Nov. 15, 1932. G. A. HATHERELL 1,887,930 CHEWING Filed Nov. 24, 1930

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGEA. HATHERELL, OF BURBANK, CALIFoRNIA, AssGNOR. To FRANK. A. GARBUTT, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA BASE Application filed November 24, 1930. Serial No. 497,770. My invention relates to chewing gum and ing gum which is superior to and cheaper in an object of the invention is to produce a cost of manufacture than the so-called novel composition of matter from which, and guns now on the market. a novel process by which, a superior chewing In the production of chewing gum by my 5 gum may be produced. process I combine the rubber with a suitable 55 Large quantities of chewing gum are now S. produced by the blending of natural gums A to be suitable for my purposes to which sugar and other flavoring matter, must have the following properties: such as flavoring oils, are added. The natu (a) It must be a solvent for or soluble O ral gums derived from the of trees are in rubber. commonly called “ gums' which include (b) It must be insoluble in alkaline solu chicle, jelutong, gutta kay, gutta hang kang, tions of mild strength and therefore taste and several other products, including rubber. less and harmless when taken into the mouth. While the term “gum” is somewhat loosely (c) It must have no disagreeable odor. 5 applied in the arts, I use the word herein to denote a vegetable gum of the latex type, duce(d) objectionableIt must be stable decomposition and not tend products. to pro 65 or a synthetic or compounded substance hav (e) It must be moderately at ing equivalent properties. 100° C. and preferably at 60°C. The latex gums, being of vegetable origin, Some of the natural may have these 20 may contain various impurities which dele properties but I prefer to use one of the syn 70 teriously affect the physical characteristics, thetic resins having the above-defined prop taste, or keeping qualities of the chewing erties. Synthetic resins (known as cumarone gum in which they are used. resins) are now produced by the polymeriza It is an object of my invention to com tion of benzol fractions or other coal tar pound a gum from substances which do not products and have the great advantages of contain such impurities and which is there 5 fore superior to the ordinary chewing gums beingacteristics. abundant, cheap, and of uniform char as now sold. I am aware that it has been proposed to 80 It is a further object of my invention to use certain of the synthetic resins in chew compound a gum of substances whose pro ing gum manufacture principally by com 80 portions can be so controlled as to produce pounding them with a natural gum or with a gum of uniform and desirable character a blend of natural , but so far as I am istics. aware such compounds do not produce chew I have found that rubber forms an excell ing gum of the desired characteristics. This lent and preferred ingredient of chewing I believe to be partly due to the fact that gum made by my process. Rubber, as ordi synthetic resins of high melting point have 85 narily produced, is derived from the sap of always been used in chewing gum manufac plants in various degrees of purity. While ture. Such resins are hard substances which the crepe rubber of commerce is the form or can not be used in any considerable propor 40 dinarily used by me, sprayed rubberis equal tion if we are to produce a sufficiently plastic 90 ly adaptable, as are also other rubbers as chewing gum. If any attempt is made to use naturally or artificially produced. Rubber the low melting point synthetic resins of com has the great advantages of being, readily merce in the manufacture of chewing gum, 45 available, low in price, and obtainable in a these low melting point resins impart a very high de of purity. disagreeable taste to the gum.gu This I believeh 95 hig W A. it has been proposed to is due to the presence in the low melting use rubber as an ingredient of chewing gum, point resins now commerciglly available,o but with rather poor success. It is an object certain substances which are removed in the of my invention to so compound the rub r process now used in producing the high melt with other substances as to produce a chew ing point resins. 00 1,887,980 To produce a suitable synthetic resin for I extract from a cereal grain, by the use of my purpose from commercially available low 70% grain alcohol, the suitable protein. For melting point synthetic resins, I have found example, I may extract gliadin from wheat it necessary to remove these objectionable by mixing flour or fine wheat meal with al substances, which can be done by subjecting cohol, filtering out the insoluble cake, and 70 the resin to heat under a vacuum. I suspect evaporating the alcohol from the filtrate to that the objectionable substances are prod leave the gliadin, which is an excellent sub ucts produced in the previous process of man stance for my purpose. I then mix one part ufacture of the low melting point resins of of gliadin with one part of crepe rubber and commerce, and find that they can be removed six parts of purified low boiling point resin 75 O (without the formation of additional objec to which I add the necessary sugar and fla tionable substances) if they are subjected to voring matter. high temperature under a vacuum. It may The preferred method of practicing my in be possible that synthetic resins suitable for vention is shown on the annexed drawing in my purpose are now commercially available which the apparatus is shown diagrammati 15. but I have never been able to obtain com cally and all valves, piping, etc. omitted since mercially a synthetic resin of the properties one skilled in the art ionid readily purchase defined above, nor do I believe that such a the individual units, piping valves, and other resin has ever been used in 'the manufacture necessary parts on the open market and in of chewing gum. stall and connect them without usin Oe 83 20 Although a mixture of suitable synthetic than mere mechanical skill, having this de resin compounded with rubber does not in scription as a guide. itself constitute a high grade chewing gum, While it may be possible to obtain a resin I have found that when such a base is prop or gum which is suitable in the raw state for erly compounded with a suitable protein and use in producing my gum, I have never found the necessary flavoring matter, a very good such a resin and prefer to produce such a resin chewing gum results. by the following process. There are, of course, many different pro I first procure a resin (preferably a cuma teins, many of which are not suitable form rone resin) having a melting point somewhat purpose. By the term "suitable protein' below 100°C., preferably between 50° C. and 9. 30 wish to be understood as meaning a protein 100° C. Commercial resins of these charac that has the following characteristics: teristics made from benzol derivatives are (a) It is not harmful when taken into the available commercially but are not suitable digestive tract and does not have an ob for use in chewing gum due to their taste and jectionable taste or odor, being insoluble or pdor. The resinischarged through a charg 100 very slowly soluble in weak alkali solutions ing opening into the digester 1 shown dia after being incorporated in the gum. grammatically in the drawing. The digester (b) It may be worked or kneaded into a is provided with a hot oil jacket and is heat plastic mass at ordinary atmospheric tem ed thereby to a temperature well above the peratures. melting point of the resin. The digester be 05 SR It may, by suitable mixing, be mechan ing a closed vessel capable of resisting atmos ically combined with rubber and a suitable pheric pressure, the vacuum pump 2 is start resin to form a chewing gum which when ed and the air is exhausted from the interior flavoring matter is added is of the proper of the digester, preferably to absolute pres 45 plasticity without being excessively sticky. sure of about 30 millimeters of mercury. . 110 While various proteins are suitable for my A stream of hot air is then admitted to the E. I prefer to use one of the alcohol bottom of the digester, being drawn into the soluble proteins derived from the cereal digester through a valve 4. No more air is grains. These proteins are commonly in admitted than the vacuum pump will exhaust 50 cluded under the generic name of “prola so that the vacuum is maintained inside the 5 mins' and include gliadin from wheat, zein Sgt. throughout the operation. The air from maize, and hordein from , as well isi heated in the air heater 3 prior to passing as other proteins. The prolamins have the through the resin to the temperature of the great advantage that they may contain con piljacket. This air bubbles up through the 55 siderable quantities of impurities without hot resin in the bottom of the digester and O materially impairing their efficiency for my then passes upwardly through the digester. purpose. To insure an intimate contact between the e artificially extracted protein imparts resin and the air, the resin is pumped into the certain highly desirable characteristics to the extreme top of the digester and distributed final product and I have found that a small by a sprayer over dividing means which 25 proportion of this protein materially im break the hot resin up into fine films or proves chewing gum compounded in the usual streams which flow downwardly through the manner from the natural gums now used for digester in intimate contact with the ascend this purpose. ing air which is being continuously removed W A 65. In the practical operation of my invention by the vacuum pump. - i,887,980 3 probablyThe action threefold. of the hotFirst, air it ontends the to resinis facili sugar are added. The chewing is then tate the escape of constituents of the resin in proper condition to be passed through the which are vaporizable at the temperature conventional forming and wrapping opera 5 maintained in the digester, which constituents tions to produce the conventional chewing I believe to be those whichimpart a disagree gum packages of commerce. 70 able taste or odor to the resin. Second, the While the above described process produces hot air tends to oxidize undesirable constitu a chewing gum of excellent characteristics, ents in the resin, producing gases which are it is sometimes desirable for the purpose of i0 removed by the vacuum pump. And third, it imparting special characteristics to the gum to add to the base in the mixer 14 or the mixer 75 tends to oxidize certain constituents of the 16 certain other substances such, for example, resin producing solids which are readily re as pepsin, a small proportion of some of the described.movable by subsequent treatment later to be natural gums, or certain other substances 5 now used in the manufacture of chewing The vacuum facilitates the vaporization gum. 80 gasesand escape in the from resin. the resin of any vapors or By my process I produce at low cost a chewing gum which is superior in its quali The circulation of the hot resin under vac ties to the chicle type gums now on the mar 20 vacuumuum is continued pump is substantially until the exhaust pure fromair. the ket, in that it has initially no objectionable While some commercial resins after treat taste or odor and develops neither when 85 ment as above described have the proper vis chewed; it may be kept over long periods cosity for my purpose, I find it necessary at without alterations of its characteristics; it times to reduce the of the resin by has the desired plasticity when chewed and 25 allowing a small amount of neutral mineral this plasticity is not altered by continued oil to flow into the resin. I have found that chewing; and it does not stick to the teeth 90 a petroleum oil commonly termed “600W' is even when chewed for long periods. an excellent substance for my purpose. I claim as my invention: From 5% to 10% of oil is usually sufficient to 1. A chewing gum base containing: rub 30 produce the proper viscosity of the resin. ber; a protein; and a resin. After adding the oil, the injection of air, 2. A chewing gum base containing: rub 95 maintenance of vacuum, and circulation of ber; a protein; and a cumarone resin. hot resin is continued for a period equal to 3. A chewing gum base containing: rub about one-half the previous period of treat ber; a protein; and a resin which is a solvent 35 ment. This additional treatment not only for rubber, which is insoluble in alkaline solu thoroughly mixes the oil with the resin, but tions of mild strength, which is without dis. ' also further purifies the mixture. agreeable odor, and which is stable and does The hot resin is then run into a washer 5 in not produce objectionable decomposition which it is agitated in a hot 1% to 5% caustic products. soda solution for several hours and is then 4. A chewing gum base containing: rub washed with several changes of hot water ber: a protein; and a resin which is at least 05 and finally neutralized by the addition of the moderately plastic at 100° C. Small amount of acid necessary. The result 5. A chewing gum base containing: rub ing resin is perfectly free from disagreeable ber; a protein; and a resin which is at least 45 odor or taste and can be freely used in chew moderately plastic at 100° C., which is a sol ing gum or other food products. vent for rubber, which is insoluble in alka 110 The protein may be produced by charging line solutions of mild strength, which is with a mixer 10 with a finely divided cereal grain out disagreeable odor, and which is stable to which is added an equal weight of 70% and does not produce objectionable decom 50 grain alcohol. The prolamin in the grain is position products. dissolved by the alcohol, and the mash so pro In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set 5 duced in the mixer 10 is passed through a fil my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 19th ter 11. The alcohol insoluble or solid por day of November, 1930. tion of the mash is then filtered out, forming GEORGE A. HATHERELL. 55 a filter cake which is rejected. The alcohol containing the protein is then passed to a still 120 12 where the alcohol is distilled off, passing as a vapor to a condenser 13 from which it is passed to the mixer 10 and reused. 60 The protein, crepe rubber, and purified. resin are then mixed in a mixer 14 and the 125 mixture is passed to a drier 15 where a por tion of the water is removed. The base of the proper consistency so produced is then passed 65 to mixer 16 in which flavoring matter and 130