Chewing gum containing aspartame and palatinose oligosaccharide

A chewing gum composition comprising from about 5% to about 95% of a gum base;

• about 5% to about 90% of a bulking agent;
• about 0.1% to about 10% of a flavor agent and a formulated amount of unencapsulated aspartame
• wherein the bulking agent includes palatinose oligosaccharide in amounts effective to stabilize said aspartame when said chewing gum is stored at 85.degree. F. for at least eight weeks, at least 60% of the original, formulated amount of said aspartame is recoverable,
• said formulated amount of aspartame being about 10% to about 50% less than the amount of said aspartame which would have been needed to recover an equal amount of aspartame in the absence of the palatinose oligosaccharide stabilizer.

A process for reducing the amount of unencapsulated aspartame needed to be formulated into a chewing gum product comprising from about 5% to about 95% of a gum base;

• about 5% to about 90% of a bulking agent;
• and about 0.1% to about 10% of a flavor agent, wherein the gum product is at least partially sweetened therewith,
• and while still providing for a recoverable aspartame content of X% after the ambient commercial storage of said chewing gum product for at least eight weeks,
• said X% being at least 20% of the reduced amount of said aspartame to be formulated into said chewing gum product,
• which comprises:
• formulating said chewing gum product with an amount of aspartame which is about 10 to 50% less than the amount of aspartame which would have been needed in said chewing gum product, in the absence of a stabilizer for said aspartame, to provide for a recoverable level of X% of aspartame after said storage period, and
• with, as a stabilizer for such reduced amount of aspartame, palatinose oligosaccharide in such amounts as to effectively stabilize said aspartame and provide for a recoverable aspartame content of X% after said storage period.

A chewing gum composition comprising from about 5% to about 95% of a gum base;

• about 5% to about 90% of a bulking agent;
• about 0.1% to about 10% of a flavor agent and an admixture of
• a) about 0.005% to about 1% of unencapsulated aspartame, and
• b) the bulking agent comprising palatinose oligosaccharide in an amount effective to stabilize said aspartame when said chewing gum composition is stored at 85.degree. F. for at least eight weeks so that at least 60% of said (a) amount of aspartame is then recoverable.

A chewing gum composition comprising:

• a) about 5% to about 95% gum base;
• b) about 0.1% to about 10% of a flavoring agent,
• c) about 5% to about 90% bulking agent, the bulking agent comprising at least in part palatinose oligosaccharide, and
• d) sweetening amounts of aspartame.