Candy Classifications

• Candy is mainly sugars, such as granulated sugar and corn syrup, mixed with liquid and heated to concentrate the sweet taste.
• The type of candy depends on the ingredients, temperature, cooling, stirring and manipulation.

Candy Classifications

• The confectionery industry classifies candy by syrup phase vs. fat phase or crystalline vs. noncrystalline.

Syrup vs. Fat Phase

• Candy is classified based on ingredients, either as sugar or fat based
• Simple sugar candies consist of water and sugar, examples include hard candies, fondant, marshmallows, nougats, jellybeans, gum drops, caramels, and fudge.
• Fat-phased candies contain chocolate or nut pastes.

Crystalline vs. Noncrystalline

• Candy texture is categorized by preparation, crystalline candies (manipulated) have tiny crystals giving a creamy texture. Noncrystalline candies (no manipulation) lack crystals.
• Crystalline candies, contain very fine sugar crystals for a creamy texture include chocolate, fudge, fondant, nougat, marshmallows and lozenges.
• Noncrystalline candies, such as caramel, toffee, hard candy, brittles, and gummy candies, have uncrystallized sugar

Steps for Candy Preparation

• Crystallization is a critical aspect of producing confections and the formation of sugar crystals from syrup, this is the basis of crystalline sweets.
• Preparing noncrystalline sweets involves inhibiting crystal formation.

Syrup Solution

• Both crystalline and noncrystalline candies typically begin with this preparation
• Sugar and liquid are heated together until sugar dissolves, creating a saturated solution.
• Sucrose is commonly used, but glucose, inverted sugar, or corn syrup can be added to control crystallization and assist tiny crystal development.
• Corn syrup and cream of tartare are interfering agents used for candies
• Liquids evaporate, which forms a super-saturated (concentrated) solution.

Heating Syrup

• Temperature affects crystallization during both heating and cooling.
• Heat evaporates water, concentrating the solution and raising the boiling point.
• Controlling sugar concentration determines the type of candy produced
• Higher temperatures produce harder candy, like peanut brittle, while lower temperatures yield softer candies, like jelly or fudge.

Overheating and Underheating Syrup

• Overheating, boiling too long, results in hard, brittle candy with color and flavor changes.
• Underheating results in a soft, runny consistency.

Determining Temperature

• Candy thermometers or the cold-water test can determine the final temperature

Prevent Agitation

• Avoid stirring vigorously during heating because it can trigger crystal formation.
• A single sugar crystal can start a chain reaction.
• Covering the boiling solution with a lid or washing the sides of the pan with a pastry brush prevents crystal formation.

Cooling

• Crystallization starts as the saturated solution cools.
• Cool the solution immediately and without movement after reaching peak temperature.
• Cooling creates a supersaturated mixture and nuclei form.
• Immediate cooling prevents further water evaporation.
• In hot solutions, sugar molecules move rapidly which makes it less likely for small crystals to aggregate
• The syrup solution for crystalline candies like fudge is cooled quickly before stirring to encourage small crystal formation.

Stirring (or Leaving Undisturbed)

• Stirring a cooled mixture promotes small crystal formation, creating a smooth texture.
• Rapidly beat the mixture until its shiny appearance dulls to initiate crystallization.
• Successful crystallized candies depend on creating many nuclei for sucrose to grow on.
• Nuclei are small molecule aggregates that start crystal formation and act as seeds for crystals to grow.

Creating Small Crystals

• Combine sugar, water, and an interfering agent that inhibits sucrose crystallization.
• Heat the mixture to the appropriate boiling point.
• Cool without disturbance to ensure a supersaturated solution that results in a less grainy texture.
• Beat or stir when cooled to the desired temperature to form many nuclei and enable rapid sucrose deposition.

Noncrystalline Candies

• Noncrystalline candies do not crystallize, which makes them easier to produce.
• Methods to prevent crystallization include concentrating sugar solutions (restricting molecular movement) or using high heat for water evaporation and adding interfering agents to block molecule clustering.

How Interfering Agents Work

• Interfering agents prevent nuclei formation.
• They coat crystals physically and stunt their growth.
• They lower water activity, reducing sugar solubility.

Jellies and Jams

• These are like candy, but with added fruit and boiled to the jam stage.
• Jams feature ground or mashed whole-cooked fruits.
• Jellies contain juice from cooked fruit, sugar, and pectin, strained for clarity.

Pectin

• Pectin allows fruit jellies or spreads to set upon cooling
• Pectin occurs naturally in fruit, but concentrations vary and at least 1% concentration is needed for gelling.
• Commercial pectin can supplement fruits with insufficient pectin.
• Ripe fruit contains the most pectin.
• Pectin is an insoluble fiber found in cell membranes, skin, pips, and hard parts around pips; therefore, the whole fruit must be cooked.
• Fruits high in pectin and acid work best, such as sour apples, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, quince, guava, prunes, and marulas.

Extracting Pectin

• Cut the fruit, separating the skins, pips, and cores.
• Cover and soak the fruit in water and then gently boil it, then boil the skins, pips, and cores separately.
• Strain the boiled fruit juice through a cloth-lined sieve, then mix the two liquids and test for pectin.

How to Test Pectin

• Add 10 ml of fruit juice to 10 ml methylated spirits on a saucer.
• Look for a jelly clot. A large clot indicates good pectin levels; multiple small clots indicate poor quality, suggesting adding commercial pectin.
• A large clot equals approximately 250ml sugar per 250ml of fruit juice, while two or more clots equal 200ml sugar per 250ml of fruit juice.
• Mix fruit and sugar, melt at low heat, and then boil until it reaches the jelly stage without stirring.
• The jelly stage is 5 degrees above the boiling point when using a thermometer.

Jams

• Jams are cooked from any fruit, regardless of pectin, using fresh fruit without damage.
• Some fruits, like apricots, tomatoes, figs, and berries, can be cooked with skin. Pips and cores should be removed.
• Cut and weigh the fruit.
• Cook hard fruits with a bit of water, then drain.
• Add 750g sugar per 1kg sweet fruit or 1kg sugar per 1kg less sweet fruits like apricots.
• Mix sugar and fruit in a bowl and let sit overnight.
• Heat, then boil until it reaches 105°C; stirring should be limited.
• Place a small amount of jam on a plate and drag a teaspoon through it. It should take a while for the jam to rejoin. Fill into sterilised jars.