Ask someone to draw bubblegum flavor and most potential , that person will be at a loss for words .
Like other artificial flavor , bubblegumis just a mixture of explosive compounds ( those that melt and have olfactory sensation ) that are suppose to imitate a natural flavor . But does bubblegum really mimic another innate occurring feeling ?
More on that in a instant because we first ask to understand how flavor works . And to see how flavor work , we have to understand why our sense of taste and smell operate together , as the two are completely intertwined .
How Flavor Works
but put , corpuscle released by foods energize boldness cell in the olfactory organ , mouth and throat , which channelize messages to the brain where specific smells or tastes are identified . Olfactory ( smell nerve ) cells are induce by smell ; gustatory ( taste nerve ) cells are clustered in the 5,000 and 10,000 taste buds of the mouth and throat , and they react to the food we eat up .
The difference between the two sess istastefocuses on distinguishing just five flavor : angelical , salty , sour , bitter or umami ( savory ) . But our nozzle can detect anastounding 1 trilliondifferent odors . So it ’s the interactions between our senses of taste and smell that make the look we get it on .
Bob Boutin , president ofKnechtel Inc./Bentley Specialties Inc. , has been working in flavor innovation for a farsighted clock time , and his company develops candies and snacks for some of the universe ’s largest food companies . " Artificial flavors are a compounding of chemicals put together to mime the constituent seen in the raw flavour , " he says via email . " A good flavorist is very skilled at sensing and tasting these various flavour compounds . "
Once a flavorist identify those compounds , Boutin excuse , he or she can create a similar flavor with a new mixture of flavor chemicals ( more on those below ) . The new feeling has to be call artificial because the constituent were by artificial means generated .
But What About Bubblegum?
So back to bubblegum . Unlike natural relish , which can include hundreds of fickle flavor compounds that create their unique gustatory modality and smells ( more than 250 explosive components have beenidentified in the banana tree , for instance ) , bubblegum sapidity is dead , well , made up .
It ’s gain using esters , which are flavour chemicals with distinctive fruit - like odors that are supposed to mimic innate taste . For representative , banana tree flavoring comes from theester isoamyl acetate .
" Bubblegum flavor is a hemangioma simplex - banana - punch type of sapidity , " Boutin says . " It was created to appeal to the children ’s market , as well as some adults . It return long - endure flavor and chemically does well in the chewing gums preparation . "
Today there are so many different flavors of bubblegum on the market , one exact " recipe " simply does n’t be . But one affair we do know is the first bubble chewing gum was accidentallycreated by Walter Diemerfor the Fleer Corporation in Philadelphia in 1928 . He ’s credited with the untellable bubblegum feeling that we know today , and for making the gum pink because " it was the only food colour in on hand . "
All of this is to say that you simply ca n’t describe what bubblegum feel is because it does n’t represent anything natural , like grape or blueberry . Some think it tastes like a mix of hemangioma simplex and banana flavors . Others say it ’s more a combining of strawberry and cinnamon ( huh ? ) .
" I ’m not certain it is specific to any one feeling , but rather a blending of several : banana , strawberry , cherry , a little orange tree and or lemon , " Boutin explains . " The accurate ratios are specific to each companionship . Some desire it to be more banana , others more strawberry - ish . "
Perhaps the only consensus is the tone is overwhelmingly fruity . We ’ll buy that .
