TasteTech has launched a new Gum Kit specifically designed to help chewing gum manufacturers create longer lasting chewing gum. The UK-based company is a manufacturer of controlled release flavorings and ingredients and is at the forefront of microencapsulation technology, pioneering solutions to food manufacturers worldwide.

TasteTech offers creative solutions to the bakery, confectionery, chewing gum and nutrition industries with a range of products that can help increase shelf-life, enhance taste and texture, protect key ingredients from moisture, reduce contamination and improve cost-in-use.

The innovative TasteTech Gum Kit demonstrates the benefits of using TasteTech matrix particle technology within sugar-free chewing gum formulations. Encapsulated flavorings have been shown to improve delivery of sweetness, acidity and overall flavor profile, according to the company.

Rob McCarthy, Product Manager for Confectionery at TasteTech, comments: “We know that the chewing gum industry is always looking for innovative new forms of technology to help deliver high quality, premium products. TasteTech has demonstrated that incorporating the use of encapsulated flavorings and ingredients can help deliver an improved consumer experience and longer lasting taste.”

“We currently offer a range of both natural and non-natural encapsulated flavorings from the popular types such as mint and citrus to some more unusual varieties such as cinnamon and ginger which can give more of a delayed-sensation effect,” he explains.

“It does depend on the type and formulation of the chewing gum but certainly manufacturers are enjoying a significant extension in chew-time as the effect of our matrix particle technology helps give more control over the release of sweetness, acidity and ultimately flavor. Our sweetener study has demonstrated our encapsulation technology can sustain the impact of high-intense sweeteners for over 20 minutes. Also, an additional study has concluded tastant release levels of encapsulated products will be significantly lower than unencapsulated with over 20% of tastant remaining,” he tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“All of our products are designed to be used in sugar-free gum.”

“We see a demand for more innovative ingredients that can help deliver longer-lasting flavor. There has been an increase in the number of manufacturers who are prepared to invest in innovation to help create higher-quality products with more flavor delivery. Of late, there has also been more interest in the development of natural chewing gum with a number of products now established in the market. This could be an exciting growth area over the coming years,” he muses.

“The challenges we regularly are asked are to help with is making the gum flavor last longer and that is wher encapsulation of flavorings, sweeteners and acids can help extensively.”

According to McCarthy, we can see further developments in this space. “TasteTech has been developing encapsulates for the chewing gum market for over 20 years and we continue to invest in new technologies and materials in creating high quality innovative new flavor systems which help meet consumer demand for premium chewing gum products.”

To accompany the launch of the new Gum Kit, TasteTech has published two case study documents which confirm the effectiveness of their encapsulation technology.

McCarthy concludes: “We are continually assessing the performance of our encapsulates to establish their effectiveness and these studies clearly demonstrate the positive impact of our Matrix Particle Technology within a standard sugar-free chewing gum formulation.”