Chewing Gum Delayed-Release Lecithin Adhesion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Chewing gum sticks to environmental surfaces after use, leading to undesirable adhesion issues, and existing solutions either fail to provide commercial success due to cost or regulatory problems or result in undesirable flavor and shelf life issues.

Innovation Solution

A chewing gum composition incorporating a primary gum base, sweetener, flavoring agent, and a food-acceptable delayed-release modification agent that reacts with the gum composition after chewing to reduce adhesion and enhance environmental acceptability, using encapsulated lecithin or enzymes to break down the gum cud, making it easier to remove from surfaces.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a relatively large amount of de-oiled lecithin (around 5%) is added to the chewing gum to reduce adhesion and improve environmental acceptability, then the gum cud becomes less adhesive to hard substrates, but the chewing gum product dissolves during storage and before chewing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadhesion to environmental surfacesVSAvoidshelf life stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-encapsulating the lecithin in a protective coating before incorporating it into the chewing gum. This encapsulation prevents the lecithin from interacting with the gum base during storage, thereby maintaining shelf life stability, while still allowing it to function as intended after chewing when the encapsulation is compromised and the lecithin can reduce adhesion to environmental surfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Object-affected harmful factors

If elastomers containing silica or fluorine are used to reformulate gum base to be inherently less adhesive, then adhesion is markedly reduced, but the solution fails due to cost, regulatory problems or undesirable flavor

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadhesion to environmental surfacesVSAvoidmanufacturing cost and regulatory compliance
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses lecithin as an intermediary substance that mediates between the gum base and environmental surfaces. Instead of modifying the gum base itself with expensive elastomers containing silica or fluorine, the lecithin acts as a intermediate layer that reduces adhesion to substrates like concrete, brick, or stone, thereby avoiding the cost and regulatory issues associated with alternative elastomers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If high levels of lecithin are added to reduce adhesion, then the gum cud disintegrates and is less adhesive, but the chewing gum product itself dissolves during storage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadhesion to environmental surfacesVSAvoidstructural integrity during storage
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-encapsulating the lecithin in a protective coating before incorporating it into the chewing gum. This encapsulation prevents the lecithin from interacting with the gum base during storage, thereby maintaining shelf life stability, while still allowing it to function as intended after chewing when the encapsulation is compromised and the lecithin can reduce adhesion to environmental surfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses an encapsulation coating as a flexible shell to contain the lecithin. This thin film barrier prevents direct contact between the lecithin and the gum base during storage, maintaining structural integrity, while allowing the lecithin to be released and function after chewing when the encapsulation is compromised.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The chewing gum composition effectively reduces adhesion to environmental surfaces, allowing for easy removal and maintaining a reasonable shelf life without affecting the gum's flavor or texture during storage and consumption.

Implementation Method 1

The delayed-release modification agent reacts or interacts with the primary chewing gum composition after a chewed cud of the gum composition is formed causing the primary chewing gum composition to exhibit increased environmental acceptability after the chewed cud is discarded

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDelayed-release reaction:

Implementation Method 2

using encapsulated lecithin or enzymes to break down the gum cud

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectEncapsulation:

Implementation Method 3

Chewing gum has an undesirable quality of sticking to substrates such as sidewalks or pavements after its use

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdhesion reduction: Adhesive

Data Source

PatentUS8617623B2Chewing gum with delayed-interaction modifier
Publication Date: 2013.12.31 WM WRIGLEY JR CO

AI summary

A chewing gum comprises a primary chewing gum composition comprising gum base, a sweetener and a flavoring agent and a food acceptable delayed-release modification agent. The delayed-release modification agent reacts with the primary chewing gum composition after a chewed cud of the gum composition is formed, causing the primary gum to exhibit increased environmental acceptability after the chewed cud is discarded.