chicle, that consists of the coagulated milky of the (Manilkara zapota), a tropical American fruit tree principally from and regions of . Chicle is obtained as pinkish to reddish brown pieces and is said to contain both and . Introduced as a substitute for rubber, chicle was imported to the in quantity as the principal ingredient of by about 1890, but in the 1940s it was largely replaced by synthetic products. The latex is collected by making deep intersecting zigzag cuts in the to a height of 10 metres (30 feet) or more up the trunk. The “milk” runs slowly to a receptacle at the base., Chicle (/ ˈ tʃ ɪ k əl /) is a natural gum traditionally used in making chewing gum and other products. [1] It is collected from several species of Mesoamerican trees in the genus Manilkara, including M. zapota, M. chicle, M. staminodella, and M. bidentata. [2] [3], chicle, gum that consists of the coagulated milky latex of the sapodilla tree (Manilkara zapota), a tropical American fruit tree principally from Yucatán and regions of Central America. Chicle is obtained as pinkish to reddish brown pieces and is said to contain both rubber and gutta-percha..