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Role
of Sugar in Candy Making
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Sugar functions as the captain of the ship when it comes
to candy making. No other sweetener is a suitable substitute
for sugar in candy making, as they do not exhibit the unique
sweetening, bulking, and manufacturing properties of sugar.
Of course, for different candy types, different specialty
sugars are designed- e.g. treacle is best suited for
licorice candies.
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Candy types can be divided into categories:
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Candies in which sugar is present in the form of
crystals & |
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b)
Candies in which the sugar is present in a non-
crystallized form. |
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In candy making, sugar is first dissolved in water at
room temperature to the saturation point.
(Approximately one kg sugar per half-liter
water). It is then heated to boiling, stirring
continuously, allowing more sugar to dissolve
into solution; thereby creating a supersaturated
solution. Finally it reduces to a concentrated
supersaturated solution. Degree of sugar
concentration of this solution that determines
the candy's final consistency. |
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During creaming, the fats and proteins work as
interfering agents and coat the sucrose
molecules and prevent the molecules from
sticking together and forming large crystals. |
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Sugar also works as an interfering agent, preventing
any recrystallization of sugar, and that is
invert sugar. In non-crystalline or amorphous candies like
butterscotch, brittles and caramels, either
invert sugar in the form of treacle or golden
syrup is added to prevent the formation of
crystals in the candy. |
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Sugar's ability to recrystallize
and also to control recrystallization through
development of invert sugar, provides a
delightful variety of textures in candies and
confections.
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Specialty sugars recommended for candies- |
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4 |
Treacle |
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4 |
Golden Syrup |
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4 |
Icing Sugar |
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4 |
Castor Sugar |
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To understand the
role of sugar in detail in other cooking &
processing methods, select the following
options- |
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