therein water-insoluble porous polymeric beads having microporous channels impregnated with one or more active chewing gum ingredients wherein said ingredients are food grade acids, pharmaceutical agents, or breath freshening agents.

2. The chewing gum of claim 1 wherein said chewing gum matrix includes a water-soluble bulk portion and a water-insoluble chewable gum base portion.

3. The chewing gum of claim 2 wherein said water-soluble bulk portion includes a sweetener.

4. The chewing gum of claim 3 wherein said water-soluble portion further includes a flavoring agent.

5. The chewing gum of claim 1 wherein said porous polymeric beads are coated with one or more of zein, modified and unmodified cellulosics, carbohydrates, water-insoluble polymers, silica, gum arabic, fats, food-grade shellac, wax, fatty acids, or mixtures thereof.

6. The chewing gum of claim 1 or 5 wherein said polymeric beads comprise a copolymer of monomer pairs selected from the group consisting of styrene and divinylbenzene, limonene and divinylbenzene, carvone and divinylbenzene, eugenol and divinylbenzene, and ocimene and divinylbenzene.

7. The chewing gum of claim 1 wherein said chewing gum base further includes a first flavoring agent.

8. The chewing gum of claim 7 wherein said active chewing gum ingredient in said beads comprises a second flavoring agent.

9. The chewing gum of claim 8 wherein said first and second flavoring agents are the same.

10. The chewing gum of claim 8 wherein said first and second flavoring agents are different.

11. The chewing gum of claim 10 wherein said beads are adapted to release said second flavoring agent after said first flavoring agent has substantially been released during the chew.

12. The chewing gum of claim 11 wherein said beads are coated with an agent that retards the release of said second flavoring agent.

13. The chewing gum of claim 1 wherein said beads are polymerized from divinylbenzene and a food-grade monomer capable of polymerizing with divinylbenzene.

14. A chewing gum, comprising:

a chewing gum base having dispersed therein plural populations of water-insoluble polymeric beads having microporous passages impregnated with one or more active chewing gum ingredients wherein said ingredients are dyes, sweeteners, flavoring agents, food-grade acids, pharmaceutical agents, or breath-freshening agents, each population of beads being coated with a coating material having a solubility in water different from the coating in other populations.

15. The chewing gum of claim 14 further including at least one additional population of polymeric beads that is uncoated, said one population being impregnated with one or more of said active chewing gum ingredients.

16. The chewing gum of claim 14 where one population of beads substantially releases an active chewing gum ingredient before a second population substantially releases an active chewing gum ingredient.

17. The chewing gum of claim 14 wherein at least one of said populations of beads is polymerized from divinylbenzene and a food-grade monomer capable of polymerizing with divinylbenzene.

18. The chewing gum of claim 14 wherein at least one of said populations of beads includes beads comprising a block copolymer of styrene and butadiene.

19. A method of making chewing gum with a controlled release active ingredient comprising the steps of:

providing a chewing gum base;

dispersing within the chewing gum base a plurality of water-insoluble porous polymeric beads having microporous passages impregnated with one or more active chewing gum ingredients wherein said ingredients are sweeteners, flavoring agents, food-grade acids, pharmaceutical agents, or breath-freshening agents.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said porous polymeric beads are first coated with one or more of zein, modified and unmodified cellulosics, carbohydrates, water-insoluble polymers, silica, gum arabic, fats, food-grade shellac, wax, fatty acids, or mixtures thereof.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20 wherein said polymeric beads comprise a copolymer of monomer pairs selected from the group consisting of styrene and divinylbenzene, limonene and divinylbenzene, carvone and divinylbenzene, eugenol and divinylbenzene, and ocimene and divinylbenzene.

22. A method of making chewing gum with a controlled release active ingredient comprising the steps of:

providing a chewing gum base;

dispersing within the chewing gum base a first population of water-insoluble polymeric beads having microporous passages impregnated with one or more active chewing gum ingredients wherein said ingredients are dyes, sweeteners, flavoring agents, food-grade acids, pharmaceutical agents, or breath-freshening agents, and wherein said beads are coated with a coating material having a desired solubility in water; and

dispersing within the chewing gum base a second population of water-insoluble polymeric beads having microporous passages impregnated with one or more active chewing gum ingredients wherein said ingredients are dyes, sweeteners, flavoring agents, food-grade acids, pharmaceutical agents, or breath-freshening agents, which solubility is different from that of the coating material used on said first population of beads to thereby provide a release rate for the active ingredients from the second population of beads which is different from the release rate of the active ingredients from the first population of beads.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising the step of:

dispersing a third population of polymeric beads that is uncoated, said one population being impregnated with one or more of said active chewing gum ingredients.