Gum base, made of food-grade polymers, waxes and softeners, are what give the bubble gum its chewiness. Polymers are a string of molecules, that usually combine carbon and hydrogen and also provide the bubble gum with its elasticity. Bubble gums have common types of ingredients and the sweet taste usually comes from a variety of sugars and flavouring. However, other than the gum base, the process of chewing is also responsible for the chewiness of the bubble gum. When we chew it, our saliva brings a change in the molecular structure of the bubble gum making it more malleable and elastic.
The warmth of your mouth softens the bubble gum. Chewing separates out the sugar and colouring and helps align the long molecules in the gum base. To blow a bubble, you’re supposed to chew until all the flavour is gone; in this way the smaller sugar molecules don’t weaken the bubble.
Why is the bubble gum stretchy?
