The Chemistry of Candy Corn
IntroductionI chose to do my project on Candy Corn. The reason why I chose this is because candy corn is my favorite candy. My life is affected by candy corn because it is my favorite candy to have on Halloween. The only bummer about Candy Corn is that you can only buy it when it is in season. Candy Corn is a candy that is white, yellow, and orange. It is found in the stores around the time of Halloween. They also have different flavors: original, caramel apple, and cherry.
Composition of ...
Candy Corn consists of sugar, water, corn syrup, marshmallows and fondant. Fondant is a sweet creamy icing that is made from sugar, water and corn syrup. Fondant can come in many different flavors. They make candy corn in large kettles. Then they put them into molds that form the triangular shape of candy corn.
Main Chemicals, Compounds, Components
The formula name for Sugar, which is the first ingredient on the food label for candy corn is Sucrose. The molecular formula is C12 H22 O11. The next ingredient is Corn Syrup, the formula name for corn syrup is Glucose. The molecular formula is C6 H12 O6.
Chemistry's Role
The sugar that is used to make Candy Corn is the sugar we get from “sugar beets.” Sugar beets come from a plant. When the sugar beets are ripe and ready to become sugar, they are sent to the Refinery where they make sugar. We call that Refinery the Sugar Beet Factory. Sugar plays the main role in making Candy Corn, since Candy Corn is pretty much made up of pure sugar. Corn Syrup is another ingredient in Candy Corn. Corn Syrup is made by starch and maize. Maize which is “corn” that grows in the fields as a crop. Corn Syrup is used in candy corn to make the texture smooth and soften it. It also prevents it from crystallizing, enhances the flavor, and helps maintain the food’s freshness and gives it color.
Background Research
Candy corn was invented in 1888 by George Renninger from the Wunderlee Candy Company. Then the Goelitz Candy Company started making Candy Corn in 1900. They still make it today. Goelitz Candy Company is located North of Chicago. In the olden days the workers mixed the ingredients in large kettles. Today we have machines that make Candy Corn for us. It takes five days for the candy corn to go through all the steps in the process of making it.
Resources
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/menus/candy-corn.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgTvgQfcllM
http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com/how-is-sugar-made
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_syrup
About the Author
Jessie is a senior at Billings Senior High School in Billings, Montana. She enjoys playing soccer, which she played for seven years. She also loves being outdoors. She has been in dance since she was younger. She is outgoing and is very caring. She loves candy corn, which is why Halloween is her favorite holiday.