Gum Guru Guest Blogger: Grace Wang, M.S., Food Scientist

Back in the office! After vacationing in the beautiful Colorado Rockies, I flew directly to Chicago for the IFT Food Expo. What a scene! Chicago itself was buzzing with the Transformers 3 movie set, with parts of Michigan Avenue closed down for filming explosions and car wrecks. But inside the convention center, there was a different kind of excitement. With lots of exhibitors and attendees, I don’t remember the last time it was so packed. Our promotional item, a bouncy ball filled with colorful floating beads, became a coveted give-away. In an attempt to get more than one ball, some even showed us pictures of the intended recipients (usually children or grandchildren) or bartered their own booth’s items (squeezable Spam cans)! Booth visitors could’ve also treated themselves to some sugary gum balls from our large, old-fashioned gum ball dispenser or a high-five from the Gum Guru. I caught up with friends and professors from school, and met with old and new customers. I even beared the heat wave and ran in the Fun Run at 6 am! All in all, a very successful trip and I can’t wait until New Orleans!

Gum Guru Guest Blogger: Dan Grazaitis, Food Scientist

I would like to start by saying good job USA in getting to the round of 16. The world cup 2010 came to an end with some very good performances (Germany) and very poor performances (France). Like every world cup there is drama about the ball design, referees making bad calls, and that there should be instant replay. With all the great games and great plays my best memory of the 2010 World Cup is the food.

I never have experienced a real football game until my trip to Holland. I flew out Sunday afternoon and managed to get no sleep on the plane. I arrived in Amsterdam at 7am and took a 2 hour taxi ride to Breda. Arriving in Breda and running on no sleep I was ready for the game Holland vs. Denmark. All I needed was an Orange shirt to fit in with the locals. Walking around town at 11am there was very little activity and most stores were closed. The town square was being decorated, big screens being set up, and rows of chairs being organized for the game. Restaurants opened at noon and I was getting hungry. It was a good time to sit down and grab a bite to eat. Local cuisine is what I typically eat so I ordered the Kroketten. Kroketten is a large deep fried ball of ground meat and spices. It is typically placed in a bun or bread and smothered with mustard. It is a typical comfort food, hearty, filling, and unhealthy. After the meal I went to the town square to watch the game. The crowd was filling in with orange everywhere, horns blowing, people cheering, and singing. The game was ready to start and the crowd began singing the national anthem. As soon as the game began my lack of sleep and a full stomach set in. I could only manage to make it to half time before going back to the hotel to take a mid afternoon nap. While I was sleeping in the hotel, Holland managed to win the game against Denmark 2-0.

The experience of watching the game in a town square with thousands of fans was unforgettable, even though I don’t remember much of the actual game. So, that makes my best memory of the experience the kroketten lunch. I also managed to try many other local fares like bitterballen (similar to kroketten but smaller), stamppot (mashed potatoes and endive), and rookworst (smoked sausage). I would recommend anyone that travels to try eating the local food for a memorable experience. I became a supporting fan of Holland (since USA lost - until next time). HUP HOLLAND HUP!

Hydrocolloids are very interesting materials. Individually, they each have certain strengths and certain challenges. For many years TIC Gums has been offering gum systems, or blends, to the food industry in order to maximize these benefits and minimize the challenges. Designing an effective blend requires a detailed understanding of how these materials behave in complex systems, their synergies, and how they interact with each other. The Gum Gurus® at TIC Gums frequently utilize statistical experimental design software to model the behavior of blends, which enables us to predict their performance and fine tune them to a customer’s given requirements; we can do this with simple model systems or with finished applications. Food product developers that are about to begin a food formulation project should consider involving one of our Gum Gurus – we would be happy to bring our blend design expertise and our statistical modeling tools to bear to help ensure your success.

Gum Guru Guest Blogger: Matt Patrick, Vice President, R&D