CHAMPAIGN (AP) – Researchers at the University of Illinois are trying to cook up a corny recipe for chewing gum.

Corn zein doesn’t stick, is biodegradable and has the potential to be as tasty as existing gums that use synthetic bases, according to a recent UI study.

Zein, a byproduct of corn kernels, is mainly used for animal feed, says UI professor Soo-Yeun Lee.

“It’s a waste product,” said Lee, a food science and human nutrition professor.

But that waste product could create a new, large market for Illinois corn if it proves to be viable and is adopted by the gum industry.

So far, the UI researchers have tested four different kinds of zein gum and three kinds of synthetic-base gum.

Nine local residents between the ages of 22 to 50 tested the cinnamon-flavored gums.

They offered their opinions on a variety of questions ranging from maximum flavor intensity and how long the flavor lasted to the feel of the gum in the testers’ mouths and whether it left an unpleasant aftertaste.

Overall, the zein gums fell short against the synthetic-base gums in texture and taste categories.

But the UI researchers think processing methods could change that.

Using high-intensity sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin frequently employed to boost the sweetness of sugar-free gum in the zein gum formulation might improve the taste, the researchers say.

The texture, meanwhile, could be improved by adding waxes, a common ingredient in synthetic gum bases.