Of all the candy mentioned in Roald Dahl's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Violet Beauregarde's full-course-dinner gum has always struck me as the least appealing, but apparently scientists have been hard at work making it a reality. According to the Telegraph, researchers have produced microscopic capsules that will allow timed releases of various flavors. The (non-nutritive) gum capsules could then be...

"...filled with flavouring for tomato soup that would break open on contact with saliva, while tougher capsules would contain the flavour for roast beef that would break open as the gum is chewed. A final flavour for blueberry pie could be packaged in capsules that require vigorous chewing to burst."

I actually feel a little queasy just typing that, but I'm assuming they wouldn't have put all that energy into developing this product if there wasn't a demand for it.

Labels: Food, Roald Dahl, Science