The Science of Candy: Sugar Chemistry - Chemical Safety Facts (2024)

FAQs

What is the chemistry of sugar in candy making? ›

In general, candy is made by dissolving sugar into water to create a solution. Granulated sugar, the most common type used in candy-making, is sucrose, a disaccharide molecule made up of glucose and fructose. When you force these two molecules to break apart, a very tasty reaction occurs: caramelization.

Did you know that most types of candy are made of sugar from two kinds of plants: sugar cane and beets? The common form of sugar is called sucrose (C12H22O11), a molecule made up from glucose and fructose (see front cover).

When making glass candy, gummies, or marshmallows, the syrup is cooled down so quickly that no crystals can form at all. Making candies is actually chemistry in action. You manipulate the size of sugar crystals—even if you cannot see them—to produce an array of textures.

Hard candy (like a lollypop or a Jolly Rancher) is made from sugar, corn syrup, water and flavoring. You heat the ingredients together and boil the mixture to drive off all of the water. Then you let the temperature rise. What you are left with is a pure sugar syrup at about 300 degrees.

What is sugar? The white stuff we know as sugar is sucrose, a molecule composed of 12 atoms of carbon, 22 atoms of hydrogen, and 11 atoms of oxygen (C12H22O11). Like all compounds made from these three elements, sugar is a carbohydrate.

The sulfuric acid removes water from the sugar in a highly exothermic reaction, releasing heat, steam, and sulfur oxide fumes. Aside from the sulfurous odor, the reaction smells a lot like caramel. The white sugar turns into a black carbonized tube that pushes itself out of the beaker.

Sour candies aren't the only types of edibles that register low on the pH scale. Did you know that most food measures a bit more acidic than alkaline? That's why your candies—even the sugary sweet candies and the rich chocolate ones—all should have ended up with a pH number below 7.

Citric acid is used in most confectionery as a 50% solution, but with hard candies, the powdered acid is usually used.

hydroxyanisole, some invertase, some glycerol monostearate . . . . Although some candy ingredients may have scary names, there is nothing ghoulish about them. Many of these ingredients play a significant role in making candy taste and look so good.

In other confectionery products sugar contributes to texture and structure of traditional products. In high boil sweets (candies) sugar contributes to the boiling point elevation allowing a mixture to be boiled at higher temperatures.

What kind of sugar is used in candy? ›

Corn Syrup: Solid sugars aren't the only sweeteners used in candy making. Liquid sweeteners like corn syrup are incredibly common for making hard candies since using corn syrup creates a smooth texture. Invert Sugar: If you're making candy in bulk, consider using invert sugar, a sugar made primarily of sucrose.

The candy coating is made up of coloring and sugar. The coloring and the sugar molecules both have positive and negative charges on them. The water molecule has positive and negative charges so it can attract and dissolve the color and sugar pretty well.

When I've made the candy on a warmer, humid day, it tends to be a stickier brittle. This is because the brittle takes longer to cool, and it reaches a point where it is no longer evaporating moisture into the air. It reabsorbs moisture from the air and forms unwanted crystals.

The secret behind candy making lies in the skill of manipulating the inherent size and shape of a sugar crystal — more formally known as sucrose. As the compound is heated to different temperatures, it will move through several candy stages until the desired effect is achieved.

100% sugar (or nearly so), such as hard candies or creams. 95% sugar or more, with up to 5% other ingredients, such as marshmallows or nougats, and. 75 to 95% sugar, with 5 to 25% other ingredients, such as fudge or caramels.

The researchers found that fructose, glucose and mannose each formed hydrogen bonds of different lengths: sweeter-tasting sugars formed tighter, stronger bonds. The strength of the molecules' hydrogen bonds may be the primary factor in determining a sugar's level of sweetness, the authors suggest.