Stick o' Joe: The taste test

There is now a chewy alternative for those in need of an energy fix. Jolt chewing gum is building upon the reputation of the pioneering soft drink. One of its many slogans: "All the sugar, twice the caffeine."

Kevin Gass , co-founder of GumRunners, said that the idea of a caffeine gum was the result of a brainstorm session: What was the newest thing to happen to gum in the last 100 years?

It was concluded that Nicorette, the nicotine-enhanced chewing gum, was the standout innovation; Gass said that it has become the most popular gum in the world. The potential of a functional gum inspired Gass, he said, and caffeine gum seemed like a niche in the market that had not been tapped.

"We wanted to make sure that this is the first of it's kind," he said.

The original market for the new product was presumed to be college students. Gass said GumRunners first marketed the gum, which also contains ginseng and guarana, in university areas throughout New England.

Businessmen and -women began using the energy gum, too.

Gass said that Jolt has also been used by the U. S. Army. Monica Fall, staff dietitian at Ohio State, said caffeine provides a relatively safe energy boost.

"It's not as horrible as we might think it is," she said.

She said that caffeine raises the basal metabolic rate, which increases how fast and how much energy is burned. It also increases blood pressure, which heightens alertness, but these effects are reduced with frequent use, she said.

The caffeine in Jolt gets into the system quicker because most of it is absorbed under the tongue, rather than through the digestive process, Gass said.

A stick of Jolt gum not only contains the caffeine of half a cup of coffee, it also contains another common caffeine additive: sugar. Although the act of chewing gum is known to promote healthy teeth by producing cleansing saliva, Ann Griffen, professor of pediatric dentistry at OSU has concerns about the sugar.

"Bacteria are really good at scavenging sugar," Griffen said. "No dentist would like to see anyone chewing sugared gum."

It is how long sugar is on the teeth that matters, she said, and gum with sugar stretches the duration of contact.

Michele Carr, OSU director of dental hygiene, said that she recommends sugarless gum. Gum chewing is a good way to promote healthy teeth, Carr said.

"What gum does is it increases the pH level in your mouth," Carr said. Sugar lowers the pH level in the mouth, however, making it more cariogenic. In other words sugar makes the mouth a more suitable breeding ground for bacteria and decay.

Carr said that gum with xylitol, like Trident, may be the best for teeth; xylitol is known to have anti-cariogenic properties.

Though artificial sweeteners might be a healthier option for teeth, their overall health aspects are uncertain, Carr said.

"In animal studies, artificial sweeteners have been shown to be cancer causing; however, they use extreme doses (when testing these cancer-causing agents)," Fall said. "The long-term effects of artificial sweeteners are still being studied."

For now, Gass said that they have no intent of adding a sugarless variation to Jolt's current flavors, Spearmint and Icymint. Using a sugar alternative might change the flavor of the gum, he said.

GumRunners introduced Jolt gum to the market in 2003, after licensing the Jolt name from the Wet Planet Beverage Company.

Gass said the gum is now in 35,000 stores nationwide, compared to 15,000 in 2004. Jolt gum can be found in Kmart stores, in 7/11's and in more than 1,000 GNC stores. He also said it will be coming to Speedway stores soon.

Another slogan, "Chew more, do more," suggests the gum offers more than breath-freshening ability.

Before, if fatigue set in while watching a football game with your friends, chewing gum was not an option, Gass said. But now it is.

"It's a whole different reason to buy and chew gum," Gass said.

Comments

Be the first to comment on this article!

Add comment


I am not posting spam. I understand posting spam or other comments that are unrelated to this article will cause my comment to be flagged for deletion and possibly cause my IP address to be permanently banned from this server.

Enter the characters in the image above:

log out