Indian Patents. 217473:" PROCESS FOR PRODUCING COMPRESSIBLE POWDERED GUM BASE COMPOSITION, AND CHEWING GUM FROM SUCH COMPOSITION"

Title of Invention	" PROCESS FOR PRODUCING COMPRESSIBLE POWDERED GUM BASE COMPOSITION, AND CHEWING GUM FROM SUCH COMPOSITION"
Abstract	There is disclosed a gum base composition for the preparation of a chewing gum. The gum base composition com- prises a gum material, a silicate derivative and a polyol and is in the form of a fine and homogeneous powder which is therefore directly compressible. A process for the preparation of such a powder is also disclosed.

Full Text	The present invention relates to the chewing gum industry. More particularly, it concerns an improved gum base composition in the form of a directly compressible powder, advantageously used as a starting product for the preparation of a chewing gum. 10 Background Art Processes for the preparation of chewing gums are widely described in the literature. Gum base compositions constitute the essential starting ingredient for the preparation of chewing gums. What is meant by "gum base composition" also referred to 15 as "gum base raw material" in the prior art is usually a hard, elastic material, prepared from a mixture of various ingredients such as, in particular, natural or synthetic rubbers, waxes, emulsifiers and plasticizers. Processes for the preparation of such gum base compositions have been widely described in the literature, in particular in patents or patent applications. In a general manner, the ingredients used for the preparation of such 20 gum base compositions are mixed at high temperatures with solvents, plasticizers and/or lubricants and are further extruded or laminated. The product thus obtained, is a hard material, physically elastic, but which cannot be handled as such. Consequently, in a typical process for the preparation of a chewing gum, a gum base material such as here-above described is firstly melted at temperatures ranging from 25 about 60°C to about 120°C for a period of time sufficient to render the base molten and viscous. Then, additional ingredients useful for the preparation of a chewing gum namely, a plasticizer, a softener, sweeteners, and/or fillers, humectants, colouring agents and flavoring agents, are added in order to plasticize the blend as well as to modulate the hardness, viscoelasticity and the formability of the base. Mixing is continued until a 30 uniform mixture is obtained. Thereafter, the mixture is cooled, pressed and cut and may be formed into desirable chewing gum shapes. This type of process involves a treatment at high temperatures which has the drawback of being the cause of degradation of heat sensitive ingredients present in the WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027 2 composition including active agents and flavours. Moreover, these methods require for their carrying out a particular and expensive equipment. Alternative processes for the preparation of chewing gums and more particularly for the treatment or handling of a gum base raw material have been suggested in the prior 5 art, in particular in US 5,866,179 or yet in US 5,711,961. These patents disclose processes for the preparation of chewing gums comprising as a first step the cooling of a gum base raw material, followed by its grinding, prior to incorporating other ingredients. For instance, US 5,711,961 describes a method for preparing a tablet comprising the steps of freezing a gum base raw material to a temperature of between -20 and -25°C, and then 10 grinding said frozen gum in order to make it suitable to be admixed with other chewing gum ingredients. In such processes, the cooling step, essential to transform the raw material in a suitable form to be further processed, is a costly and time consuming treatment. Moreover, in all the processes disclosed in the prior art, the gum base raw 15 material, even after a heating or a cooling treatment, is still in a form which is not suitable for the preparation of a chewing gum. In other words, the gum base raw material thus treated is not yet in a compressible form. Consequently, adjuvants have to be added during the chewing gum preparation to make the formulation compressible. Therefore, in view of the disadvantages presented by the processes available until 20 now, improvements, in particular a way to avoid the heating or cooling treatments of a gum base raw material and/or a way to provide a material which would be directly compressible, would be of high importance for the industry. More recently, WO 02/069729 has described a process for making a "particulate blend gum base". The process consists in providing a dry blend of gum base ingredients 25 including elastomers, plasticizers, resins, fats and oils, waxes, softeners and inorganic fillers, by grinding, extruding and grinding and/or spray congealing these ingredients, and then blending them to form the particulate gum base. The choice of the method carried out to prepare a powder form of the gum base ingredients, depends on the softening points of the treated ingredients. For instance mixtruding is carried out typically with an 30 elastomer plasticizer and a hard elastomer. These methods thus consist in treating the ingredients constituting a gum base raw material to provide a powdered gum base material ready to be used and tableted. However, the way to proceed disclosed in this document requires a lot of equipments. In fact, a variety of methods has to be possibly carried out, the choice of a particular one depending on the nature of the gum base WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027 3 ingredients. It could thus be useful to have a simpler method of providing a powder form of gum base ingredients suitable for any kind of ingredients. Now, we have been able to provide a very simple method, suitable whatever the nature (in particular softening point) of the gum base ingredients, and which allows to 5 prepare a gum base composition which is advantageously directly compressible. The process is both fast and inexpensive and avoids any particular external heating or cooling steps. Disclosure of the Invention 10 Therefore, a first object of the present invention is a process for transforming an uncompressible gum base raw material into a compressible powdered gum base composition comprising, in weight percent, up to 85% of a synthetic and/or natural uncompressible gum base raw material, from 1 to 16% of a silicate derivative and from 4 15 to 30% of a polyol. The process of the invention comprises the steps of mixing the synthetic and/or natural uncompressible gum base raw material with the powdered silicate derivative and the polyol at a temperature comprised between 15 and 30°C; letting the warm agglomerate cool down to room temperature to obtain a hard agglomerated mixture; and finally grinding the hard agglomerated mixture to obtain a 20 compressible powder. In a particular embodiment, the powder obtained is further subjected to a sieving. The term "gum base composition" as used in the present invention, is not to be understood as designating, as it is the case most of the time in the prior art, the gum base raw material, described above as a hard, and not easy to handle material. Conversely it is 25 used to designate the final product obtained at the end of the process, namely a ready-to- be-compressed powdered composition. The starting material used in the process of the invention, herein referred to as "gum base raw material" or as "synthetic and/or natural gum material", is a hard, uncompressible material usually commercially available. The process herein described 30 consists in transforming the latter raw material into the compressible gum base composition of the invention. Therefore, contrary to what is disclosed in WO 02/069729, the process of the present invention uses as starting product said commercially available gum base raw material, which consists of a mixture of elastomers, fillers, plasticizers etc. but which is in a form which is not suitable to handle. Thus, the process does not consist WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027 4 in treating the ingredients constituting the gum base raw material, but in transforming directly an uncompressible gum base raw material into a compressible gum base composition, ready to be tableted in a chewing gum. The gum base composition prepared by the process according to the present 5 invention presents first of all the advantage of being directly compressible. It is of common knowledge in this field that in the normal course of developing formulations for chewing gums, and the routine production of tablets, processing problems occur. Capping, lamination, picking and sticking, poor compressibility and flowability are the most common processing problems. In order to improve compression of the formulations, 10 ingredients used to facilitate compression are usually added at different stages of the preparation of a chewing gum, together with other formulation ingredients. Conversely, the product provided by the present invention is directly compressible, i.e. that it is provided in the form of a fine powder, which can thus be dry blended with other ingredients required in the final product formulation, also in a powder 15 form, such as flavours, sweeteners or pharmaceutically active ingredients. The blend there-obtained can be simply and easily compressed to provide chewing gum tablets, without requiring any costly or complicated process and equipment. Therefore, the directly compressible powder of the invention allows the preparation of chewing tablets while avoiding any step such as heating that could be responsible for the degradation of 20 the ingredients present in the formulation. More objects, aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description hereafter, The synthetic and/or natural gum material or gum base raw material employed as starting product for the process of the invention, is a usually commercially available 25 uncompressible raw material, typically containing polymers, polymer solvents, fats and oils, waxes, softeners and inorganic fillers. Examples of polymers used in this kind of product include for instance, butyl elastomers, polyisobutylene, isobutylene-isoprene copolymer and styrene butadiene rubber elastomer. Polymer solvents include terpene resins, ester gums or yet resin esters. Waxes such as paraffin, microcrystalline and natural 30 waxes such as beeswax, candelilla, camauba and polyethylene wax may be used. The fats and oils suitable within the framework of the preparation of such raw materials include for instance tallow, soybean or cottonseed oils, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Usable softeners include glycerol monostearate, lecithin, or mono-, di- and triglycerol esters of fatty acids. Finally, the inorganic fillers present in a gum base raw WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027 5 material include for instance talc, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate and other well-known in the art. Many synthetic and/or natural gum materials which may be used within the framework of the invention are commercially available products on sale under, in 5 particular, the tradenames Sierra®, Nevada®, Apolo®-T, Balear®-T, Fantasy® T, Marfil® and Mallorca®, (origin: Cafosa, Spain). Many types of gum base raw materials suit the purpose of the invention. The choice of a particular material will vary greatly, depending upon various factors such as the type of base desired (chewing gum or bubble gum), the consistency of gum desired 10 and the other components used in the composition to make the final chewing gum product. The gum base raw material is present within the gum base composition of the invention in an amount rising up to 85%, and is preferably present in an amount ranging between 40 and 70% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. The 15 presence of a high load of gum base raw material in the composition is an unexpected and advantageous characteristic of the invention. In fact, most of the gum base compositions known up to date contain much less gum base raw material. Now, given that during consumption, namely when the product is chewed, most of the components present in the chewing gum formulation quickly dissolve and are thus released from the product and 20 swallowed by the consumer, the gum base raw material is, in the end, the only ingredient which remains in the mouth of the consumer. Ideally, this chewable part should thus constitute a relatively important amount of matter, so that the product keeps elasticity, mastication texture and cohesiveness during consumption. This requirement has besides to be balanced with the need to provide a product of reasonable size. In fact, the less gum 25 base raw material is present in the gum base composition, the more quantity of gum base composition is needed for the preparation of a chewing gum and therefore the bigger will be the final product, in order to satisfy the consumer demand in terms of amount of matter to chew after all the other compounds have dissolved. Therefore, it can be easily understood that a gum base composition containing a high load of gum base raw material 30 allows to produce a final end product of reasonable size, satisfying at the same time the requirement here-above described. In other words, a gum base composition comprising a high percentage of gum base raw material (here-above designated as natural and/or synthetic gum material) allows to prepare a chewing gum of reasonable size, while WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027 6 providing to the consumer sufficient matter to chew, even after the other ingredients of the formulation have dissolved. Apart from the gum base raw material, the powdered gum base composition according to the invention further comprises from 1 to 16% by weight relative to the total 5 weight of the composition of a silicate derivative, and from 4 to 30% of a polyol. In a particular embodiment, the silicate derivative is present in the composition in an amount comprised between 2 and 14% by weight relative to the total weight of the composition. Non limiting examples of silicate derivatives suitable for the purpose of the invention include silicon dioxide, magnesium silicate, aluminium silicate and sodium 10 silicate. In one particular embodiment, one will use silicon dioxide, commercialised under the name Syloid® by W.R. Grace and Company, Davison Chemical Division. In another embodiment, the powdered composition of the invention comprises from 6 to 25% by weight relative to the total weight of the composition of a polyol. Suitable polyols include but are not limited to sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol and 15 " mixtures thereof. In a particular way of carrying out the invention, one will use sorbitol. Apart from the three essential ingredients mentioned above, the gum base composition of the invention may comprise additional, optional ingredients such as, for instance, colorants, pigments or yet sweeteners. 20 The main object of the invention is provided by a novel process for the transformation of an uncompressible gum base raw material into a compressible powdered gum base composition as defined above. The process of the invention comprises the steps of mixing an uncompressible synthetic and/or natural gum material with a powdered silicate derivative and a solid polyol at ambient temperature, to provide 25 a warm agglomerated paste; letting the warm agglomerate cool down to room temperature to obtain a hard agglomerated mixture; and grinding the hard agglomerated mixture to provide a compressible powder. The powdered silicate derivative is characterised by an average particle size, typically below 50 μm. 30 The process according to the present invention is very simple and cheap, and allows to provide a product in the form of a fine powder which presents the advantage of being directly compressible. Contrary to the processes disclosed in the prior art, the process of the present invention does not make use of external energy through a heating or a cooling treatment of the synthetic and/or natural, hard starting gum material. On the WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027 7 other hand, it does not require the equipment needed when the elastomers, fillers and plasticizers are initially put into a paniculate form as described in WO 02/069729. The starting material is in the present case a synthetic or natural uncompressible gum material of composition chosen as a function of the desired application, which is simply S introduced in a mixer such as, for instance, a twin blade mixer, together with a silicate derivative and a polyol, both in a powder form. The mixing is carried out at ambient temperature, i.e. a temperature typically comprised between 15 and 30°C. While no heating or cooling is provided, the shear force consequent to the mixing warms the mixture up to a temperature typically varying around 50°C. The resulting product of this 10 first step of the process is in the form of a warm agglomerated paste which has lost the elastic physical property typical of the gum base raw material, and which is now in a plastic physical state. The obtained warm agglomerated paste is, in the second step of the process, simply left at ambient air, in order to cool it down to room temperature. Alternatively, the agglomerated paste may be cooled down by any other means, such as 15 by means of a freezer. Once cooled down, the hard agglomerates have simply to be grinded in order to provide a fine powder. The grinding step can be carried out using any kind of apparatus well known in the art. Following the grinding step, the powder is subjected to a homogenisation step by means, for instance, of a mill. The obtained product presents the advantage of being homogeneous and in the form of a compressible 20 powder with a particle size usually comprised between 50 and 500 μm. The homogeneous powdered gum base composition obtained from the process above-described may be advantageously used for the preparation of a chewing gum. A chewing gum comprising approximately from 15 to 80% by weight of gum base composition according to the invention, and from about 20 to about 85% by weight 25 of a composition of additives for chewing gum is another object of the invention. What is meant here by a "composition of additives for chewing gum" is typically a composition comprising sweeteners and flavouring ingredients used to improve, enhance or modify the organoleptic properties of the final product, as well as other optional ingredients such as fillers, colouring agents, etc. Sweetening agents may be selected from a wide range of 30 materials including water-soluble agents, water-soluble artificial sweeteners and dipeptide-based sweeteners, also including mixtures thereof. As regards the flavouring ingredients, both synthetic and natural flavouring agents derived from plants, leaves, flowers, fruits etc. and combinations thereof are useful. Specific examples of such flavouring components may be found in the current literature, e.g. in Perfume and WO 2004/040995 PCT7IB2003/005027 8 Flavour Chemicals by S.Arctander, Montclair N.J. (USA); Fenaroli's Handbook of Flavour Ingredients, CRC Press or synthetic Food Adjuncts by M.B.Jacobs, van Nostrand Co. Inc.. Such ingredients are well known to the person skilled in the art of flavouring and/or aromatising consumer products, i.e. of imparting an odour or taste to a 5 consumer product. In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the flavouring ingredients used in the preparation of a chewing gum according to the invention are in a solid or microencapsulated form. In fact, as the starting gum base composition is in a powder form, it may be easily blended with another powder and then compressed to 10 provide chewing gum tablets. Therefore, flavouring ingredients or compositions employed to impart a taste to chewing gums can be used within the framework of the invention, in the form of spray-dried solids, or in other powder forms, i.e. in encapsulated forms. Flavouring ingredients in an encapsulated form are advantageously protected from degradation processes such as oxidation. Moreover, a flavouring ingredient in an 15 encapsulated form presents the advantage of providing a controlled release of the active ingredient there-encapsulated, which is a key issue in a product such as a chewing gum. A process for the preparation of a chewing gum, starting from the gum base composition here-above described, is also an object of the present invention. Such a process comprises, in particular, the steps of dry blending a powdered gum base 20 composition according to the invention, together with other powdered ingredients such as flavouring ingredients or compositions, or sweeteners, and compressing the obtained mixture. The compression step may be carried out by means of any compression equipment, typically used in the industry, a more detailed description not being required here, the skilled person being capable of choosing the right equipment and adapting it as 25 a function of his needs. The chewing gum obtained by such a process advantageously possesses a homogeneous composition, which proved to be advantageous as regards the release of active ingredients such as flavours. As mentioned above, the powdered gum base composition of the invention particularly suits the preparation of chewing gum wherein the flavour is in the form of a 30 powder (prepared by spray-drying, extrusion or other encapsulation method), as the latter may be simply dry blended with the starting gum composition before being compressed. The fact to prepare chewing gums starting from dry blended powders presents the advantage of avoiding any contamination of the equipment used in the mixing process, which contamination occurs when liquid flavour are used. Besides, the powdered WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027 9 ingredients used in the process for the preparation of chewing gums according to the invention such as flavour ingredients or compositions or yet sweeteners, will advantageously not be subjected to any processing such as heating, which could be responsible for the degradation or for a precocious release of the encapsulated ingredient. 5 The invention will now be described in a more detailed manner in the following examples wherein the temperatures are given in degrees Celsius and the abbreviations have the usual meaning in the art. Modes of Carrying Out the Invention 10 Example 1 Preparation of a powdered gum base composition at 40% gum base raw material load 15 The gum base composition was prepared from the following formulation: Ingredients Grams Parts bv weight Balear®-T gum 1) 102 40 Sorbitol 64 25 20 Syloid®2442) 5 2 Icing sugar 84 33 Total 255 100 1) origin: Cafosa, Spain 25 2) origin: W.R. Grace Company; Davison Chemical Division. The sorbitol, Syloid® 244 and icing sugar were premixed in a Turbula blender. The Balear®-T gum was put in a Winkworth sigma-blade mixer set at 30°C. The gum was sheared until a temperature of 50-55° was reached. The premixed powder was added and 30 mixed with the gum base raw material until a homogeneous system was obtained in the form of a stringy paste, after approximately 5 min. The agglomerated mix was removed from the sigma-blade mixer and let to cool down to room temperature. Once the equilibrium was reached, the coarse particles were milled in a hammer mill and the resulting powder was sieved through a 1 mm sieve. WO 2004/040995 PC17IB2003/005027 10 Example 2 Preparation of a powdered gum base composition at 80% pm hasp raw material load 5 The gum base composition was prepared from the following formulation : Ingredients Grams Parts bv weight Mallorca® gum1) 102 80.4 Sorbitol 15 5.9 Syloid®2442) _35 13.7 Total 152 100.0 1) origin: Cafosa, Spain 2) see Example 1 15 The powdered gum base composition was prepared similarly to what is described in Example 1. Example 3. 20 Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation: 25 Ingredients Parts by weight Gum base composition1) 96.4 Magnesium stearate 2.0 Lemon Durarome® 501282 TDI1091 2) 0.6 Lemon spray-dried 501051 TP 0551 2) 0.6 30 Citric acid __04 Total 100.0 1) composition and preparation, see Example 1 2) encapsulated flavours ; origin : Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027 11 The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients. The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine) under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were 5 obtained. Example 4 Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention 10 A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation : Ingredients Parts by weight Gum base compositionl) 96.8 15 Magnesium stearate 2.0 Mixture Aspartame®/Acesulfam®K (2/1) 0.4 Caramel Durarome® 501403 TD 1090 2) 0.2 Strawberry spray-dried 501094 AP 0551 2) 0.6 Total 100.0 20 1) composition, see Example 2; preparation, see Example 1 2) encapsulated flavours ; origin : Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients. 25 The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine) under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were obtained. Example 5 30 Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation: WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027 12 Ingredients Parts by weight Gum base composition1) 95.85 Magnesium stearate 2.00 Mixture Aspartame®/Acesulfam® K (2/1) 0.40 5 Strawberry Flexarome® 880138 FBS5004 2) 1.00 Citric acid 0.75 Total 100.00 1) composition, see Example 2 ; preparation, see Example 1 10 2) encapsulated flavours; origin: Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients. The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine) under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were 15 obtained. Example 6 Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention 20 A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation: Ingredients Parts by weight Gum base composition1) 95.60 25 Magnesium stearate 2.00 Mixture Aspartame®/Acesulfam® K (2/1) 0.40 Strawberry Flexarome® 880138 FBS50042) 1.00 CoolBoost® Flexarome® 880173 FBS05042) 0.25 Citric acid 0.75 30 Total 100.00 1) composition, see Example 2; preparation, see Example 1 2) encapsulated flavours ; origin: Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027 13 The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients. The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine) under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were obtained. 5 Example 7 Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention 10 A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation: Ingredients Parts by weieht Gum base composition1) 97.00 Magnesium stearate 2.00 15 Mixture Aspartame®/Acesulfam® K (2/1) 0.40 Peppermint Flexarome® 880085 TFS11042) 1.00 Total 100.00 1) composition, see Example 2 ; preparation, see Example 1 20 2) encapsulated flavours; origin: Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients. The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine) under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were 25 obtained. Example 8 Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention 30 A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation: WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027 14 Ingredients Parts by weieht Gum base composition1) 95.60 Magnesium stearate 2.00 Mixture Aspartame®/Acesulfam® K (2/1) 0.40 5 Peppermint Flexarome® 880085 TFS11042) 1.00 FreshBoost® Flexarome® 880101 FBS07042) 1.00 Total 100.00 1) composition, see Example 2 ; preparation, see Example 1 10 2) encapsulated flavours; origin: Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients. The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine) under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were 15 obtained. Example 9 Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention 20 A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation: Ingredients Parts by weieht Gum base composition]) 95.60 25 Magnesium stearate 2.00 Mixture Aspartame®/Acesulfam® K (2/1) 0.40 Peppermint Flexarome® 880085 TFS11042) 1.00 CoolBoost® Flexarome® 880173 FBS05042) 1.00 Total 100.00 30 1) composition, see Example 2; preparation, see Example 1 2) encapsulated flavours; origin: Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland WO 2004/040995 PCT/EB2003/005027 15 The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients. The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine) under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were obtained. 5 Example 10 Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention 10 A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation: Ingredients Parts by weight Gum base compositionl) 95.60 Magnesium stearate 2.00 15 Mixture Aspartame®/Acesulfam® K (2/1) 0.40 Peppermint Flexarome® 880085 TFS11042) 1.00 CoolBoost® Flexarome® 880170 FBS06042) 1.00 Total 100.00 20 1) composition, see Example 2 ; preparation, see Example 1 2) encapsulated flavours; origin: Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients. The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine) 25 under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were obtained. 30 WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027 16 Claims 1. A process for transforming an uncompressible gum base raw material into 5 a compressible powdered gum base composition comprising the steps of a) mixing from 1 to 85% by weight of a synthetic and/or natural uncompressible gum material with from 1 to 16% by weight of a powdered silicate derivative and from 4 to 30% by weight of a solid polyol, all percentages being given by weight relative to the total weight of the mixture, at a temperature comprised between 15 and 30°C to 10 provide a warm agglomerated paste ; b) letting the warm agglomerate cool down to room temperature to obtain a hard agglomerated mixture; and c) grinding the hard agglomerated mixture to obtain a compressible powder. 15 2. A process according to claim 1, characterised in that the powder obtained in step c) is further subjected to a sieving. 3. A process according to claim 1, characterised in that step a) is carried out in a twin blade mixer. 20 4. A compressible powdered gum base composition obtainable by a process according to claim 1. 5. A gum base composition according to claim 4, comprising in weight 25 percent, from 40 to 70 % of synthetic and/or natural gum material. 6. A gum base composition according to claim 4, comprising in weight percent, from 2 to 14% of silicate derivative and from 6 to 25% of polyol. 30 7. A gum base composition according to claim 4, characterised in that the silicate derivative is selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, magnesium silicate, aluminium silicate and sodium silicate. WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027 17 8. A gum base composition according to claim 7, characterised in that the silicate derivative consists of silicon dioxide. 9. A gum base composition according to claim 4, characterised in that the 5 polyol is selected from the group consisting of sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol and mixtures thereof. 10. A gum base composition according to claim 9, characterised in that the polyol consists of sorbitol. 10 11. Use of a gum base composition according to claim 4, for the preparation of a chewing gum. 12. A chewing gum comprising from 15 to 80% by weight of a gum base 15 composition according to claim 4. 13 . A process for the preparation of a chewing gum product comprising the steps of a) dry blending a powdered gum composition as defined in claim 4 with a powdered 20 composition comprising flavouring and sweeteners ; and b) compressing the dry blend obtained under a). There is disclosed a gum base composition for the preparation of a chewing gum. The gum base composition com- prises a gum material, a silicate derivative and a polyol and is in the form of a fine and homogeneous powder which is therefore directly compressible. A process for the preparation of such a powder is also disclosed.

Full Text

The present invention relates to the chewing gum industry. More particularly, it
concerns an improved gum base composition in the form of a directly compressible
powder, advantageously used as a starting product for the preparation of a chewing gum.
10 Background Art
Processes for the preparation of chewing gums are widely described in the
literature. Gum base compositions constitute the essential starting ingredient for the
preparation of chewing gums. What is meant by "gum base composition" also referred to
15 as "gum base raw material" in the prior art is usually a hard, elastic material, prepared
from a mixture of various ingredients such as, in particular, natural or synthetic rubbers,
waxes, emulsifiers and plasticizers. Processes for the preparation of such gum base
compositions have been widely described in the literature, in particular in patents or
patent applications. In a general manner, the ingredients used for the preparation of such
20 gum base compositions are mixed at high temperatures with solvents, plasticizers and/or
lubricants and are further extruded or laminated. The product thus obtained, is a hard
material, physically elastic, but which cannot be handled as such.
Consequently, in a typical process for the preparation of a chewing gum, a gum
base material such as here-above described is firstly melted at temperatures ranging from
25 about 60°C to about 120°C for a period of time sufficient to render the base molten and
viscous. Then, additional ingredients useful for the preparation of a chewing gum namely,
a plasticizer, a softener, sweeteners, and/or fillers, humectants, colouring agents and
flavoring agents, are added in order to plasticize the blend as well as to modulate the
hardness, viscoelasticity and the formability of the base. Mixing is continued until a
30 uniform mixture is obtained. Thereafter, the mixture is cooled, pressed and cut and may
be formed into desirable chewing gum shapes.
This type of process involves a treatment at high temperatures which has the
drawback of being the cause of degradation of heat sensitive ingredients present in the

WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027
2
composition including active agents and flavours. Moreover, these methods require for
their carrying out a particular and expensive equipment.
Alternative processes for the preparation of chewing gums and more particularly
for the treatment or handling of a gum base raw material have been suggested in the prior
5 art, in particular in US 5,866,179 or yet in US 5,711,961. These patents disclose
processes for the preparation of chewing gums comprising as a first step the cooling of a
gum base raw material, followed by its grinding, prior to incorporating other ingredients.
For instance, US 5,711,961 describes a method for preparing a tablet comprising the steps
of freezing a gum base raw material to a temperature of between -20 and -25°C, and then
10 grinding said frozen gum in order to make it suitable to be admixed with other chewing
gum ingredients. In such processes, the cooling step, essential to transform the raw
material in a suitable form to be further processed, is a costly and time consuming
treatment.
Moreover, in all the processes disclosed in the prior art, the gum base raw
15 material, even after a heating or a cooling treatment, is still in a form which is not suitable
for the preparation of a chewing gum. In other words, the gum base raw material thus
treated is not yet in a compressible form. Consequently, adjuvants have to be added
during the chewing gum preparation to make the formulation compressible.
Therefore, in view of the disadvantages presented by the processes available until
20 now, improvements, in particular a way to avoid the heating or cooling treatments of a
gum base raw material and/or a way to provide a material which would be directly
compressible, would be of high importance for the industry.
More recently, WO 02/069729 has described a process for making a "particulate
blend gum base". The process consists in providing a dry blend of gum base ingredients
25 including elastomers, plasticizers, resins, fats and oils, waxes, softeners and inorganic
fillers, by grinding, extruding and grinding and/or spray congealing these ingredients, and
then blending them to form the particulate gum base. The choice of the method carried
out to prepare a powder form of the gum base ingredients, depends on the softening
points of the treated ingredients. For instance mixtruding is carried out typically with an
30 elastomer plasticizer and a hard elastomer. These methods thus consist in treating the
ingredients constituting a gum base raw material to provide a powdered gum base
material ready to be used and tableted. However, the way to proceed disclosed in this
document requires a lot of equipments. In fact, a variety of methods has to be possibly
carried out, the choice of a particular one depending on the nature of the gum base

WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027
3
ingredients. It could thus be useful to have a simpler method of providing a powder form
of gum base ingredients suitable for any kind of ingredients.
Now, we have been able to provide a very simple method, suitable whatever the
nature (in particular softening point) of the gum base ingredients, and which allows to
5 prepare a gum base composition which is advantageously directly compressible. The
process is both fast and inexpensive and avoids any particular external heating or cooling
steps.
Disclosure of the Invention
10
Therefore, a first object of the present invention is a process for transforming an
uncompressible gum base raw material into a compressible powdered gum base
composition comprising, in weight percent, up to 85% of a synthetic and/or natural
uncompressible gum base raw material, from 1 to 16% of a silicate derivative and from 4
15 to 30% of a polyol. The process of the invention comprises the steps of mixing the
synthetic and/or natural uncompressible gum base raw material with the powdered
silicate derivative and the polyol at a temperature comprised between 15 and 30°C;
letting the warm agglomerate cool down to room temperature to obtain a hard
agglomerated mixture; and finally grinding the hard agglomerated mixture to obtain a
20 compressible powder. In a particular embodiment, the powder obtained is further
subjected to a sieving.
The term "gum base composition" as used in the present invention, is not to be
understood as designating, as it is the case most of the time in the prior art, the gum base
raw material, described above as a hard, and not easy to handle material. Conversely it is
25 used to designate the final product obtained at the end of the process, namely a ready-to-
be-compressed powdered composition.
The starting material used in the process of the invention, herein referred to as
"gum base raw material" or as "synthetic and/or natural gum material", is a hard,
uncompressible material usually commercially available. The process herein described
30 consists in transforming the latter raw material into the compressible gum base
composition of the invention. Therefore, contrary to what is disclosed in WO 02/069729,
the process of the present invention uses as starting product said commercially available
gum base raw material, which consists of a mixture of elastomers, fillers, plasticizers etc.
but which is in a form which is not suitable to handle. Thus, the process does not consist

WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027
4
in treating the ingredients constituting the gum base raw material, but in transforming
directly an uncompressible gum base raw material into a compressible gum base
composition, ready to be tableted in a chewing gum.
The gum base composition prepared by the process according to the present
5 invention presents first of all the advantage of being directly compressible. It is of
common knowledge in this field that in the normal course of developing formulations for
chewing gums, and the routine production of tablets, processing problems occur.
Capping, lamination, picking and sticking, poor compressibility and flowability are the
most common processing problems. In order to improve compression of the formulations,
10 ingredients used to facilitate compression are usually added at different stages of the
preparation of a chewing gum, together with other formulation ingredients.
Conversely, the product provided by the present invention is directly
compressible, i.e. that it is provided in the form of a fine powder, which can thus be dry
blended with other ingredients required in the final product formulation, also in a powder
15 form, such as flavours, sweeteners or pharmaceutically active ingredients. The blend
there-obtained can be simply and easily compressed to provide chewing gum tablets,
without requiring any costly or complicated process and equipment. Therefore, the
directly compressible powder of the invention allows the preparation of chewing tablets
while avoiding any step such as heating that could be responsible for the degradation of
20 the ingredients present in the formulation.
More objects, aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from
the detailed description hereafter,
The synthetic and/or natural gum material or gum base raw material employed as
starting product for the process of the invention, is a usually commercially available
25 uncompressible raw material, typically containing polymers, polymer solvents, fats and
oils, waxes, softeners and inorganic fillers. Examples of polymers used in this kind of
product include for instance, butyl elastomers, polyisobutylene, isobutylene-isoprene
copolymer and styrene butadiene rubber elastomer. Polymer solvents include terpene
resins, ester gums or yet resin esters. Waxes such as paraffin, microcrystalline and natural
30 waxes such as beeswax, candelilla, camauba and polyethylene wax may be used. The fats
and oils suitable within the framework of the preparation of such raw materials include
for instance tallow, soybean or cottonseed oils, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated
vegetable oils. Usable softeners include glycerol monostearate, lecithin, or mono-, di- and
triglycerol esters of fatty acids. Finally, the inorganic fillers present in a gum base raw

WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027
5
material include for instance talc, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, magnesium
carbonate and other well-known in the art.
Many synthetic and/or natural gum materials which may be used within the
framework of the invention are commercially available products on sale under, in
5 particular, the tradenames Sierra®, Nevada®, Apolo®-T, Balear®-T, Fantasy® T, Marfil®
and Mallorca®, (origin: Cafosa, Spain).
Many types of gum base raw materials suit the purpose of the invention. The
choice of a particular material will vary greatly, depending upon various factors such as
the type of base desired (chewing gum or bubble gum), the consistency of gum desired
10 and the other components used in the composition to make the final chewing gum
product.
The gum base raw material is present within the gum base composition of the
invention in an amount rising up to 85%, and is preferably present in an amount ranging
between 40 and 70% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. The
15 presence of a high load of gum base raw material in the composition is an unexpected and
advantageous characteristic of the invention. In fact, most of the gum base compositions
known up to date contain much less gum base raw material. Now, given that during
consumption, namely when the product is chewed, most of the components present in the
chewing gum formulation quickly dissolve and are thus released from the product and
20 swallowed by the consumer, the gum base raw material is, in the end, the only ingredient
which remains in the mouth of the consumer. Ideally, this chewable part should thus
constitute a relatively important amount of matter, so that the product keeps elasticity,
mastication texture and cohesiveness during consumption. This requirement has besides
to be balanced with the need to provide a product of reasonable size. In fact, the less gum
25 base raw material is present in the gum base composition, the more quantity of gum base
composition is needed for the preparation of a chewing gum and therefore the bigger will
be the final product, in order to satisfy the consumer demand in terms of amount of
matter to chew after all the other compounds have dissolved. Therefore, it can be easily
understood that a gum base composition containing a high load of gum base raw material
30 allows to produce a final end product of reasonable size, satisfying at the same time the
requirement here-above described. In other words, a gum base composition comprising a
high percentage of gum base raw material (here-above designated as natural and/or
synthetic gum material) allows to prepare a chewing gum of reasonable size, while

WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027
6
providing to the consumer sufficient matter to chew, even after the other ingredients of
the formulation have dissolved.
Apart from the gum base raw material, the powdered gum base composition
according to the invention further comprises from 1 to 16% by weight relative to the total
5 weight of the composition of a silicate derivative, and from 4 to 30% of a polyol.
In a particular embodiment, the silicate derivative is present in the composition in
an amount comprised between 2 and 14% by weight relative to the total weight of the
composition. Non limiting examples of silicate derivatives suitable for the purpose of the
invention include silicon dioxide, magnesium silicate, aluminium silicate and sodium
10 silicate. In one particular embodiment, one will use silicon dioxide, commercialised
under the name Syloid® by W.R. Grace and Company, Davison Chemical Division.
In another embodiment, the powdered composition of the invention comprises
from 6 to 25% by weight relative to the total weight of the composition of a polyol.
Suitable polyols include but are not limited to sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol and
15 " mixtures thereof.
In a particular way of carrying out the invention, one will use sorbitol.
Apart from the three essential ingredients mentioned above, the gum base
composition of the invention may comprise additional, optional ingredients such as, for
instance, colorants, pigments or yet sweeteners.
20 The main object of the invention is provided by a novel process for the
transformation of an uncompressible gum base raw material into a compressible
powdered gum base composition as defined above. The process of the invention
comprises the steps of mixing an uncompressible synthetic and/or natural gum material
with a powdered silicate derivative and a solid polyol at ambient temperature, to provide
25 a warm agglomerated paste; letting the warm agglomerate cool down to room
temperature to obtain a hard agglomerated mixture; and grinding the hard agglomerated
mixture to provide a compressible powder.
The powdered silicate derivative is characterised by an average particle size,
typically below 50 μm.
30 The process according to the present invention is very simple and cheap, and
allows to provide a product in the form of a fine powder which presents the advantage of
being directly compressible. Contrary to the processes disclosed in the prior art, the
process of the present invention does not make use of external energy through a heating
or a cooling treatment of the synthetic and/or natural, hard starting gum material. On the

WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027
7
other hand, it does not require the equipment needed when the elastomers, fillers and
plasticizers are initially put into a paniculate form as described in WO 02/069729. The
starting material is in the present case a synthetic or natural uncompressible gum material
of composition chosen as a function of the desired application, which is simply
S introduced in a mixer such as, for instance, a twin blade mixer, together with a silicate
derivative and a polyol, both in a powder form. The mixing is carried out at ambient
temperature, i.e. a temperature typically comprised between 15 and 30°C. While no
heating or cooling is provided, the shear force consequent to the mixing warms the
mixture up to a temperature typically varying around 50°C. The resulting product of this
10 first step of the process is in the form of a warm agglomerated paste which has lost the
elastic physical property typical of the gum base raw material, and which is now in a
plastic physical state. The obtained warm agglomerated paste is, in the second step of the
process, simply left at ambient air, in order to cool it down to room temperature.
Alternatively, the agglomerated paste may be cooled down by any other means, such as
15 by means of a freezer. Once cooled down, the hard agglomerates have simply to be
grinded in order to provide a fine powder. The grinding step can be carried out using any
kind of apparatus well known in the art. Following the grinding step, the powder is
subjected to a homogenisation step by means, for instance, of a mill. The obtained
product presents the advantage of being homogeneous and in the form of a compressible
20 powder with a particle size usually comprised between 50 and 500 μm.
The homogeneous powdered gum base composition obtained from the process
above-described may be advantageously used for the preparation of a chewing gum.
A chewing gum comprising approximately from 15 to 80% by weight of gum
base composition according to the invention, and from about 20 to about 85% by weight
25 of a composition of additives for chewing gum is another object of the invention. What is
meant here by a "composition of additives for chewing gum" is typically a composition
comprising sweeteners and flavouring ingredients used to improve, enhance or modify
the organoleptic properties of the final product, as well as other optional ingredients such
as fillers, colouring agents, etc. Sweetening agents may be selected from a wide range of
30 materials including water-soluble agents, water-soluble artificial sweeteners and
dipeptide-based sweeteners, also including mixtures thereof. As regards the flavouring
ingredients, both synthetic and natural flavouring agents derived from plants, leaves,
flowers, fruits etc. and combinations thereof are useful. Specific examples of such
flavouring components may be found in the current literature, e.g. in Perfume and

WO 2004/040995 PCT7IB2003/005027
8
Flavour Chemicals by S.Arctander, Montclair N.J. (USA); Fenaroli's Handbook of
Flavour Ingredients, CRC Press or synthetic Food Adjuncts by M.B.Jacobs, van
Nostrand Co. Inc.. Such ingredients are well known to the person skilled in the art of
flavouring and/or aromatising consumer products, i.e. of imparting an odour or taste to a
5 consumer product.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the flavouring
ingredients used in the preparation of a chewing gum according to the invention are in a
solid or microencapsulated form. In fact, as the starting gum base composition is in a
powder form, it may be easily blended with another powder and then compressed to
10 provide chewing gum tablets. Therefore, flavouring ingredients or compositions
employed to impart a taste to chewing gums can be used within the framework of the
invention, in the form of spray-dried solids, or in other powder forms, i.e. in encapsulated
forms. Flavouring ingredients in an encapsulated form are advantageously protected from
degradation processes such as oxidation. Moreover, a flavouring ingredient in an
15 encapsulated form presents the advantage of providing a controlled release of the active
ingredient there-encapsulated, which is a key issue in a product such as a chewing gum.
A process for the preparation of a chewing gum, starting from the gum base
composition here-above described, is also an object of the present invention. Such a
process comprises, in particular, the steps of dry blending a powdered gum base
20 composition according to the invention, together with other powdered ingredients such as
flavouring ingredients or compositions, or sweeteners, and compressing the obtained
mixture. The compression step may be carried out by means of any compression
equipment, typically used in the industry, a more detailed description not being required
here, the skilled person being capable of choosing the right equipment and adapting it as
25 a function of his needs. The chewing gum obtained by such a process advantageously
possesses a homogeneous composition, which proved to be advantageous as regards the
release of active ingredients such as flavours.
As mentioned above, the powdered gum base composition of the invention
particularly suits the preparation of chewing gum wherein the flavour is in the form of a
30 powder (prepared by spray-drying, extrusion or other encapsulation method), as the latter
may be simply dry blended with the starting gum composition before being compressed.
The fact to prepare chewing gums starting from dry blended powders presents the
advantage of avoiding any contamination of the equipment used in the mixing process,
which contamination occurs when liquid flavour are used. Besides, the powdered

WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027
9
ingredients used in the process for the preparation of chewing gums according to the
invention such as flavour ingredients or compositions or yet sweeteners, will
advantageously not be subjected to any processing such as heating, which could be
responsible for the degradation or for a precocious release of the encapsulated ingredient.
5 The invention will now be described in a more detailed manner in the following
examples wherein the temperatures are given in degrees Celsius and the abbreviations
have the usual meaning in the art.
Modes of Carrying Out the Invention
10
Example 1
Preparation of a powdered gum base composition at 40% gum base raw material load
15 The gum base composition was prepared from the following formulation:
Ingredients Grams Parts bv weight
Balear®-T gum 1) 102 40
Sorbitol 64 25
20 Syloid®2442) 5 2
Icing sugar 84 33
Total 255 100
1) origin: Cafosa, Spain
25 2) origin: W.R. Grace Company; Davison Chemical Division.
The sorbitol, Syloid® 244 and icing sugar were premixed in a Turbula blender. The
Balear®-T gum was put in a Winkworth sigma-blade mixer set at 30°C. The gum was
sheared until a temperature of 50-55° was reached. The premixed powder was added and
30 mixed with the gum base raw material until a homogeneous system was obtained in the
form of a stringy paste, after approximately 5 min. The agglomerated mix was removed
from the sigma-blade mixer and let to cool down to room temperature. Once the
equilibrium was reached, the coarse particles were milled in a hammer mill and the
resulting powder was sieved through a 1 mm sieve.

WO 2004/040995 PC17IB2003/005027
10
Example 2
Preparation of a powdered gum base composition at 80% pm hasp raw material load
5 The gum base composition was prepared from the following formulation :
Ingredients Grams Parts bv weight
Mallorca® gum1) 102 80.4
Sorbitol 15 5.9
Syloid®2442) _35 13.7
Total 152 100.0
1) origin: Cafosa, Spain
2) see Example 1
15
The powdered gum base composition was prepared similarly to what is described in
Example 1.
Example 3.
20
Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention
A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation:
25 Ingredients Parts by weight
Gum base composition1) 96.4
Magnesium stearate 2.0
Lemon Durarome® 501282 TDI1091 2) 0.6
Lemon spray-dried 501051 TP 0551 2) 0.6
30 Citric acid __04
Total 100.0
1) composition and preparation, see Example 1
2) encapsulated flavours ; origin : Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland

WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027
11
The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients.
The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine)
under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were
5 obtained.
Example 4
Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention
10
A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation :
Ingredients Parts by weight
Gum base compositionl) 96.8
15 Magnesium stearate 2.0
Mixture Aspartame®/Acesulfam®K (2/1) 0.4
Caramel Durarome® 501403 TD 1090 2) 0.2
Strawberry spray-dried 501094 AP 0551 2) 0.6
Total 100.0
20
1) composition, see Example 2; preparation, see Example 1
2) encapsulated flavours ; origin : Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland
The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients.
25 The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine)
under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were
obtained.
Example 5
30
Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention
A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation:

WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027
12
Ingredients Parts by weight
Gum base composition1) 95.85
Magnesium stearate 2.00
Mixture Aspartame®/Acesulfam® K (2/1) 0.40
5 Strawberry Flexarome® 880138 FBS5004 2) 1.00
Citric acid 0.75
Total 100.00
1) composition, see Example 2 ; preparation, see Example 1
10 2) encapsulated flavours; origin: Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland
The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients.
The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine)
under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were
15 obtained.
Example 6
Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention
20
A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation:
Ingredients Parts by weight
Gum base composition1) 95.60
25 Magnesium stearate 2.00
Mixture Aspartame®/Acesulfam® K (2/1) 0.40
Strawberry Flexarome® 880138 FBS50042) 1.00
CoolBoost® Flexarome® 880173 FBS05042) 0.25
Citric acid 0.75
30 Total 100.00
1) composition, see Example 2; preparation, see Example 1
2) encapsulated flavours ; origin: Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland

WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027
13
The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients.
The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine)
under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were
obtained.
5
Example 7
Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention
10 A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation:
Ingredients Parts by weieht
Gum base composition1) 97.00
Magnesium stearate 2.00
15 Mixture Aspartame®/Acesulfam® K (2/1) 0.40
Peppermint Flexarome® 880085 TFS11042) 1.00
Total 100.00
1) composition, see Example 2 ; preparation, see Example 1
20 2) encapsulated flavours; origin: Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland
The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients.
The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine)
under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were
25 obtained.
Example 8
Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention
30
A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation:

WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027
14
Ingredients Parts by weieht
Gum base composition1) 95.60
Magnesium stearate 2.00
Mixture Aspartame®/Acesulfam® K (2/1) 0.40
5 Peppermint Flexarome® 880085 TFS11042) 1.00
FreshBoost® Flexarome® 880101 FBS07042) 1.00
Total 100.00
1) composition, see Example 2 ; preparation, see Example 1
10 2) encapsulated flavours; origin: Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland
The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients.
The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine)
under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were
15 obtained.
Example 9
Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention
20
A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation:
Ingredients Parts by weieht
Gum base composition]) 95.60
25 Magnesium stearate 2.00
Mixture Aspartame®/Acesulfam® K (2/1) 0.40
Peppermint Flexarome® 880085 TFS11042) 1.00
CoolBoost® Flexarome® 880173 FBS05042) 1.00
Total 100.00
30
1) composition, see Example 2; preparation, see Example 1
2) encapsulated flavours; origin: Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland

WO 2004/040995 PCT/EB2003/005027
15
The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients.
The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine)
under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were
obtained.
5
Example 10
Chewing gum prepared with a powdered gum base composition of the invention
10 A chewing gum was prepared from the following formulation:
Ingredients Parts by weight
Gum base compositionl) 95.60
Magnesium stearate 2.00
15 Mixture Aspartame®/Acesulfam® K (2/1) 0.40
Peppermint Flexarome® 880085 TFS11042) 1.00
CoolBoost® Flexarome® 880170 FBS06042) 1.00
Total 100.00
20 1) composition, see Example 2 ; preparation, see Example 1
2) encapsulated flavours; origin: Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland
The powder gum base composition was dry blended with the other powder ingredients.
The blend thus obtained was compressed by means of a manual press (Specac® machine)
25 under a compression force of between 1 and 4 tons. Tablets of 20 mm diameter were
obtained.
30

WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027
16
Claims
1. A process for transforming an uncompressible gum base raw material into
5 a compressible powdered gum base composition comprising the steps of
a) mixing from 1 to 85% by weight of a synthetic and/or natural uncompressible gum
material with from 1 to 16% by weight of a powdered silicate derivative and from 4
to 30% by weight of a solid polyol, all percentages being given by weight relative to
the total weight of the mixture, at a temperature comprised between 15 and 30°C to
10 provide a warm agglomerated paste ;
b) letting the warm agglomerate cool down to room temperature to obtain a hard
agglomerated mixture; and
c) grinding the hard agglomerated mixture to obtain a compressible powder.
15 2. A process according to claim 1, characterised in that the powder obtained
in step c) is further subjected to a sieving.
3. A process according to claim 1, characterised in that step a) is carried out
in a twin blade mixer.
20
4. A compressible powdered gum base composition obtainable by a process
according to claim 1.
5. A gum base composition according to claim 4, comprising in weight
25 percent, from 40 to 70 % of synthetic and/or natural gum material.
6. A gum base composition according to claim 4, comprising in weight
percent, from 2 to 14% of silicate derivative and from 6 to 25% of polyol.
30 7. A gum base composition according to claim 4, characterised in that the
silicate derivative is selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, magnesium
silicate, aluminium silicate and sodium silicate.

WO 2004/040995 PCT/IB2003/005027
17
8. A gum base composition according to claim 7, characterised in that the
silicate derivative consists of silicon dioxide.
9. A gum base composition according to claim 4, characterised in that the
5 polyol is selected from the group consisting of sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol and
mixtures thereof.
10. A gum base composition according to claim 9, characterised in that the
polyol consists of sorbitol.
10
11. Use of a gum base composition according to claim 4, for the preparation
of a chewing gum.
12. A chewing gum comprising from 15 to 80% by weight of a gum base
15 composition according to claim 4.
13 . A process for the preparation of a chewing gum product comprising the
steps of
a) dry blending a powdered gum composition as defined in claim 4 with a powdered
20 composition comprising flavouring and sweeteners ; and
b) compressing the dry blend obtained under a).

There is disclosed a gum base composition for the preparation of a chewing gum. The gum base composition com-
prises a gum material, a silicate derivative and a polyol and is in the form of a fine and homogeneous powder which is therefore
directly compressible. A process for the preparation of such a powder is also disclosed.

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Patent Number

217473

Indian Patent Application Number

00684/KOLNP/2005

PG Journal Number

13/2008

Publication Date

28-Mar-2008

Grant Date

26-Mar-2008

Date of Filing

20-Apr-2005

Name of Patentee

FIRMENICH SA

Applicant Address

1,ROUTE DES JEUNES, P.O.BOX 239,CH-1211, GENEVA 8, SWTIZERLAND.

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	BARRA JEROME	25, IMPASSE BARTH, VERRIERES, F-74160 NEYDENS, FRANCE.
2	LE ANH	14, AVENUE ERNEST HENTSCH, CH-1217 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND.
3	NOIZAT SERGE	30, BERNEX-EN-COMBES,CH-1233 BERNEX, SWIZERLAND.

PCT International Classification Number

A23G 3/302

PCT International Application Number

PCT/IB2003/005027

PCT International Filing date

2003-11-03

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	PCT/IB02/04721	2002-11-06	IB