Wednesday, June 09, 2010

CHEWING GUM-Some of the concerns




What is chewing gum made out of ?
Most chewing gums innocuously list "gum base" as one of their ingredients, masking the fact that petroleum, lanolin, glycerin, polyethylene, polyvinyl acetate, petroleum wax, stearic acid, and latex may be among the components. Because of standards of identity for items such as gum base and flavoring, manufacturers are not required to list everything in their product. According to Dertoline, a French chemical manufacturer, their adhesive "dercolytes" are used as a label and tape adhesive, as well as a chewing gum base. Many brands also list glycerin and glycerol as ingredients on the label. Both of those compounds can be animal-derived.

What are "E" numbers?

There are different words for different food ingredients across the world. In Europe, some food ingredients are noted as "E" numbers. Those that vegans and vegetarians will want to avoid include:

E120 - cochineal (red food coloring made from crushed beetles)
E542 - edible bone phosphate
E631 - sodium 5'-inosinate
E901 - beeswax
E904 - shellacE920 - L-cysteine hydrochloride
Ingredients with the following "E" numbers may be animal derived: 101, 101a, 153, 203, 213, 227, 270, 282, 302, 322, 325, 326, 327, 333, 341a, 341b, 341c, 404, 422, 430, 431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436, 470, 471, 472a, 472b, 472c, 472d, 472e, 473, 474, 475, 476, 477, 478, 481, 482, 483, 491, 492, 493, 494, 495, 570, 572, 627, and 635. To read more go to: www.ivu.org/faq/food.html



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