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US 2006/0141094 A1Published application
Chewing gum base composition
AssigneeFlavor, Fragrance & Foodtech Academy Inc.
InventorsYoshinori Sato, Yoshiyuki Nagaoka
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provide a gum base composition which has an excellent chewing texture and is disintegratable and biodegradable comprising biodegradable ingredients, including a lactic acid polymer comprising a poly-L-lactic acid polymer and/or other lactic acid polymers having a glass transition temperature higher than 50° C. in an amount of from 5% by weight to 60% by weight, and an emulsifying plasticizer in an amount of from 1% by weight to 20% by weight. The weight average molecular weight of the lactic acid polymer to be used is preferably 50,000 to 200,000.
Claims15
1:
- A gum base composition comprising biodegradable ingredients, wherein said biodegradable ingredients include a lactic acid polymer comprising a poly-L-lactic acid polymer and/or other lactic acid polymers having a glass transition temperature of higher than 50° C. in an amount of from 5% by weight to 60% by weight, and an emulsifying plasticizer in an amount of from 1% by weight to 20% by weight.
2:
- The gum base composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of said lactic acid polymer is from 10% by weight to less than 50% by weight.
3:
- The gum base composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said lactic acid polymer has a weight average molecular weight of 50,000 to 200,000, a glass transition temperature higher than 50° C., and a crystallinity of 20% or less.
4:
- The gum base composition according to claim 1, wherein said lactic acid polymer is virtually a poly-L-lactic acid polymer.
5:
- The gum base composition according to claim 1, which contains no lactic acid polymers other than a poly-L-lactic acid polymer.
6:
- The gum base composition according to claim 1, wherein said lactic acid polymer is a lactic polymer having a glass transition temperature of 55 to 80° C.
7:
- The gum base composition according to claim 1, which contains an acetylated monoglyceride as said emulsifying plasticizer.
8:
- The gum base composition according to claim 7, wherein the ratio by weight of said lactic acid polymer to the acetylated monoglyceride is from 90:10 to 80:20.
9:
- The gum base composition according to claim 1, wherein all ingredients of said composition is biologically degradable.
10:
- A method of producing a gum base composition comprising biodegradable ingredients, which comprises steps of heat kneading and softening a lactic acid polymer comprising a poly-L-lactic acid polymer and/or other lactic acid polymers having a glass transition temperature higher than 50° C. in a pressure kneader, and homogenizing the resulting softened lactic acid polymer by adding an emulsifying plasticizer to it, said biodegradable ingredients containing lactic acid polymers in an amount of from 5% by weight to less than 60% by weight.
11:
- The method of producing a gum base composition according to claim 11, wherein the temperature of said pressure kneader is 120 to 130° C.
12:
- The method of producing a gum base composition according to claim 10 or 11, said lactic acid polymer is virtually a poly-L-lactic acid polymer.
13:
- The method of producing a gum base composition according to claim 10, which contains no lactic acid polymers other than the poly-L-lactic acid polymer.
14:
- The method of producing a gum base composition according to claim 10, which contains an acetylated monoglyceride as said emulsifying plasticizer.
15:
- The method of producing a gum base composition according to claim 10, wherein the ratio by weight of said lactic acid polymer to said emulsifying plasticizer is from 90:10 to 80:20.