Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Chewing gum has been used throughout history provide entertainment and health benefits, and today it has become a product that can contain functional components that support oral health and the chewing experience. With the growing interest in natural gum bases, local and plant based sources have gained importance as alternatives to synthetic additives. In this context, kenger gum has properties that can be used as a gum base by acting as a natural latex when in contact with air. Mastic gum is an ingredient known for its contribution to oral care, as well as its use as a flavoring in the food industry. In this study, taking advantage of the inherent biofunctional properties of the ingredients, kenger gum was utilized as a natural gum base, whereas mastic gum was incorporated as a natural flavoring component. Additionally, coriander, known for its antioxidant properties and digestive health benefits, has been used to increase the functional properties of chewing gum. According to the texture profile analysis (TPA) of the produced functional chewing gums, the addition of coriander at low concentrations reduced the hardness, gumminess, and resilience of the chewing gum, while at a 10% addition level, these properties returned to similar levels to the sample without coriander. However, it is thought that the changes in TPA parameters may have been affected not only by the addition of coriander but also by the structural properties of the kenger gum used as the natural gum base. In terms of antimicrobial properties of the chewing gum samples, while the main component, kenger gum, showed no antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans, the chewing gum sample containing 10% coriander exhibited the highest antibacterial effect with an inhibition zone diameter of 8.25 ± 1.75 mm. The study determined that coriander had an effect on the sensory parameters of the samples and that the use of mastic gum affected this effect positively. As a result, the combination of coriander and mastic gum creates a functional chewing gum product that enriched in terms of health and taste.
DOI: 10.31015/2025.4.21
Authors: Büşra Bıldır Yolaşan, Ezgi Eken
Institution: Bingöl University
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7117301316