WEBVTT - What Is Bubblegum Flavor Anyway?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren vogle Bam here ask someone to describe bubble gum flavor,

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<v Speaker 1>and most likely that person will be at a loss

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<v Speaker 1>for words other than you know bubblegum. Unlike other flavorings,

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<v Speaker 1>bubblegum is a mixture of volatile compounds, which are types

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<v Speaker 1>of compounds that evaporate and have odors. Here in the

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<v Speaker 1>United States, some flavorings are considered natural, a meaning that

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<v Speaker 1>they're made from plant or animal sources, including being grown

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<v Speaker 1>using microbes and labs. Other flavorings are considered artificial. Those

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<v Speaker 1>are made by chemically or mechanically synthesizing compounds in labs.

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<v Speaker 1>Though artificial flavorings can be molecularly identical to natural flavorings.

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<v Speaker 1>But there's no bubblegum, plant or animal. So what is

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<v Speaker 1>this flavor based on? More on that in a second,

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<v Speaker 1>because first we need to understand how flavor works, and

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<v Speaker 1>to understand how flavor works, we have to realize why

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<v Speaker 1>our sense of taste and smell work together and how

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<v Speaker 1>the two are so intertwined. Basically, molecules released by foods

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<v Speaker 1>stimulate nerve cells in the nose, mouth, and throat, which

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<v Speaker 1>transmit messages to the brain where specific smells or tastes

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<v Speaker 1>are identified. All factory cells, that is sent nerve cells

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<v Speaker 1>are stimulated by odors. Augustatory or taste. Nerve cells are

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<v Speaker 1>clustered in the five to ten thousand taste buds of

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<v Speaker 1>the mouth and throat, and they react to the foods

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<v Speaker 1>we eat. The difference between the two senses is that

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<v Speaker 1>taste focuses on distinguishing just five flavors sweet, salty, sour, bitter,

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<v Speaker 1>and savory, which is sometimes called umami. But our nose

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<v Speaker 1>can detect an astounding one trillion different odors, and so

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<v Speaker 1>it's the interactions between our senses of taste and smell

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<v Speaker 1>to create the flavors we know. For the article, this

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<v Speaker 1>episode is based on How Stuff Work. Spoke by email

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<v Speaker 1>with Bob Boutine, president of Nectal Incorporated and Bentley Specialties Incorporated,

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<v Speaker 1>who's been working in flavor innovation for a long time.

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<v Speaker 1>His company develops candies and snacks for some of the

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<v Speaker 1>world's largest food companies. He said artificial flavors are a

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<v Speaker 1>combination of chemicals put together to mimic the ingredients seen

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<v Speaker 1>in the natural flavor. A good flavorist is very skilled

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<v Speaker 1>at sensing and tasting these various flavor compounds. Once a

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<v Speaker 1>flavorist identifies those compounds, Boutine explains, they can create a

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<v Speaker 1>similar flavor with either the same compounds or a mixture

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<v Speaker 1>of compounds that our senses identify similarly. It's complicated because

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<v Speaker 1>foods are complex. For example, more than two hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>fifty volatile components have been identified in the standard variety

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<v Speaker 1>of banana that you can buy in most American grocery stores,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's only one type of banana. The artificial banana

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<v Speaker 1>flavoring that's added to some candies may be based on

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<v Speaker 1>an older variety of banana that isn't available anymore, called

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<v Speaker 1>the grow Michelle, which maybe why artificial banana flavoring doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>taste like banana to us today. But anyway, back to bubblegum,

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<v Speaker 1>a bubblegum flavor is absolutely made up, Boutine said. Bubblegum

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<v Speaker 1>flavor is a strawberry banana punch type of flavor. It

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<v Speaker 1>was created to appeal to the children's market as well

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<v Speaker 1>as some adults. It gives long lasting flavor and chemically

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<v Speaker 1>does well in the chewing gums formulation. Today, there are

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<v Speaker 1>so many different flavors of bubblegum on the market that

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<v Speaker 1>one exact recipe simply doesn't exist. But one thing we

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<v Speaker 1>do know is that the first bubblegum was accidentally created

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<v Speaker 1>by one Walter Dimer for the Fleer Corporation in Philadelphia.

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<v Speaker 1>In he's credited with the indescribable bubblegum flavor that we

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<v Speaker 1>know today and for making the gum pink because that

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<v Speaker 1>was the only food coloring he happened to have on hand.

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<v Speaker 1>So bubble gum flavor is a sort of fruit punch.

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<v Speaker 1>Different flavoring manufacturers these days all have their own formulas,

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<v Speaker 1>which can include everything from the standard strawberry banana to

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<v Speaker 1>other fruits, to spices and other seasonings like cinnamon, cloves, vanilla,

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<v Speaker 1>and winter green. Buttine explained, I'm not sure it's specific

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<v Speaker 1>to anyone flavor, but rather a blending of several a banana, strawberry, cherry,

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<v Speaker 1>a little orange, and or lemon. The exact ratios are

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<v Speaker 1>specific to each company. Some want it to be more banana,

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<v Speaker 1>others more strawberry ish. Perhaps the only consensus is that

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<v Speaker 1>the flavor is fruity. Will buy that today's episode is

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<v Speaker 1>based on the article What's the de old Bubblegum Flavor

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<v Speaker 1>on house stuffworks dot Com written by Sarah Glme. Brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in partnership with

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