A lot of gum base is made from plastic. Below are some more sources.
polyethylene
vinyl acetate
These ingredients are hidden behind “trade secrets” so they aren’t listed on the wrapper.
The irony about asking if gum could be made from a plant source — what do you think it was made from originally? I’d much rather chew on chickle than something that’s going to deposit petroleum-based microplastics in my gut. I get enough of that from food packaging already. “Natural” gum bases still exist and if you Google around you can find lists of chewing gums that still use them.
Your first link is about micro plastics, and they even say not all brands have them. So if a product is made of plastic and doesn’t always contain micro plastics (which are found in the air and water and soil and foods), then…polymers might not actually be plastics sometimes. Or in gum, many times.
Random person who took a material science course in college here, polymers like polyethylene are constructed from their component monomers in chemical reactions. Not all monomers end up in a polymer chain, and some remain trapped in the material. These are what leeches out of the plastic over time. Better manufacturing processes have cut down a lot on this over time but it’s not something that can be eliminated entirely. These are also referred to as micro plastics sometimes, and sometimes not–it depends on the knowledge of the person speaking and whether or not it suits their point. Anyways, there’s your not so fun fact for the day.
A lot of gum base is made from plastic. Below are some more sources.
These ingredients are hidden behind “trade secrets” so they aren’t listed on the wrapper.
The irony about asking if gum could be made from a plant source — what do you think it was made from originally? I’d much rather chew on chickle than something that’s going to deposit petroleum-based microplastics in my gut. I get enough of that from food packaging already. “Natural” gum bases still exist and if you Google around you can find lists of chewing gums that still use them.
https://www.greenmemag.com/health-nutrition/microplastics-found-in-popular-sugar-free-gum-brands-swiss-study-reveals/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gum_base&wprov=rarw1
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723063878
Your first link is about micro plastics, and they even say not all brands have them. So if a product is made of plastic and doesn’t always contain micro plastics (which are found in the air and water and soil and foods), then…polymers might not actually be plastics sometimes. Or in gum, many times.
Random person who took a material science course in college here, polymers like polyethylene are constructed from their component monomers in chemical reactions. Not all monomers end up in a polymer chain, and some remain trapped in the material. These are what leeches out of the plastic over time. Better manufacturing processes have cut down a lot on this over time but it’s not something that can be eliminated entirely. These are also referred to as micro plastics sometimes, and sometimes not–it depends on the knowledge of the person speaking and whether or not it suits their point. Anyways, there’s your not so fun fact for the day.
Well I’m glad you have this secret knowledge of the plastics hidden from everyone but you.
Phew!