Ruth Tomlin, age 11, of Biloxi, Miss., for her question:

HOW IS CHEWING GUM MADE?

Chewing gum is made out of a gum base, sugar, corn syrup and flavoring. Each manufacturer has his own secret recipe. Some use chicle, synthetic gums, waxes and resins.

Gum base is what keeps gum chewy for hours. Bubble gum is made with a more rubbery gum base so that it will also stretch without tearing.

In a chewing gum factory the gum base is prepared by melting and sterilizing the materials in a steam cooker. The material is then pumped through a centrifuge that spins at a high speed.

The clean, melted gum base is next mixed with sugar, corn syrup and flavoring. The formula is usually 63 percent sugar, 20 percent gum base, 16 percent corn syrup and 1 percent flavoring oils. Peppermint and spearmint are the two most popular flavors.

While the gum base is still warm, it is run between pairs of rollers and pressed into a long ribbon. Powdered sugar on both sides is added to prevent sticking. Rollers fitted with knives then cut the ribbon into sticks. Finally machines wrap the individual sticks separately and then package them.