User:Alexiaciarfella/sandbox

 Chewing Gum Wikipedia Assignment Synopsis: 

I plan to edit the Wikipedia page on chewing gum and discuss the physical and chemical composition and functionality in this food. Currently, there is minimal scientific content on this page and there is barely any information on the chemical or ingredient composition of gum. Most of the information on this page refers to the history, health effects, and detrimental aspects of chewing gum. The only information on this topic is that chewing gum is made from butadiene-based synthetic rubber and are considered polymers. I plan to add product and processing information on different types of gum (stick vs. pellet vs. bubble), an analysis of gum base composition, a description of flavor delivery systems through microencapsulation and the biophysics behind the chew and blowing bubbles.

 Chewing Gum Draft: 

Chewing gum is composed of a water-insoluble gum base, water-soluble flavoring, and water soluble sweeteners. The water-insoluble gum base is either made of natural rubber gum base, synthetic rubber gum base, or a mixture of the two. Conventional gum is sweetened by sucrose and corn syrup, while sugar-free gum is sweetened by sorbitol, mannitol, and other artificial sweeteners. Gum base also incorporates functional ingredients, such as plasticizers or softeners to optimize film forming (bubble blowing) ability, consistency and texture of the gum.

In comparison to other foods, chewing gum requires a much higher concentration of flavoring ingredients. Typically, 10,000 to 15,000 ppm of flavoring ingredients are utilized, a relatively high concentration considering the low weight of a conventional chewing gum stick. Because a substantial portion of the flavor is completely absorbed within the gum base, an excess of flavoring must be added to the gum in order to make it accessible to the taste buds of the consumer. Additionally, the flavoring ingredients must withstand extreme dilution due to increased saliva flow and the gum must retain its taste throughout the entire duration of the chew, which can last as long as 60 minutes. In order to meet the taxing flavoring demands of chewing gum, flavors are impregnated onto the surface of the gum via microencapsulated flavor particles.

Like flavoring ingredients, breath protection mechanisms are delivered in chewing gum through microencapsulation techniques. Breath control actives were traditionally incorporated into the center of microcapsules, but imperfections in the walls of the microcapsules due to manufacturing challenges often led to the loss of core contents. These ingredients are now being incorporated into the shell of the microcapsule to reduce challenges with solubility of ingredients in core solutions.

 Bibliography for Chewing Gum Wikipedia Page: 

https://www.google.com/patents/US4794003

https://www.google.com/patents/US3962463

https://www.google.com/patents/US5300305

History of Chewing Gum http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?sid=2db0cf80-d221-4de8-943e-ffd92be5ddcb%40sessionmgr104&vid=0&hid=114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=983488&db=aph

 Edits to Meringue Wikipedia Page: 

Protein distribution in egg whites is as follows: (54%) ovalbumin, (13%) conalbumin/ ovotransferrin, (11%) ovomucoid, (4%) ovoglobulins, (3.5%) lysozyme, and (2%) ovomucin. Ovoglobulins drive foaming, ovomucin is the main stabilization agent, and the remainder of the proteins interact to contribute to overall foaming and stability. When these egg white proteins denature (due to agitation from beating), their hydrophobic regions are exposed and the formation of intermolecular protein-protein interactions is promoted. These protein-protein interactions, usually disulfide bridges, create network responsible for the structure of the foam and