Patent ID: 8263143

Claim:
A gum base comprising: (a) about 5% to about 10% by weight based on the weight of the gum base of a salt of a polymer comprising hydrolyzable units, wherein said polymer is selected from the group consisting of a copolymer of methyl vinyl ether and maleic anhydride, a copolymer of polystyrene and maleic anhydride, and combinations thereof, wherein said gum base has increased degradability and/or reduced-stick properties in the presence of the salt of a polymer comprising hydrolyzable units as compared to in the absence of the salt of the polymer comprising hydrolyzable units; (b) an elastomer; (c) a non-stick inducing component consisting of one or more members selected from the group consisting of hydrogenated cottonseed oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, hydrogenated canola oil, hydrogenated olive oil, hydrogenated grape seed oil, hydrogenated peanut oil, hydrogenated sunflower oil, hydrogenated safflower oil, hydrogenated palm oil, hydrogenated cocoa butter, hydrogenated coconut oil, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, animal fats, fatty esters of sugars and phospholipids, wherein said gum base exhibits increased degradability and/or reduced-stick properties in the presence of the non-stick inducing component as compared to in the absence of the non-stick inducing component; and (d) at least one component that promotes hydrolysis, wherein said component is f talc, and wherein the gum base that contains the at least one component that promotes hydrolysis will degrade faster than a gum base that does not contain the at least one component that promotes hydrolysis.