How is bubble gum made?
Overview of how chewing gum is made.
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz
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Transcript
NARRATOR: Blowing big bubbles is the ambition of many a bubble gum enthusiast. One simply can't get enough practice, because blowing bubbles with this special chewing gum is all about one thing.
CHILD: "It's all about showing off!"
NARRATOR: The chewing gum dough is the decisive factor in determining whether the end product will be a bubble gum, in other words a chewing gum that's ideal for blowing bubbles. The basic premise is the softer the dough, the bigger the bubbles. The recipe for bubblegum is in the name - gum, or better said, natural rubber. Mixed with resins and oils, it forms the basic mass, the so-called base.
GUM FACTORY WORKER: "The main ingredients of chewing gum are the chewing gum mass or base, with sugar, glucose syrup, humectants, glycerine and flavoring. The most important thing for a bubblegum is that the base has to be very soft. Otherwise one could never blow bubbles with it."
NARRATOR: After half an hour the bubblegum mass is sufficiently stirred and ready for the next process. Machines create a hollow strand, and then cutting machines form balls that are also hollow, making it possible for us to chew them. And the ball is rolling. Although it's still a little pale, it's already edible. The gum is ready even at this stage for blowing big bubbles, that is if you know how. Our experts reveal the secret.
BUBBLE BLOWER: "First chew the gum until it is fully kneaded. Then smooth it out over your tongue and blow into it. If you're lucky it forms a big bubble. If you're unlucky, it pops and sticks to every inch of your face."
NARRATOR: But this bubblegum isn't quite ready yet. To acquire the right look, the balls first have to rotate in a color drum, where they are adorned with bright colors from fiery red to pastel yellow and everything in between. The food colorings are mixed with hot water. The balls are sprayed with up to 12 layers of food coloring.
Now freshly dyed, the chewing gum is only missing one more thing to obtain the perfect look, the right luster. Liquid beeswax gives bubblegum the final polished look that we know it by. Round, colorful and shiny, they're now ready for bubblegum fun, including of course the really big bubbles.
CHILD: "It's all about showing off!"
NARRATOR: The chewing gum dough is the decisive factor in determining whether the end product will be a bubble gum, in other words a chewing gum that's ideal for blowing bubbles. The basic premise is the softer the dough, the bigger the bubbles. The recipe for bubblegum is in the name - gum, or better said, natural rubber. Mixed with resins and oils, it forms the basic mass, the so-called base.
GUM FACTORY WORKER: "The main ingredients of chewing gum are the chewing gum mass or base, with sugar, glucose syrup, humectants, glycerine and flavoring. The most important thing for a bubblegum is that the base has to be very soft. Otherwise one could never blow bubbles with it."
NARRATOR: After half an hour the bubblegum mass is sufficiently stirred and ready for the next process. Machines create a hollow strand, and then cutting machines form balls that are also hollow, making it possible for us to chew them. And the ball is rolling. Although it's still a little pale, it's already edible. The gum is ready even at this stage for blowing big bubbles, that is if you know how. Our experts reveal the secret.
BUBBLE BLOWER: "First chew the gum until it is fully kneaded. Then smooth it out over your tongue and blow into it. If you're lucky it forms a big bubble. If you're unlucky, it pops and sticks to every inch of your face."
NARRATOR: But this bubblegum isn't quite ready yet. To acquire the right look, the balls first have to rotate in a color drum, where they are adorned with bright colors from fiery red to pastel yellow and everything in between. The food colorings are mixed with hot water. The balls are sprayed with up to 12 layers of food coloring.
Now freshly dyed, the chewing gum is only missing one more thing to obtain the perfect look, the right luster. Liquid beeswax gives bubblegum the final polished look that we know it by. Round, colorful and shiny, they're now ready for bubblegum fun, including of course the really big bubbles.