How and why our popping candy pops
Author: Phil Date Posted:9 July 2012
Science is behind many things including this
What is going on in my mouth when I eat popping candy?An understanding of the production process will aid in your use of this product.
There are a couple of ways that popping candy may work, the most obvious would be some kind of chemical reaction between and acid and a carbonate which gives off carbon-dioxide, like sherbert. Although the water experiment is consistent with this, the explosions produced by breaking the rocks indicate that it is the wrong explanation. What is actually going on is that the popping candy is made by mixing sugars (sucrose and lactose, and some flavouring) then heating them up until they melt. This molten mixture is exposed to very high pressure carbon-dioxide at a pressure about 40 times greater than atmospheric (600psi). Lots of carbon-dioxide then dissolves in the sugar. The mixture is then cooled to room temperature and the pressure is dropped. At which point all the dissolved carbon-dioxide wants to escape, and forms bubbles, just like when you open the lid of a bottle of fizzy drink. But in this case the sugar is solidifying, so the high pressure larger bubbles shatter the sugar into small lumps or rocks.
The small bubbles are preserved still at an enormous pressure, and when you break the sugar mechanically, or weaken it by dissolving the outer layers, the bubbles explode, providing that 'unique' popping experience.
Now you know the production and a bit of science behind the product why not give some ago? The Melbourne Food Depot deals directly with the largest manufacturer in the world. This relationship allows us to come up with some very experimental flavours. The backbone of our supply is the plain coated and the multi coloured coated. Feel free to check out our range you may even score a limited edition experimental version.